Department of Defense

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Coordinates: 38°52′16″N77°3′21″W / 38.87111°N 77.05583°W / 38.87111; -77.05583

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Executive department of the US federal government

"DoD" redirects here. For other uses, see DOD.

"Department of Defense" redirects here. For Department of Defence, see Ministry of defence.

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Department of WarDepartment of DefenseShow both
Seal of the Department of Defense[a] | |

Department of WarDepartment of DefenseShow both
Logo of the Department of Defense[a] | |
Show in full screenWikimedia | © OpenStreetMap | |
An aerial view of the Pentagon | | Agency overview | | Formed | 18 September 1947; 78 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″N77°3′21″W / 38.87111°N 77.05583°W / 38.87111; -77.05583 | | Employees | - 789,594 (civilian)[3]
- 1,294,191 (active duty military)
- 761,601 (National Guard and reserve)
- 2,845,386 total (30 June 2024) | | Annual budget | $842 billion FY2024 | | Agency executives | - Pete Hegseth, Secretary
- [Steve Feinberg](

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History

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Further information: Military history of the United States

See also: National Security Act of 1947

Faced with rising tensions between the Thirteen Colonies and the British government, one of the first actions taken by the First Continental Congress in September 1774 was to recommend that the colonies begin defensive military preparations. In mid-June 1775, after the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, the Second Continental Congress, recognizing the necessity of having a national army that could move about and fight beyond the boundaries of any particular colony, organized the Continental Army on 14 June 1775.[8][9] Later that year, Congress would charter the Continental Navy on 13 October,[10] and the Continental Marines on 10 November.

War Department and Navy Department

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Main articles: United States Department of War and United States Department of the Navy

Upon the seating of the 1st U.S. Congress on 4 March 1789, legislation to create a military defense force stagnated as they focused on other concerns relevant to setting up the new government. President George Washington went to Congress to remind them of their duty to establish a military twice during this time. Finally, on the last day of the session, 29 September 1789, Congress created the War Department.[11][12] The War Department handled naval affairs until Congress created the Navy Department in 1798. The secretaries of each department reported directly to the president as cabinet-level advisors until 1949, when all military departments became subordinate to the Secretary of Defense.

National Military Establishment

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Seal of the Department of Defense with its statutory name President Truman signs the National Security Act Amendment of 1949

After the end of World War II, President Harry Truman proposed the creation of a unified department of national defense. In a special message to the Congress on 19 December 1945, the president cited wasteful military spending and interdepartmental conflicts. Deliberations in Congress went on for months focusing heavily on the role of the military in society and the threat of granting too much military power to the executive.[13]

On 26 July 1947, Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947, which "unified the Army and Navy within a single organization, the National Military Establishment, which was later renamed the Department of Defense."[[14]](https://en.wikipedi

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