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 in the United States Armed Forces

United States armed forces

The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...

ranking just below the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the highest ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces, and is the principal military adviser to the President of the United States, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council and the Secretary of Defense...

. The Vice Chairman outranks all respective heads of each service branch, with the exception of the Chairman, but does not have operational command authority over their service branches. The Goldwater–Nichols Act of 1986 created the position of VJCS to assist the Chairman in excercising his duties. In the absence of the Chairman, the Vice Chairman presides over the meetings of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Joint Chiefs of Staff

The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President on military matters...

and all other duties prescribed under and may also perform other duties that the President

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

, the Chairman, or the Secretary of Defense

United States Secretary of Defense

The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...

prescribes.

Although the office of Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is considered to be 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 Command

Unified Combatant Command

A Unified Combatant Command is a United States Department of Defense command that is composed of forces from at least two Military Departments and has a broad and continuing mission. These commands are established to provide effective command and control of U.S. military forces, regardless of...

s. The Vice Chairman is nominated by the President for appointment and must be confirmed via majority vote by the Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

. The Chairman and Vice Chairman may not be members of the same armed force service branch. However, the President may waive that restriction for a limited period of time in order to provide for the orderly transition of officers appointed to serve in those positions. The Vice Chairman serves a two-year term of office at the pleasure of the President, but can be reappointed to serve two additional terms for a total of six years. In case of times of war or nation emergency, there is no limit to how many times an officer can be reappointed to serve as Vice Chairman. Historically, the Vice Chairman has served two terms. By statute, the Vice Chairman is appointed as a four-star general

General (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, general is a four-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. General ranks above lieutenant general and below General of the Army or General of the Air Force; the Marine Corps does not have an...

or admiral

Admiral (United States)

In the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, admiral is a four-star flag officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. Admiral ranks above vice admiral and below Fleet Admiral in the Navy; the Coast Guard and the Public Health...

.

The positional color (flag) of the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is white with a diagonal medium blue strip from upper hoist to lower fly. Centered on the flag is an American bald eagle

Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...

with wings spread horizontally, in proper colors. The talons grasp three crossed arrows. A shield with blue chief and thirteen red and white stripes is on the eagle’s breast. Diagonally, from upper fly to lower hoist are four five-pointed stars, medium blue on the white, two above the eagle, and two below. The fringe is yellow; the cord and tassels are medium blue and white. The design was approved by Secretary of Defense

United States Secretary of Defense

Caspar Weinberger

Caspar Willard "Cap" Weinberger , was an American politician, vice president and general counsel of Bechtel Corporation, and Secretary of Defense under President Ronald Reagan from January 21, 1981, until November 23, 1987, making him the third longest-serving defense secretary to date, after...

on 20 January 1987.

Chronological list

	Name	Branch	Term began	Term ended
1.	Gen Robert T. Herres Robert T. Herres Robert Tralles Herres was the first Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.-Early life and education:Herres was born in 1932, in Denver, where he attended East High School. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1954...	USAF	February 6, 1987	February 28, 1990
2.	ADM David E. Jeremiah David E. Jeremiah Admiral David Elmer Jeremiah, USN , is a former United States Navy officer, who served as Vice Chairman and also Acting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Since his retirement from the Navy in February 1994, he has worked in the field of investment banking... **	USN	March 1, 1990	February 28, 1994
3.	ADM William "Bill" Owens William Owens (Admiral) William A. "Bill" Owens was an admiral in the United States Navy and later Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Since leaving the military in 1996, he served as an executive or as a member of the board of directors of various companies, including Nortel Networks Corporation.-Early...	USN	March 1, 1994	February 27, 1996
4.	Gen Joseph Ralston Joseph Ralston Joseph W. Ralston is currently the United States Special Envoy for Countering the Kurdistan Workers Party and holds senior positions in various defense related corporations. He was the former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.-Military career:Ralston has served in the military since 1965...	USAF	March 1, 1996	February 29, 2000
5.	Gen Richard Myers Richard Myers Richard Bowman Myers is a retired four-star general in the United States Air Force and served as the 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As Chairman, Myers was the United States military's highest ranking uniformed officer.... *	USAF	February 29, 2000	October 1, 2001
6.	Gen Peter Pace Peter Pace Peter Pace is a retired United States Marine Corps general who served as the 16th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the first Marine appointed to the United States' highest-ranking military office. Appointed by President George W. Bush, Pace succeeded U.S. Air Force General Richard Myers on... *	USMC	October 1, 2001	August 12, 2005
7.	ADM Edmund Giambastiani Edmund Giambastiani Edmund P. Giambastiani, Jr. is a retired United States Navy admiral who served as the seventh Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2005 to 2007.He retired in 2007, completing over 37 years of military service.-Military career:...	USN	August 12, 2005	July 27, 2007
8.	Gen James E. Cartwright James E. Cartwright James E. "Hoss" Cartwright is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general who last served as the eighth Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from August 31, 2007 to August 3, 2011. He previously served as the Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, from September 1, 2004 to August 10,...	USMC	September 2, 2007	August 3, 2011
9.	ADM James A. Winnefeld, Jr. James A. Winnefeld, Jr. James Alexander "Sandy" Winnefeld, Jr. is a United States Navy four-star admiral who currently serves as the ninth Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He previously served as the fourth Commander, U.S. Northern Command and the 21st Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command from...	USN	August 4, 2011	Incumbent

* - Later served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
** - Served as acting Chairman

Vice Chairman by Branch of Service

Air Force - 3
Army - none
Marine Corps - 2
Navy - 4

External links

Official site

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Chronological list

Vice Chairman by Branch of Service

See also

External links