DoD Leadership
Civilian head of the Department of Defense and principal defense policy advisor to the president (title AND name)
Who is Secretary of Defense (the Honorable Pete Hegseth)
Command with forces from two or more services organized on a geographic or functional basis.
What is a Unified Command (CCMD)?
Authority to train, equip, and manage personnel, usually exercised by the service secretaries
What is ADCON (Administrative Control)?
This service provides land forces for combat and relies on Navy and Air Force for transport.
What is the U.S. Army?
Who is the Civilian Authority at the top of the DoD? (title AND name)
Who is the President of the United States? (President Donald Trump)
This group of military officers advises the President, SecDef, and National Security Council but does not have operational command.
What is the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS)?
This combatant command oversees U.S. military operations in Europe
What is EUCOM?
Authority to organize and employ forces to accomplish a mission.
What is OPCON (Operational Control)?
This service is responsible for strategic aerospace offense, airlift, and close-air support.
What is the U.S. Air Force?
What two branches fall under the Secretary of the Navy?
What are the Navy and Marine Corps
Senior military advisor to the President, NSC, and SecDef; appointed by the President from Army, Navy, or Air Force
Who is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS)?
Name the functional combatant command responsible for special operations
What is SOCOM?
Who does the Numbered Fleet Commander report to?
What is the Fleet Commander-in-Chief?
Conducts search and rescue, enforces maritime law, and safeguards ports and harbors.
What is the U.S. Coast Guard?
What are the missions of the DoD?
What is 1) Support and Defend, 2) Protect, 3) Advance, 4) Safeguard
Civilian head of the Navy responsible for administrative matters, reporting to the Secretary of Defense (title AND name)
Who is the Secretary of the Navy? (the Honorable John Phelan)
Geographic command responsible for projecting U.S. power in the Indo-Pacific region.
What is INDOPACOM?
What is Yes
Provides ships and transport capacity to support overseas deployment of personnel and material in wartime.
What is the U.S. Merchant Marine?
The DoD was created to support and defend, protect, advance, and safeguard the U.S. in what year? (and under what agency)
What is 1947 and National Security Agency
Explain the difference in responsibilities between the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The SecDef is a civilian responsible for overall DoD policy and administration, while the CJCS is the senior military advisor who may not exercise operational command over forces.
If a cyber attack disables key infrastructure worldwide, which functional command would most likely take the lead and why?
CYBERCOM, because it has a worldwide mission focused on cyber operations.
Explain the key difference between the operational chain of command and the administrative chain of command
The operational chain (OPCON) focuses on mission execution, while the administrative chain (ADCON) focuses on training, personnel, and logistical readiness
What are the three phases the Army uses to deploy land forces?
Mobilization (activate active and reserve units), Deployment (move forces, often via other services), Operational (conduct missions).
Explain how the different DoD missions—supporting civil communities, conducting special operations, and safeguarding global commons—demonstrate the need for joint operations
Each mission requires combining capabilities from multiple services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marines) to leverage logistics, firepower, mobility, and specialized skills effectively across all domains.