Last Updated: 19 March 2023
Lloyd Austin is the current Secretary of Defense in the United States. He is the first African American to serve in the position.
The United States Secretary of Defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the Executive Department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and a High-Ranking member of the Federal Cabinet.
The Secretary of Defense’s position of Command & Authority over the military is second to that of the President of the United States, who is the commander-in-chief. The position of Secretary of Defense is equivalent to Defense Minister in other countries.
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Secretary Of Defense At A Glance
| # | Header | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Style | The Honorable (Formal) Mr. Secretary (Informal) |
| 2 | Abbreviation | SecDef |
| 3 | Member Of | Cabinet National Security Council |
| 4 | Reports To | President of the United States |
| 5 | Seat | The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia |
| 6 | Appointer | The President with Senate Advice & Consent |
| 7 | Term length | No Fixed Term |
| 8 | Constituting Instrument | 10 U.S.C. |
| 9 | Precursor | Secretary of War Secretary of the Navy |
| 10 | Formation | 17 September 1947 |
| 11 | First holder | James Forrestal |
| 12 | Succession | Sixth |
| 13 | Deputy | Deputy Secretary of Defense |
| 14 | Salary | US$221,400 (A/O Jan 2021) Executive Schedule, Level I |
| 15 | Website | www.defense.gov |
Facts About Secretary of Defense
- Secretary of Defense is equivalent to Defense Minister in other countries.
- The Secretary of Defense is appointed by the President of the United States with the advice and consent of the Senate and is by custom a member of the Cabinet and by law a Member of the National Security Council.
- The Secretary of Defense is a Statutory Office, and the general provision in 10 U.S.C. (Title 10 of the United States Code) provides that “Subject to the Direction of the President”, its occupant has “Authority, Direction, and Control over the Department of Defense”.
- The Secretary of Defense is designated as the “Principal Assistant to the President in all Matters relating to the Department of Defense”.
- To ensure civilian control of the military, no one may be appointed as the Secretary of Defense within seven years of serving as a commissioned officer of a regular Military Component (i.e., non-reserve) without a waiver from Congress.
- Only the Secretary of Defense (or the president or Congress) can authorize the transfer of Operational Control of Forces between the three Military Departments (Department of the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force) and the eleven Unified Combatant Commands.
- The longest-serving Secretary of Defense is Robert McNamara, who served for a total of 7 Years and 39 Days.
- Combining Robert McNamara’s two non-sequential services as the Secretary of Defense, the second-longest serving is Donald Rumsfeld, who served just ten days fewer than McNamara.
- The second-longest unbroken tenure was Caspar Weinberger’s, at 6 Years 306 Days.
- The shortest-serving Secretary of Defense is Elliot Richardson, who served 114 days and then appointed U.S. Attorney General amid the resignations of the Watergate Scandal.
- The first Acting Secretary of Defense was Bill Clements for 39 Days
List Of Secretary Of Defense
| No. | Secretary of Defense | Term In | Term Out | Total Tenure | Under President |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Forrestal (1892–1949) [Democratic] (New York) | 17 Sept 1947 | 28 Mar 1949 | 1Y 192D | Harry S Truman |
| 2 | Louis A. Johnson (1891–1966) [Democratic] (West Virginia) | 28 Mar 1949 | 19 Sep 1950 | 1Y 175D | Harry S Truman |
| 3 | George C. Marshall (1880–1959) [Independent] (Pennsylvania) | 21 Sep 1950 | 12 Sep 1951 | 356D | Harry S Truman |
| 4 | Robert A. Lovett (1895–1986) [Republican] (New York) | 17 Sep 1951 | 20 Jan 1953 | 1Y 125D | Harry S Truman |
| 5 | Charles Erwin Wilson (1890–1961) [Republican] (Michigan) | 28 Jan 1953 | 08 Oct 1957 | 4Y 253D | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 6 | Neil H. McElroy (1904–1972) [Republican] (Ohio) | 09 Oct 1957 | 01 Dec 1959 | 2Y 53D | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 7 | Thomas S. Gates Jr. (1906–1983) [Republican] (Pennsylvania) | 02 Dec 1959 | 20 Jan 1961 | 1Y 49D | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 8 | Robert McNamara (1916–2009) [Republican] (Michigan) | 21 Jan 1961 | 29 Feb 1968 | 7Y 39D | John F. Kennedy + Lyndon B. Johnson |
| 9 | Clark Clifford (1906–1998) [Democratic] (Maryland) | 01 Mar 1968 | 20 Jan 1969 | 325D | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| 10 | Melvin R. Laird (1922–2016) [Republican] (Wisconsin) | 22 Jan 1969 | 29 Jan 1973 | 4Y 7D | Richard Nixon |
| 11 | Elliot Richardson (1920–1999) [Republican] (Massachusetts) | 30 Jan 1973 | 24 May 1973 | 114D | Richard Nixon |
| ~ | Bill Clements (1917–2011) Acting [Republican] (Texas) | 24 May 1973 | 02 Jul 1973 | 39D | Richard Nixon |
| 12 | James R. Schlesinger (1929–2014) [Republican] (Virginia) | 02 Jul 1973 | 19 Nov 1975 | 2Y 140D | Richard Nixon + Gerald Ford |
| 13 | Donald Rumsfeld (1932–2021) [Republican] (Illinois) | 20 Nov 1975 | 20 Jan 1977 | 1Y 61D | Gerald Ford |
| 14 | Harold Brown (1927–2019) [Independent] (California) | 20 Jan 1977 | 20 Jan 1981 | 4Y 0D | Jimmy Carter |
| 15 | Caspar Weinberger (1917–2006) [Republican] (California) | 21 Jan 1981 | 23 Nov 1987 | 6Y 306D | Ronald Reagan |
| 16 | Frank Carlucci (1930–2018) [Republican] (Virginia) | 23 Nov 1987 | 20 Jan 1989 | 1Y 58D | Ronald Reagan |
| ~ | William Howard Taft IV (born 1945) Acting [Republican] (Ohio) | 20 Jan 1989 | 21 Mar 1989 | 60D | George H. W. Bush |
| 17 | Dick Cheney (born 1941) [Republican] (Wyoming) | 21 Mar 1989 | 20 Jan 1993 | 3Y 305D | George H. W. Bush |
| 18 | Leslie Aspin (1938–1995) [Democratic] (Wisconsin) | 20 Jan 1993 | 03 Feb 1994 | 1Y 14D | Bill Clinton |
| 19 | William Perry (born 1927) [Independent] (Pennsylvania) | 03 Feb 1994 | 24 Jan 1997 | 2Y 356D | Bill Clinton |
| 20 | William Cohen (born 1940) [Republican] (Maine) | 24 Jan 1997 | 20 Jan 2001 | 3 years, 362D | Bill Clinton |
| 21 | Donald Rumsfeld(13) (1932–2021) [Republican] (Illinois) | 20 Jan 2001 | 18 Dec 2006 | 5Y 332D | George W. Bush |
| 22 | Robert Gates (born 1943) [Republican] (Texas) | 18 Dec 2006 | 01 Jul 2011 | 4Y 194D | George W. Bush + Barack Obama |
| 23 | Leon Panetta (born 1938) [Democratic] (California) | 01 Jul 2011 | 26 Feb 2013 | 1Y 240D | Barack Obama |
| 24 | Chuck Hagel (born 1946) [Republican] (Nebraska) | 27 Feb 2013 | 17 Feb 2015 | 1Y 355D | Barack Obama |
| 25 | Ash Carter (1954–2022) [Democratic] (Massachusetts) | 17 Feb 2015 | 20 Jan 2017 | 1Y 338D | Barack Obama |
| 26 | Jim Mattis (born 1950) [Independent] (Washington) | 20 Jan 2017 | 01 Jan 2019 | 1Y 345D | Donald Trump |
| ~ | Patrick M. Shanahan (born 1962) Acting [Independent] (Washington) | 01 Jan 2019 | 23 Jun 2019 | 173D | Donald Trump |
| ~ | Mark Esper (born 1964) Acting [Republican] (Virginia) | 24 Jun 2019 | 15 Jul 2019 | 21D | Donald Trump |
| ~ | Richard V. Spencer (born 1954) Acting [Republican] (Wyoming) | 15 Jul 2019 | 23 Jul 2019 | 8D | Donald Trump |
| 27 | Mark Esper (born 1964) [Republican] (Virginia) | 23 Jul 2019 | 09 Nov 2020 | 1Y 109D | Donald Trump |
| ~ | Christopher C. Miller (born 1965) Acting [Republican] (Iowa) | 09 Nov 2020 | 20 Jan 2021 | 72D | Donald Trump |
| ~ | David Norquist (born 1966) Acting [Republican] (Massachusetts) | 20 Jan 2021 | 22 Jan 2021 | 2D | Joe Biden |
| 28 | Lloyd Austin (born 1953) [Independent] (Georgia) | 22 Jan 2021 | ~ | 1Y 326D | Joe Biden |
Related: Presidents Of The United States Of America In Chronological Order
Order Of Secretary Succession
| *Order of Succession is determined by the Seniority of Officials in their role. |
| Rank | Office |
|---|---|
| 1 | Deputy Secretary of Defense |
| 2* | a) Secretary of the Army b) Secretary of the Navy c) Secretary of the Air Force |
| 3 | Under Secretary of Defense for Policy |
| 4 | Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security |
| 5 | Chief Management Officer of the Department of Defense |
| 6 | Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment |
| 7 | Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering |
| 8 | Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) |
| 9 | Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness |
| 10 | Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy |
| 11 | Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security |
| 12 | Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment |
| 13 | Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering |
| 14 | Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) |
| 15 | Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness |
| 16* | a) General Counsel of the Department of Defense b) Assistant Secretaries of Defense c) Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation d) Director of Operational Test and Evaluation e) Chief Information Officer of the Department of Defense |
| 17* | a) Under Secretary of the Army b) Under Secretary of the Navy c) Under Secretary of the Air Force |
| 18* | a) Assistant Secretaries of the Army b) Assistant Secretaries of the Navy c) Assistant Secretaries of the Air Force d) General Counsel of the Army e) General Counsel of the Navy f) General Counsel of the Air Force |
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