What Are the Joint Chiefs of Staff?

The United States Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is a council featuring the highest-ranking military officers from America's armed forces. The council operates as part of the Department of Defense (DOD) at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The advisory council is led by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), who serves as the principal military adviser to the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council (HSC), and the National Security Council (NSC).

The eight-member Joint Chiefs of Staff council comprises the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), the Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Chief of Staff of the Army, Chief of Naval Operations, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Commandant of the Marine Corps, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, and the Chief of Space Operations.

The president of the United States selects the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a majority vote in the United States Senate confirms. By statute, the two commands cannot be members of the same branch of the military. They take office in odd-numbered years and serve a four-year term unless specifically asked to resign early by the president. As such, they may serve two different presidents.

Other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are service chiefs who rose to the highest ranks of their respective military branches. These military leaders hold the rank of four-star general, except for the Chief of Naval Operations, who holds the rank of Admiral, the Navy's top rank.

Congress's passage of the National Security Act of 1947, following World War II, officially established the Joint Chiefs of Staff as principal military advisers to the president. The Joint Chiefs of Staff offer strategic direction and tactical know-how to execute the president's military objectives. Each member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff council provides military advice and input to both the combatant commanders and the military's civilian leadership.

In addition to serving as an advisory, the Joint Chiefs of Staff are responsible for the readiness planning and training for their respective military branches. Per the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986, the council plays no formal role in the combatant commands of the U.S. military. These commands directly take their orders from civilian leaders: the president of the United States and the Secretary of Defense. The Joint Chiefs of Staff do not have operational command authority over fighting forces. Instead, the military chain of command runs from the president through the Secretary of Defense to the combatant commanders, bypassing the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

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