Office of the Secretary of Defense

The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) is a headquarters-level staff of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. It is the principal civilian staff element of the Secretary of Defense, and it assists the Secretary in carrying out authority, direction and control of the Department of Defense in the exercise of policy development, planning, resource management, fiscal, and program evaluation responsibilities. OSD includes the Immediate offices of the Secretary (SECDEF) and the Deputy Secretary of Defense (DEPSECDEF), as well as five Under Secretaries of Defense in the fields of Acquisition, Technology & Logistics; Comptroller/Chief Financial Officer; Intelligence; Personnel & Readiness; and Policy. All of these positions are Presidential appointments which require U.S. Senate confirmation.

Other positions include the Assistant Secretaries of Defense, Assistants to the Secretary of Defense, General Counsel, Inspector General Director of Operational Test & Evaluation, Director of Administration and Management, and such other staff offices as the Secretary establishes to assist in carrying out their assigned responsibilities.

Composition of OSD

Major elements of OSD (listed alphabetically):

• Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs (APSA)
• Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Strategic Affairs (GSA)
• Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (HA)
• Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas' Security Affairs (HD&ASA)
• Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (ISA)
• Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs (LA)
• Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness (L&MR)
• Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration/Chief Information Officer (NII/DoD CIO)
• Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical & Biological Defense Programs (NCB)
• Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs (PA)
• Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (R&E)
• Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs (RA)
• Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict & Interdependent Capabilities (SO/LIC&IC)
• Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Oversight (IO)
• Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manufacturing and Industrial Base
• Deputy Chief Management Officer
• Deputy Secretary of Defense
• Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment (I&E)
• Director of Administration and Management (DA&M)
• Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE)
• Director of Family Policy
• Director of Force Transformation
• Director of Net Assessment
• Director of the Office of Corrosion Policy and Oversight
• Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E)
• Director of Small Business Programs
• Executive Secretary of the Department of Defense
• General Counsel of the Department of Defense
• Inspector General of the Department of Defense
• Secretary of Defense
• Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer (C/CFO)
• Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (AT&L)
• Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (I)
• Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (P&R)
• Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (P)

Major Reorganizations

The composition of OSD is in a state of consistent flux, as Congress and DoD perpetually create new offices, redesignate existing ones, and abolish others.

Obama Administration Changes

During the Obama administration, Congress has sought to clarify the organization of OSD, and has worked with the Department to move toward a standardization of official naming conventions. Many Defense officials, including the DEPSECDEF, all five USDs, and all ASDs, as well as any officials specifically designated in U.S. Code^[1] have historically been considered Presidentially-Appointed, Senate-Confirmed (PAS) officials, in that the Senate must provide "advice and consent" for each individual before he or she can operate in an official capacity. In a March 2009 letter, Senator Carl Levin, Chairman of the Senate Armed Service Committee, wrote that the Department was apparently exercising the authority to appoint other significant officials - termed Deputy Under Secretaries of Defense (DUSDs) - "without statutory authorization, without limitation, and without Senate confirmation." Levin was "concerned that the proliferation of DUSDs at multiple levels of the organization could muddy lines of authority and may not be in the best interest of the Department of Defense."^[2] Subsequent legislation established five Senate-confirmed Principal Deputies (i.e., "first assistants"), one for each Under Secretary of Defense.

The FY10 NDAA gave the DoD until January 1, 2011, to eliminate or redesignate all other Deputy Under Secretaries who are not PDUSDs. The FY11 NDAA extended this deadline to January 1, 2015. During that time, the Secretary may, at his or her discretion, appoint within OSD five additional non-PAS DUSDs beyond the five statutory PAS-PDUSDs. The USD(I) appears to be maintaining at least three non-PAS DUSDs, although they have been renamed. The USD (AT&L) has maintained the non-PAS DUSD for Installations and Environment, though the FY11 NDAA recommended merging this post with the newly created ASD for Operational Energy Plans and Programs. The USD(P) has maintained a non-PAS DUSD for Strategy, Plans, and Forces, though the FY11 NDAA recommended eliminating this position.

Nevertheless, a number of positions have been redesignated or eliminated during the Obama administration, pursuant to statutory language contained in the National Defense Authorization Acts of FY10^[3] and FY11^[4]. and subsequent internal DoD reports^[5].

See also

• The Joint Staff
• Office of the Secretary of the Army
• Office of the Secretary of the Navy
• Office of the Secretary of the Air Force
• Headquarters Marine Corps
• The Air Staff

References

1. ^ Title X, Subtitle A, Part 1, Chapter 4, http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/usc_sup_01_10_10_A_20_I_30_4.html
2. ^ ODAM (April 2010). "Revised Organizational Structure for the Office of the Secretary of Defense". Report to Congress. Department of Defense. pp. 33–34. 
3. ^ 111th Congress (October 28, 2009). "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010". Government Printing Office. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-111hr2647enr/pdf/BILLS-111hr2647enr.pdf. "H.R. 2647" 
4. ^ Title IX, Subtitle A, Section 901, Part b, Section 4, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-111hr6523enr/pdf/BILLS-111hr6523enr.pdf
5. ^ ODAM (April 2010). "Revised Organizational Structure for the Office of the Secretary of Defense". Report to Congress. Department of Defense. 

External links

• Office of the Secretary of Defense
• Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (AcqWeb)