The Chairmanship Of The Joint Chiefs Of Staff 1949 2016

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the nation's highest-ranking military officer. He presides over the Joint Chiefs and provides military advice to the civilian leadership. Soon after the JCS came into existence during World War II, Admiral William D. Leahy became its presiding officer. This arrangement continued after the war, with General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower serving briefly after Leahy's departure in early 1949. When the National Security Act of 1947 gave legal sanction to the JCS, it did not authorize a chairman. However, service disagreements over roles, missions, and the allocation of funds to meet the growing threat from the Soviet Union led Congress to create the position of Chairman of the JCS in 1949. General Omar N. Bradley, USA, became the first Chairman on 16 August of that year. Although law, executive action, and practice extended the Chairman's role during three subsequent decades, his authority remained restricted, and he served essentially as the first among equals on the JCS. In 1986, however, believing that the JCS system required fundamental reform, Congress enacted the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act, which greatly expanded the Chairman's authority and responsibilities.

"This revised fifth edition examines the development of the chairmanship as an institution over the last sixty-seven years. It presents an expanded historical essay and four additional career biographies, with associated updates to the supplementary sections and appendices." --p.vii.

This study of the chairmanship traces the evolution of the position from its World War II origins through the first post-Cold War chairmanship. It sketches the careers of my predecessors from Omar Bradley through Colin Powell and those of the first two Vice Chairmen. In doing so, the book shows how each dealt with a wide variety of political, diplomatic, and military challenges. Its brief accounts of the histories of 'The Tank, ' the Chairman's flag, the Joint Chiefs of Staff badge, and the designation of an official residence for the Chairman provide additional information about the Office of the Chairman. The author think that all who are interested in the institutional development of the US military will find the book instructive.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the nation's highest-ranking military officer. He presides over the Joint Chiefs of Staff and provides military advice to the civilian leadership. Soon after the Joint Chiefs of Staff came into existence during World War II, Admiral William D. Leahy became its presiding officer. This arrangement continued after the war, with General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower serving briefly after Leahy's departure in early 1949. When the National Security Act of 1947 gave legal sanction to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, it did not authorize a chairman. However, service disagreements over roles, missions, and the allocation of funds to meet the growing threat from the Soviet Union led Congress to create the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1949. General Omar N. Bradley, USA, became the first Chairman on August 16 of that year. Although law, executive action, and practice extended the Chairman's role during three subsequent decades, is authority remained restricted and he served essentially as the fir among equals on the JCS. In 1986, however, believing that the JCS system required fundamental reform, Congress enacted the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act, which greatly expanded the Chairman's authority and reponsibilities.

Prepared by the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in conjunction with the 50th anniversary the chairmanship. Gives a historical perspective on the development of the chairmanship as an institution as well as on the Chairman's & Vice Chairman's role in the formulation & implementation of our national security policy. Sheds light on civil-military relations at the highest level during the Cold War & its immediate aftermath & provides valuable insight into the interaction of individuals, circumstances, & law, which produced the chairmanship as we know it today. Illustrated with formal color portraits & informal photographs of each Chairman during that period .

When Omar Nelson Bradley began his military career more than a century ago, the army rode horses into combat and had less than 200,000 men. No one had heard of mustard gas. At the height of his career, Bradley (known as “Brad” and “The GI’s General”) led 1.23 million men as commander of 12 Army Group in the Western Front to bring an end to World War II. Omar Nelson Bradley was the youngest and last of nine men to earn five-star rank and the only army officer so honored after World War II. This new biography by Steven L. Ossad gives an account of Bradley’s formative years, his decorated career, and his postwar life. Bradley’s decisions shaped the five Northwest European Campaigns from the D-Day landings to VE Day. As the man who successfully led more Americans in battle than any other in our history, his long-term importance would seem assured. Yet his name is not discussed often in the classrooms of either civilian or military academies, either as a fount of tactical or operational lessons learned, or a source of inspiration for leadership exercised at Corps, Army, Group, Army Chief, or Joint Chiefs of Staff levels. The Bradley image was tailor-made for the quintessential homespun American heroic ideal and was considered by many to be a simple, humble country boy who rose to the pinnacle of power through honesty, hard work, loyalty and virtuous behavior. Even though his classmates in both high school and at West Point made remarks about his looks, and Bradley was always self-conscious about smiling because of an accident involving his teeth, he went on to command 12 Army Group, the largest body of American fighting men under a single general. Bradley’s postwar career as administrator of the original GI Bill and first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Korean War ensures his legacy. These latter contributions, as much as Bradley’s demonstrable World War II leadership, shaped U.S. history and culture in decisive, dramatic, and previously unexamined ways. Drawing on primary sources such as those at West Point, Army War College and Imperial War Museum, this book focuses on key decisions, often through the eyes of eyewitness and diarist, British liaison officer Major Thomas Bigland. The challenges our nation faces sound familiar to his problems: fighting ideologically-driven enemies across the globe, coordinating global strategy with allies, and providing care and benefits for our veterans.