United States Department of Defense

The United States Department of Defense (DoD,[4] USDOD, or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government of the United States charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the U.S. government directly related to national security and the United States Armed Forces. As of June 2022, the U.S. Department of Defense is the largest employer in the world,[5] with over 1.34 million active-duty service members, including soldiers, marines, sailors, airmen, and guardians. DoD also maintains over 778,000 National Guard and reservists, and over 747,000 civilians bringing the total to over 2.87 million employees.[6] Headquartered at the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., DoD's stated mission is to provide "the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation's security".[7][8]

Quick facts: Agency overview, Formed, Preceding agencies, ... ▼

United States Department of Defense

Seal
Logo
Agency overview
Formed	September 18, 1947; 76 years ago (1947-09-18) (as National Military Establishment)
Preceding agencies	Department of War Department of the Navy
Type	Executive Department
Jurisdiction	U.S. federal government
Headquarters	The Pentagon Arlington County, Virginia, U.S. 38°52′16″N 77°3′21″W
Employees	747,809 (civilian)[1] 1,344,330 (active duty military) 778,096 (National Guard and reserve) 2,870,235 total (June 2022)
Annual budget	US$721.5 billion (FY2020)[2]
Agency executives	Lloyd J. Austin, Secretary Kathleen Hicks, Deputy Secretary Mark A. Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff[3] Christopher W. Grady, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Child agencies	Department of the Army Department of the Navy Department of the Air Force National Security Agency Defense Intelligence Agency National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency National Reconnaissance Office
Website	https://www.defense.gov

United States Armed Forces
Executive departments
Department of Defense Department of Homeland Security
Staff
Office of the Secretary of Defense Joint Chiefs of Staff
Military departments
Department of the Army Department of the Navy Department of the Air Force
Military services
United States Army United States Marine Corps United States Navy United States Air Force United States Space Force United States Coast Guard
Command structure
Unified combatant commands Africa Command Central Command Cyber Command European Command Indo-Pacific Command Northern Command Southern Command Space Command Special Operations Command Strategic Command Transportation Command
Combat support agencies Defense Contract Management Agency Defense Health Agency Defense Information Systems Agency Defense Intelligence Agency Defense Logistics Agency Defense Threat Reduction Agency National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency National Security Agency / Central Security Service
v t e

The Department of Defense is headed by the secretary of defense, a cabinet-level head who reports directly to the president of the United States. Beneath the Department of Defense are three subordinate military departments: the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, and the Department of the Air Force. In addition, four national intelligence services are subordinate to the Department of Defense: the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the National Security Agency (NSA), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). Other Defense agencies include the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the Defense Health Agency (DHA), Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), the Space Development Agency (SDA) and the Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA), all of which are subordinate to the secretary of defense. Additionally, the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) is responsible for administering contracts for the DoD. Military operations are managed by eleven regional or functional unified combatant commands. The Department of Defense also operates several joint services schools, including the Eisenhower School (ES) and the National War College (NWC).