CHAPTER 3

National Defense

The Defense Structure

Of The United States

The Constitution, Article I, gives

Congress the power to:

• Declare war.

• Raise and support

armies.

• Provide and maintain

a navy.

The Constitution,

Article II, places the

President as

Commander-In-Chief

George W. Bush

Lyndon Johnson

Theodore Roosevelt

The president appoints a group of officials to

administer his policies. This group of

officials is called the President’s Cabinet.

PRESIDENT BARAK OBAMA’S CABINET

Because the military falls under two

elected bodies, official actions of the

military have the weight of the

Constitution and the American people

behind them.

Military officers swear an oath to serve

and defend the Constitution.

Congress:

• Makes the rules

•! Appropriates funds for national defense

• Declares wars

• Confirms military officer promotions

SETTING ASIDE FUNDS FOR

A SPECIFIC USE

APPROPRIATE FUNDS

The President is at

the top of the

chain of command.

As Commander-In-Chief,

he directs the actions of

the military in peace or

wartime. Who is the

current President?

The system by which authority

passes down through the

military ranks, with each level

accountable to a superior

Chain of Command

Secretary of Defense (SECDEF)

• A member of the

President's cabinet

•! Responsible for all

military matters

•! Runs the Department

of Defense

• A member of the

National Security

Council (NSC)

Who is the

current SECDEF?

National Security Council (NSC)

The NSC is chaired by the President. Its regular attendees

are the Vice President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary

of the Treasury, and the Secretary of Defense. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the statutory military advisor

to the Council and the Director of National Intelligence is

the intelligence advisor.

The NSC discusses foreign policy and matters that pertain

to the countries safety.

National Security Council (NSC)

President Vice President

Secretary of State Secretary of Defense

Secretary of the Treasury Timothy F. Geithner

Department of Defense (DoD)

SECDEF

Air Force

Army

Navy

Three military

departments report

to the Secretary of

Defense (SECDEF)

Presidential

appointments with

Senate confirmation

Secretary of

the Navy

The President of the United States and

the Secretary of the Navy are civilians.

Commander in Chief

The Secretary of the Navy

(SECNAV) heads the

Department of the Navy

and is responsible for

• outfitting,

• equipping,

• recruiting, and

• training

the U.S. Navy and Marine

Corps. Who is the

current SECNAV?

•! Chairman

• Vice-Chairmen

• Army Chief of Staff

• Chief of Naval Operations

• Air Force Chief of Staff

• Commandant of the Marine Corps

Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS)

Joint Chiefs of Staff

A committee made up of the

senior officer from each branch

of the armed services; it gives

the President and the National

Security Council military

advice.

Senior military

adviser to the

President, SECDEF,

and NSC

Chairman JCS

However, Chairman

does not exercise

command over Joint

Chiefs or field

commands.

Who is the

current Chairman of

the JCS?

Chief of Naval Operations (CNO)

Under the SECNAV, the

CNO is:

• the Navy’s senior

military officer

•! responsible for

•! operating forces

•! shore establishment

• the principal naval

advisor to the President

and SECNAV

Who is the

current CNO?

The U.S. Navy

The mission of the Navy is to maintain,

train, and equip combat-ready naval forces

capable of winning wars, deterring

aggression, and maintaining

freedom of the seas.

Shore

Establishments

Operating

Forces

The operating forces are responsible

for:

USS John C. Stennis

(CVN 70)

•! Winning wars

• Deterring aggression

• Maintaining freedom of the seas

The shore establishment is responsible

for maintaining, training, and equipping

the operating forces.

3rd

2nd 6th

5th

7th

4th

Operating Forces

U. S. Navy Fleets

San Diego

Norfolk

Mayport

Gaeta

Italy

Manama

Bahrain

Yokosuka

Japan

Some fleet numbers are missing: a result

of renumbering following World War II

Based in Gaeta, Italy, the U.S. 6th Fleet’s

primary operating area is the

Mediterranean Sea as the operating

force for US Naval Forces Europe

headquartered in London, England.

U.S. Sixth Fleet Area of Responsibility

U.S. Naval Forces Central

Command (CENTCOM)

operates the 5th Fleet

located in Manama,

Bahrain.

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command

U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet Area of Operation

The Commander, U.S. Atlantic

Fleet (COMLANTFLT), is located

in Norfolk, Virginia.

The U.S. Second Fleet is responsible

for this area.

The Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet

(COMPACTFLT), is located at Pearl

Harbor, Hawaii.

The 3rd Fleet is located at San

Diego, California, responsible for

the eastern Pacific Ocean

Located in Yokosuka, Japan,

the 7th Fleet is responsible for

the western Pacific

Ships are organized by type under

Type Commands

•! Commander Naval Air Forces

•! Aircraft carriers, aircraft squadrons,

air stations

•! Commander Submarine Force

•! Submarines

•! Commander Naval Surface Force

•! All other ships

Type Commands control ships during

primary and intermediate training cycles

Military Sealift Command provides ocean

transportation of equipment, fuel, supplies,

and ammunition to American forces

worldwide during peacetime or in wartime.

The Operational Test and

Evaluation Force inspects

and assesses new systems

The U.S. Navy Reserve Forces are

called upon to serve with the active

operating forces in time of war or

national emergency. COMNAVRESFOR

is headquartered in New Orleans, LA.

The Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC)

provides special forces (SEALS) personnel

and equipment for fleet operations.

The Shore Establishment

The primary responsibility of the shore

establishments is to support the operating

forces.

Their responsibilities fall into seven

major responsibilities:

Naval Aviation

Depot

Naval Shipyard

• Facilities for repair and maintenance

of ships, submarines, aircraft, and

related equipment

Naval Communication

Stations

• Facilities that provide secure and

reliable communications for the fleet

• Facilities that provide recruiting

and training of naval personnel

• Facilities that provide intelligence and

meteorological support

• Facilities that provide storage areas

and procurement of repair parts, fuel,

and munitions

• Facilities that

provide medical

and dental health

care to naval

personnel

• Facilities that provide

maintenance and

operation of air bases

Relationship With the Marine Corps

SECNAV

CNO Commandant

Commandant of the

Marine Corps

The senior military

officer in the USMC

who directs the

operations of:

• 3 combat divisions

• 3 aircraft wings

• Other supporting

units

Who is the

current Commandant

of the USMC?

The U.S. Marine Corps is organized into

two major commands:

• Fleet Marine Force Pacific, Honolulu, HI

• Fleet Marine Force Atlantic, Norfolk, VA

The Navy and Marine Corps

support each other

The United States Coast Guard

and Merchant Marine

The CG serves under the Department of

Homeland Security in peacetime but in

wartime it becomes part of the Navy.

The smallest of U.S. armed forces,

the jobs of the Coast Guard include:

•! Law enforcement in U.S. waters

•! Port security

•! Safety and maintenance of

navigational aids

•! Search and rescue at sea

•! Interdiction of illegal drugs at sea

•! Pollution control of ecological

contamination

•! Immigration control

A general term for lighthouses,

buoys, beacons, lanterns, and

radio signals; the Coast Guard

maintains these to help

mariners of all kinds find

their way on the water

Navigational Aids

The blocking, intercepting,

or preventing the passage

of something

Interdiction

U.S. Merchant Marine

The U.S. Merchant Marine functions

under the Department of Transportation’s

Maritime Administration.

The Merchant Marine:

• Regulates rates and

practices of ocean

shipping lines

• Operates ocean-going

vessels

Although not part of the Navy, during

wartime the Merchant Marine carries the

military supplies and people our armed

forces need.

U.S. Army and Air Force

June 14, 1775

Second Continental Congress

adopts existing Continental Army.

Forms committee to draft rules and

regulations.

U.S. Army

The oldest of the armed services

After Constitution

ratified, under

Department of

War

National Security

Act 1947, under

Department of

Defense

U.S. Army mission:

Provide forces able to

conduct prompt,

sustained combat on

land as well as stability

and reconstruction

operations, as required.

Ready to defend vital national interests at

home and overseas.

Similar to U.S. Air Force mission though

methods vary greatly.

U.S. Air Force: organizes,

trains, equips for offense,

defense or reconnaissance in

skies or space

Began in the early 20th century

as the Army Air Corps

National Security Act of 1947

created an independent

department with own funding

and broader mission

U.S. Air Force mission:

•! defend by controlling and exploiting

air and space over hostile nations

•! maintain security of vital areas of

national interest

•! interdict potentially hostile aircraft

•! operate US military satellites

•! support US ground forces through

bombing and air defense

Employ to the greatest possible

advantage

Exploit

U.S. Military Forces

June 2006

352,620 Airmen 496,362 Soldiers

178,923 Marines 353,496 Sailors

The U.S. armed forces answer to the will of

the people through elected civilian leaders

Constitution authorizes Congress to

“raise and support” the Army, “provide

and maintain” the Navy

Congress enacts rules and provides funds

President is Commander-In-Chief

Conclusion

CNO

&

Commandant USMC

Army

Chief of Staff

Air Force

Chief of Staff

Commander-In-Chief

Department of Defense

Secretaries

Navy Army Air Force

•! Chairman

• Vice-Chairmen

• Army Chief of Staff

• Chief of Naval Operations

• Air Force Chief of Staff

• Commandant of the Marine Corps

+ + + =

JCS provides professional military advice

to President, National Security Council,

and Secretary of Defense

U.S. Navy mission:

Maintain, train, and

equip combat-ready

naval forces capable

of winning wars,

deterring aggression,

and maintaining

freedom of the seas.

Operating forces:

•! Win wars

•! Deter aggression

•! Maintain freedom

of seas

Shore establishments:

•! Maintain

•! Train

•! Equip

forces for combat

SECNAV

CNO Commandant

Two service chiefs report to the Secretary

of the Navy

Missions differ but the Navy, Marine Corps,

Coast Guard, Merchant Marine, Army, and

Air Force defend every American’s liberties.