United States Secretary Of Defense: Leader of the United States armed forces following the president
The United States Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) is the head of the U.S.
Department of Defense (DoD). The role was made in 1947. The Secretary of Defense is sixth in line to the United States presidential line of succession.
| United States Secretary of Defense | |
|---|---|
.svg) Seal of the Department | |
 Flag of the Secretary | |
| United States Department of Defense Office of the Secretary of Defense | |
| Style | Mr. Secretary (informal) The Honorable (formal) |
| Status | Leader and chief executive |
| Abbreviation | SecDef |
| Member of | Cabinet National Security Council |
| Reports to | President of the United States |
| Seat | The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Constituting instrument | 10 U.S.C. § 113 50 U.S.C. § 401 |
| Precursor | Secretary of War Secretary of the Navy |
| Formation | September 17, 1947 |
| First holder | James Forrestal |
| Succession | Sixth |
| Deputy | Deputy Secretary of Defense |
| Salary | Executive Schedule, level I |
| Website | www |
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List of Secretaries
- Parties
Democratic Republican Political Independent
- Status
Denotes an Acting Secretary of Defense
| No. | Secretary of Defense | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | State of residence | President serving under | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Forrestal (1892–1949) | September 17, 1947 | March 28, 1949 | 1 year, 192 days | Democratic | New York | Harry S Truman (Democratic) | ||
| 2 | Louis A. Johnson (1891–1966) | March 28, 1949 | September 19, 1950 | 1 year, 175 days | Democratic | West Virginia | Harry S Truman (Democratic) | ||
| 3 | George Marshall (1880–1959) | September 21, 1950 | September 12, 1951 | 356 days | Independent | Pennsylvania | Harry S Truman (Democratic) | ||
| 4 | Robert A. Lovett (1895–1986) | September 17, 1951 | January 20, 1953 | 1 year, 125 days | Republican | New York | Harry S Truman (Democratic) | ||
| 5 | Charles Erwin Wilson (1890–1961) | January 28, 1953 | October 8, 1957 | 4 years, 253 days | Republican | Michigan | Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican) | ||
| 6 | Neil H. McElroy (1904–1972) | October 9, 1957 | December 1, 1959 | 2 years, 53 days | Republican | Ohio | Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican) | ||
| 7 | Thomas S. Gates Jr. (1906–1983) | December 2, 1959 | January 20, 1961 | 1 year, 49 days | Republican | Pennsylvania | Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican) | ||
| 8 | Robert McNamara (1916–2009) | January 21, 1961 | February 29, 1968 | 7 years, 39 days | Republican | Michigan | John F. Kennedy (Democratic) Lyndon B. Johnson (Democratic) | ||
| 9 | Clark Clifford (1906–1998) | March 1, 1968 | January 20, 1969 | 325 days | Democratic | Maryland | Lyndon B. Johnson (Democratic) | ||
| 10 | Melvin R. Laird (1922–2016) | January 22, 1969 | January 29, 1973 | 4 years, 7 days | Republican | Wisconsin | Richard Nixon (Republican) | ||
| 11 | Elliot Richardson (1920–1999) | January 30, 1973 | May 24, 1973 | 114 days | Republican | Massachusetts | Richard Nixon (Republican) | ||
| – | Bill Clements (1917–2011) Acting | May 24, 1973 | July 2, 1973[source?] | 39 days | Republican | Texas | Richard Nixon (Republican) | ||
| 12 | James R. Schlesinger (1929–2014) | July 2, 1973 | November 19, 1975 | 2 years, 140 days | Republican | Virginia | Richard Nixon (Republican) Gerald Ford (Republican) | ||
| 13 | Donald Rumsfeld (born 1932) | November 20, 1975 | January 20, 1977 | 1 year, 61 days | Republican | Illinois | Gerald Ford (Republican) | ||
| 14 | Harold Brown (1927–2019) | January 20, 1977 | January 20, 1981 | 4 years, 0 days | Independent | California | Jimmy Carter (Democratic) | ||
| 15 | Caspar Weinberger (1917–2006) | January 21, 1981 | November 23, 1987 | 6 years, 306 days | Republican | California | Ronald Reagan (Republican) | ||
| 16 | Frank Carlucci (1930–2018) | November 23, 1987 | January 20, 1989 | 1 year, 58 days | Republican | Virginia | Ronald Reagan (Republican) | ||
| – | William Howard Taft IV (born 1945) Acting | January 20, 1989 | March 21, 1989 | 60 days | Republican | Ohio | George H. W. Bush (Republican) | ||
| 17 | Dick Cheney (born 1941) | March 21, 1989 | January 20, 1993 | 3 years, 305 days | Republican | Wyoming | George H. W. Bush (Republican) | ||
| 18 | Leslie Aspin (1938–1995) | January 20, 1993 | February 3, 1994 | 1 year, 14 days | Democratic | Wisconsin | Bill Clinton (Democratic) | ||
| 19 | William Perry (born 1927) | February 3, 1994 | January 23, 1997 / January 24, 1997 | 2 years, 356 days | Independent | Pennsylvania | Bill Clinton (Democratic) | . | |
| 20 | William Cohen (born 1940) | January 24, 1997 | January 20, 2001 | 3 years, 362 days | Republican | Maine | Bill Clinton (Democratic) | ||
| 21 | Donald Rumsfeld (born 1932) | January 20, 2001 | December 18, 2006 | 5 years, 332 days (7 years, 29 days total) | Republican | Illinois | George W. Bush (Republican) | ||
| 22 | Robert Gates (born 1943) | December 18, 2006 | June 30, 2011 / July 1, 2011 | 4 years, 194 days | Republican | Texas | George W. Bush (Republican) Barack Obama (Democratic) | . | |
| 23 | Leon Panetta (born 1938) | July 1, 2011 | February 26, 2013 | 1 year, 240 days | Democratic | California | Barack Obama (Democratic) | ||
| 24 | Chuck Hagel (born 1946) | February 27, 2013 | February 17, 2015 | 1 year, 355 days | Republican | Nebraska | Barack Obama (Democratic) | ||
| 25 | Ash Carter (born 1954) | February 17, 2015 | January 20, 2017 | 1 year, 338 days | Democratic | Massachusetts | Barack Obama (Democratic) | ||
| 26 | Jim Mattis (born 1950) | January 20, 2017 | January 1, 2019 | 1 year, 345 days | Independent | Washington | Donald Trump (Republican) | ||
| – | Patrick M. Shanahan (born 1962) Acting | January 1, 2019 | June 23, 2019 | 173 days | Independent | Washington | Donald Trump (Republican) | ||
| – | Mark Esper (born 1964) Acting | June 24, 2019 | July 15, 2019 | 21 days | Republican | Virginia | Donald Trump (Republican) | ||
| – | Richard V. Spencer (born 1954) Acting | July 15, 2019 | July 23, 2019 | 8 days | Republican | Wyoming | Donald Trump (Republican) | ||
| 27 | Mark Esper (born 1964) | July 23, 2019 | November 9, 2020 | 1 year, 109 days | Republican | Virginia | Donald Trump (Republican) | ||
| – | {{{officeholder}}} (born 1965) Acting | November 9, 2020 | January 20, 2021 | 72 days | Republican | Iowa | Donald Trump (Republican) | ||
| – | David Norquist (born 1966) Acting | January 20, 2021 | January 22, 2021 | 1 day | Republican | Massachusetts | Joe Biden (Democratic) | ||
| 28 | Lloyd Austin (born 1953) | January 22, 2021 | 3 years, 89 days | Independent | Alabama | Joe Biden (Democratic) | [source?] |
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References
Wiki Commons has media related to United States Secretary of Defense.
- "Top Civilian and Military Leaders". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved October 13, 2007. – Includes the Secretary of Defense
- More information on each position and biographies of the current Deputy Secretary (DepSecDef) and Under Secretaries (USDs)
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