Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

General James Cartwright, USMC8th Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
General James Cartwright, USMC
8th Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

The Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VJCS) is by law the second highest ranking military officer overall in the United States Armed Forces [1] ranking just below the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Vice Chairman outranks all respective heads of each service branch, with the exception of the Chairman, but does not have command authority over them or their service branches [1]. The position of VJCS was created by the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 to compliment the CJCS as well as to delegate some of the Chairman's responsibilities to. In the absence of the Chairman, the Vice Chairman presides over the meetings of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and all other duties prescribed under 10 U.S.C. § 153 and may also perform other duties that the Chairman or the Secretary of Defense prescribes[1].

Although the office of Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is considered very important and highly prestigious, neither the Vice Chairman nor the Joint Chiefs of Staff as a body have any command authority over combatant forces. The chain of command runs from the President to the Secretary of Defense directly to the commanders of the Unified Combatant Commands [2]. The VJCS is nominated by the President and must be confirmed via majority vote by the Senate. By statute, the VJCS is appointed as a four-star general or admiral [1].

[edit] Chronological list

Name Photo Branch Term began Term ended
1. Gen Robert T. Herres USAF February 6, 1987 February 28, 1990
2. ADM David E. Jeremiah USN March 1, 1990 February 28, 1994
3. ADM William "Bill" Owens USN March 1, 1994 February 27, 1996
4. Gen Joseph Ralston USAF March 1, 1996 February 29, 2000
5. Gen Richard Myers USAF February 29, 2000 October 1, 2001
6. Gen Peter Pace USMC October 1, 2001 August 12, 2005
7. ADM Edmund Giambastiani USN August 12, 2005 July 27, 2007
8. Gen James Cartwright USMC September 2, 2007

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d [1] 10 USC 154. Vice Chairman
  2. ^ [2] 10 USC 162. Combatant commands: assigned forces; chain of command

[edit] External links

v • d • e
United States Joint Chiefs of Staff
JCS Seal
v • d • e
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States
JCS Seal