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Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense

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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.
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