Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the highest military advisory group in the United States. The chairman of the JCS is the principal military adviser to the U.S. president, the secretary of defense, and the National Security Council. Other members include the chiefs of staff of the Army and Air Force, the chief of naval operations, the commandant of the Marine Corps, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, the chief of space operations of the Space Force, and a vice chairman. The chairman is appointed by the president with the approval of the Senate. The chairman, who outranks all other officers, presides at meetings.
The Joint Chiefs prepare military plans and review overall military requirements. They represent the United States on military committees of international organizations. They also direct the unified and specified combatant commands under the secretary of defense. The chairman regularly reviews these commands and makes appropriate recommendations to the president.
The Joint Staff aids the JCS. It includes directorates of personnel, intelligence, operations, logistics, plans and policy, and communications-electronics. The vice chairman of the JCS manages the Joint Staff.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff developed from the Combined Chiefs of Staff organization set up by the United States and the United Kingdom early in World War II. It held its first meeting in 1942. Its members were the Army chief of staff, chief of naval operations, and chief of the Army air forces. Later the president’s chief of staff also became a member. In 1947, Congress established the JCS as a permanent agency within the National Military Establishment (now Department of Defense). It also set up the Joint Staff of about 100 officers under the JCS. Congress in 1949 created the office of chairman of the JCS. In 1958, it increased the Joint Staff to 400 officers.
In 1978, the commandant of the Marine Corps joined the JCS. Previously, the commandant had been a member only when the JCS discussed Marine Corps matters. In 1986, Congress strengthened the chairman’s position and added the vice chairman position. In 2011, the National Guard Bureau chief joined the JCS. The Space Force chief joined the JCS following the creation of the Space Force in 2019.
