The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the highest-ranking and senior-most military officer in the United States Armed Forces and the principal military advisor to the President. Additionally, the Chairman advises the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, and the Secretary of Defense. Historical Context The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) was an outgrowth of the ARCADIA summit conference in 1942 during World War II between President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill (Joint History Office 2). The main job of this original grouping of top brass (consisting of General George C. Marshall, Army Chief of Staff, Admiral Harold R. Stark, Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Ernest J. King, Commander …show more content…
Through deliberate thought, Congress has staggered the terms of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff so it is not coterminous with the President. Subject to the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff serves as the spokesman for the commanders of the Combatant Commands, especially on the operational requirements of their commands (Cornell Legal Information Institute). The Chairman confers with and obtains information from the commanders of the Combatant Commands with respect to the requirements of their commands; evaluate and integrate such information; advise and make recommendations to the Secretary of Defense with respect to the requirements of the Combatant Commands, individually and collectively; and communicate, as appropriate, the requirements of the Combatant Commands to other elements of the Department of Defense (Cornell Legal Information Institute). Additionally, the Chairman has a bit of autonomy in the sense that he is the primary military advisor to the president as well as the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, and the Secretary of …show more content…
The Chairman prescribes the duties and functions of the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Joint Staff, subject to approval of the Secretary of Defense (Department of Defense). Preparing strategic plans falls under the purview of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Chairman is responsible for preparing joint logistical and mobility plans to support those strategic plans. Additionally, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is responsible for recommending the assignment of logistical and mobility responsibilities to the Armed Forces in accordance with those logistical and mobility plans (Department of