General Counsel of the Department of Defense
 |
This article uses bare URLs for citations. Please consider adding full citations so that the article remains verifiable. Several templates and the Reflinks tool are available to assist in formatting. (Reflinks documentation) (July 2011) |
The General Counsel of the Department of Defense serves as the chief legal officer of the Department of Defense (DoD), advising both the Secretary and Deputy Secretary on all legal matters and services, and providing legal advice to OSD organizations and, as appropriate, other DOD components. The General Counsel develops the department's Legislative Program and coordinates DoD positions on legislation and Executive Orders; coordinates the appeals process for denied FOIA requests; oversees the performance and standards of DoD attorneys; establishes policy on general legal issues and determines the DoD position on specific legal problems; maintains repository for all international agreements coordinated, negotiated, or concluded by DoD personnel; and is "dual-hatted" as the director of the Defense Legal Services Agency.
This position was established by Reorganization Plan No. 6 of 1953 and by Defense Directive 5145.1, signed 24 August 1953. The position derived its responsibilities from one of the original three Special Assistants to the Secretary (established in 1947) and the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Legal and Legislative Affairs) (established in 1949).[1]
[edit] Office Holders
| Name | Tenure | SecDef(s) Served Under | President(s) Served Under |
|---|---|---|---|
| H. Struve Hensel | August 17, 1953 - March 4, 1954 | Charles E. Wilson | Dwight Eisenhower |
| Wilber M. Brucker | April 23, 1954 - July 20, 1955 | Charles E. Wilson | Dwight Eisenhower |
| Mansfield D. Sprague | October 6, 1955 - February 27, 1957 | Charles E. Wilson | Dwight Eisenhower |
| Robert Dechert | February 28, 1957 - July 15, 1959 | Charles E. Wilson Neil H. McElroy |
Dwight Eisenhower |
| J. Vincent Burke, Jr. | September 14, 1959 - January 20, 1961 | Neil H. McElroy Thomas S. Gates |
Dwight Eisenhower |
| Cyrus R. Vance | January 29, 1961 - June 30, 1962 | Robert S. McNamara | John F. Kennedy |
| John T. McNaughton | July 5, 1962 - June 25, 1964 | Robert S. McNamara | John F. Kennedy Lyndon Johnson |
| Leonard Niederlehner (Acting) | July 1, 1964 - September 19, 1966 | Robert S. McNamara | Lyndon Johnson |
| Paul C. Warnke | October 3, 1966 - July 31, 1967 | Robert S. McNamara | Lyndon Johnson |
| Leonard Niederlehner (Acting) | August 1, 1967 - August 20, 1970 | Robert S. McNamara Clark M. Clifford Melvin R. Laird |
Lyndon Johnson Richard Nixon |
| J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr. | August 20, 1970 - January 4, 1974 | Melvin R. Laird Elliot L. Richardson James R. Schlesinger |
Richard Nixon |
| Leonard Niederlehner (Acting) | May 22, 1973 (sic) - March 13, 1974 | James R. Schlesinger | Richard Nixon |
| Martin R. Hoffmann | March 14, 1974 - August 5, 1975 | James R. Schlesinger | Richard Nixon Gerald Ford |
| Leonard Niederlehner (Acting) | August 6, 1975 - January 1, 1976 | James R. Schlesinger Donald H. Rumsfeld |
Gerald Ford |
| Richard A. Wiley | January 2, 1976 - January 15, 1977 | Donald H. Rumsfeld | Gerald Ford |
| Deanne C. Siemer | April 28, 1977 - October 15, 1979 | Harold Brown | Jimmy Carter |
| Leonard Niederlehner (Acting) | October 15, 1979 - February 1, 1980 | Harold Brown | Jimmy Carter |
| Togo D. West, Jr. | February 1, 1980 - January 20, 1981 | Harold Brown | Jimmy Carter |
| Leonard Niederlehner (Acting) | January 20, 1981 - April 1, 1981 | Caspar W. Weinberger | Ronald Reagan |
| William H. Taft IV | April 2, 1981 - May 2, 1984 | Caspar W. Weinberger | Ronald Reagan |
| Chapman B. Cox | May 3, 1984 - December 16, 1985 | Caspar W. Weinberger | Ronald Reagan |
| H. Lawrence Garrett III | February 5, 1986 - August 6, 1987 | Caspar W. Weinberger | Ronald Reagan |
| Leonard Niederlehner (Acting) | August 7, 1987 - October 25, 1987 | Caspar W. Weinberger | Ronald Reagan |
| Kathleen A. Buck | October 26, 1985 - December 30, 1989 | Caspar W. Weinberger Frank C. Carlucci III William H. Taft IV Richard B. Cheney |
Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush |
| Terrence O'Donnell | October 30, 1989 - March 6, 1992 | Richard B. Cheney | George H. W. Bush |
| C. Paul Beach, Jr. (Acting) | March 7, 1992 - August 11, 1992 | Richard B. Cheney | George H. W. Bush |
| David S. Addington | August 12, 1992 - January 20, 1993 | Richard B. Cheney | George H. W. Bush |
| John H. McNeil (Acting) | January 20, 1993 - May 5, 1993 | Leslie Aspin, Jr. | Bill Clinton |
| Jamie S. Gorelick | May 5, 1993 - March 17, 1994 | Leslie Aspin, Jr. William J. Perry |
Bill Clinton |
| Stephen W. Preston (Acting) | March 28, 1994 - September 28, 1994 | William J. Perry | Bill Clinton |
| Judith A. Miller | September 29, 1994 - November 7, 1999 | William J. Perry William S. Cohen |
Bill Clinton |
| Douglas A. Dworkin | November 7, 1999 - June 14, 2000 (Acting) June 14, 2000 - January 19, 2001 |
William S. Cohen | Bill Clinton |
| William J. Haynes II | May 24, 2001 - February 26, 2008[2] | Donald H. Rumsfeld Robert M. Gates |
George W. Bush |
| Jeh Charles Johnson[3] | February 10, 2009 - | Robert M. Gates | Barack Obama |
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Department of Defense Key Officials". Historical Office, OSD. 2004. http://osdhistory.defense.gov/docs/DOD%20Key%20Officials%201947-2004.pdf. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
- ^ http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/02/pentagon_lawyer_to_leave_admin.html
- ^ http://www.dod.gov/dodgc/gc_bio.html
