Jump to content

Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense
OSD Identification Badge
since 1 October 2024
Office of the Secretary of Defense
TypeSenior military assistant
Reports toUnited States Secretary of Defense
SeatThe Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia
AppointerThe President
with Senate advice and consent

The senior military assistant to the secretary of defense (SMA SecDef)[1] is the highest-ranking commissioned officer in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). The SMA directly reports to the secretary of defense, performing administrative work in the Secretary's name and handles relations between the Secretary and other pertinent government bodies, including the rest of the OSD, Congress and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.[1] As a joint duty assignment, the SMA is one of 310 officer positions granted exemption from statutory limits on general officer numbers under 10 U.S.C. § 526.

The SMA holds the rank of lieutenant general or vice admiral. They are nominated by the president and must be confirmed by the Senate.

List of senior military assistants

[edit]
No. Senior Military Assistant Term Service branch Secretary of Defense Ref.
Portrait Name Took office Left office Term length
? Major General
Colin Powell
July 1983 June 1986 ~2 years, 335 days
U.S. Army
Caspar Weinberger -
? Vice Admiral
Donald S. Jones
June 1986 January 1987 ~214 days
U.S. Navy
Caspar Weinberger
Frank Carlucci
[2]
? Major General
Gordon E. Fornell
January 1987 September 1988 ~1 year, 244 days
U.S. Air Force
Frank Carlucci [3]
? Rear Admiral (lower half)
William Owens
July 1988 August 1990 ~2 years, 31 days
U.S. Navy
Frank Carlucci
Dick Cheney
[4]
? Rear Admiral (lower half)
Thomas J. Lopez
August 1990 May 1992 ~1 year, 274 days
U.S. Navy
Dick Cheney [5]
? Major General
John P. Jumper
May 1992 February 1994 ~1 year, 276 days
U.S. Air Force
Les Aspin [6][7]
? Major General
Paul J. Kern
March 1994 June 1996 ~2 years, 92 days
U.S. Army
William Perry [8][9]
? Major General
Randolph W. House
June 1996 January 1997 ~214 days
U.S. Army
William Perry [10][11][12]
? Lieutenant General
James L. Jones
January 1997 May 1999 ~2 years, 120 days
U.S. Marine Corps
William Cohen [13][14][15]
? Vice Admiral
Gregory G. Johnson
May 1999 October 2000 ~1 year, 153 days
U.S. Navy
William Cohen -
? Rear Admiral (lower half)
Deborah Loewer
October 2000 2001 ~258 days
U.S. Navy
William Cohen -
? Vice Admiral
Edmund P. Giambastiani
2001 August 2002 ~1 year, 46 days
U.S. Navy
William Cohen
Donald Rumsfeld
-
? Lieutenant General
Bantz J. Craddock
August 2002 July 2004 ~1 year, 335 days
U.S. Army
Donald Rumsfeld -
? Vice Admiral
James G. Stavridis
July 2004 August 2006 ~2 years, 31 days
U.S. Navy
Donald Rumsfeld -
? Lieutenant General
Victor E. Renuart Jr.
August 2006 February 2007 ~184 days
U.S. Air Force
Robert Gates [16]
? Lieutenant General
Peter W. Chiarelli
March 2007 August 2008 ~1 year, 153 days
U.S. Army
Robert Gates -
? Lieutenant General
David M. Rodriguez
August 2008 June 2009 ~304 days
U.S. Army
Robert Gates -
? Vice Admiral
Joseph D. Kernan
June 2009 April 2011 ~1 year, 304 days
U.S. Navy
Robert Gates -
? Lieutenant General
John F. Kelly
April 2011 August 2012 ~1 year, 122 days
U.S. Marine Corps
Robert Gates
Leon Panetta
-
? Lieutenant General
Thomas D. Waldhauser
August 2012 September 2013 ~1 year, 31 days
U.S. Marine Corps
Leon Panetta
Chuck Hagel
-
? Lieutenant General
Robert B. Abrams
September 2013 June 24, 2015 ~1 year, 282 days
U.S. Army
Chuck Hagel
Ash Carter
-
? Lieutenant General
Ronald F. Lewis
June 24, 2015 November 12, 2015 141 days
U.S. Army
Ash Carter [17][18]
? Brigadier General
Eric Smith
~January 7, 2016 ~June 23, 2017 ~1 year, 167 days
U.S. Marine Corps
Ash Carter
Jim Mattis
[19][20]
? Vice Admiral
Craig S. Faller
~June 23, 2017 ~September 1, 2018 ~1 year, 70 days
U.S. Navy
Jim Mattis [21]
? Lieutenant General
George W. Smith Jr.
September 1, 2018 August 12, 2019 345 days
U.S. Marine Corps
Jim Mattis
Mark Esper
[22]
? Lieutenant General
Bryan P. Fenton
August 12, 2019 June 3, 2021 1 year, 295 days
U.S. Army
Mark Esper
Lloyd Austin
[23]
? Lieutenant General
Randy George
June 3, 2021 ~July 7, 2022 1 year, 34 days
U.S. Army
Lloyd Austin [24]
? Lieutenant General
Ronald P. Clark
~July 7, 2022 1 October 2024 2 years, 86 days
U.S. Army
Lloyd Austin [25]
? Lieutenant General
Jennifer Short
1 October 2024 Incumbent 21 days
U.S. Air Force
Lloyd Austin [26]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Secretary of Defense Communications". Defense Information Systems Agency. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  2. ^ General/Flag Officer Roster (September 1986)
  3. ^ "LIEUTENANT GENERAL GORDON E. FORNELL". Air Force.
  4. ^ General/Flag Officer Roster (June 1990)
  5. ^ General/Flag Officer Roster (December 1991)
  6. ^ General/Flag Officer Roster (September 1993)
  7. ^ "GENERAL JOHN P. JUMPER". Air Force.
  8. ^ General/Flag Officer Roster (December 1995)
  9. ^ General/Flag Officer Roster (March 1996)
  10. ^ General/Flag Officer Roster (June 1996)
  11. ^ General/Flag Officer Roster (September 1996)
  12. ^ General/Flag Officer Roster (December 1996)
  13. ^ General/Flag Officer Roster (June 1997)
  14. ^ General/Flag Officer Roster (December 1997)
  15. ^ General/Flag Officer Roster (June 1998)
  16. ^ "General Victor E. Renuart Jr".
  17. ^ "Defense Secretary Fires Top Military Assistant Due to 'Misconduct'". October 31, 2017.
  18. ^ https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/AD1018240.pdf
  19. ^ "Marine Corps 1-star tapped as Carter's senior military assistant".
  20. ^ "Marine one-star takes the helm of MARFORSOUTH". January 9, 2016.
  21. ^ "Admiral Craig S. Faller".
  22. ^ "Lt. Gen George W. Smith Jr".
  23. ^ "General Bryan P. Fenton - General Officer Management Office".
  24. ^ "General Randy A. George - General Officer Management Office".
  25. ^ "Lieutenant General Ronald P. Clark - General Officer Management Office".
  26. ^ "Lieutenant General Jennifer M. Short". U.S. Air Force. Retrieved October 11, 2024.