Chief of Staff of the United States Army

Not to be confused with United States Secretary of the Army.

Chief of Staff of the United States Army CSA
Flag of the Chief of Staff of the Army
Incumbent General Mark A. Milley since August 14, 2015
Department of the Army The Army Staff
Member of	Joint Chiefs of Staff
Reports to	Secretary of Defense Secretary of the Army
Seat	The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
Appointer	The President with Senate advice and consent
Term length	4 years Renewable
Constituting instrument	10 U.S.C. § 3033
Precursor	Commanding General of the Army
Formation	August 15, 1903
First holder	LTG Samuel B. M. Young
Deputy	Vice Chief of Staff of the Army
Website	Official Website

The Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA) is a statutory office (10 U.S.C. § 3033) held by a four-star general in the United States Army. As the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army, the CSA is the principal military advisor and a deputy to the Secretary of the Army. In a separate capacity, the CSA is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (10 U.S.C. § 151) and, thereby, a military advisor to the National Security Council, the Secretary of Defense, and the President of the United States. The CSA is typically the highest-ranking officer on active-duty in the U.S. Army unless the Chairman and/or the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are Army officers.

The Chief of Staff of the Army is an administrative position based in the Pentagon. While the CSA does not have operational command authority over Army forces proper (which is within the purview of the Combatant Commanders who report to the Secretary of Defense), the CSA does exercise supervision of army units and organizations as the designee of the Secretary of the Army.

The current Chief of Staff of the Army is General Mark A. Milley.

Responsibilities

The senior leadership of the Department of the Army consists of two civilians, the Secretary of the Army (Head of the department and subordinate to the Secretary of Defense) and the Under Secretary of the Army, and two military officers, the Chief of Staff of the Army and the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army.

The Chief of Staff reports directly to the Secretary of the Army for army matters and assists in the Secretary's external affairs functions, including presenting and enforcing army policies, plans, and projections. The CSA also directs the Inspector General of the Army to perform inspections and investigations as required. In addition, the CSA presides over the Army Staff and represents army capabilities, requirements, policy, plans, and programs in Joint fora. Under delegation of authority made by the Secretary of the Army, the CSA designates army personnel and army resources to the Commanders of the Combatant Commands. The CSA performs all other functions enumerated in 10 U.S.C. § 3033 under the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary of the Army, or delegates those duties and responsibilities to other officers in his administration in his name. Like the other service counterparts, the CSA has no operational command authority over army forces, dating back to the passage of the Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1958. The CSA is served by a number of Deputy Chiefs of Staff of the Army, such as G-1, Personnel. The CSA base pay is $21,147.30 per month plus Personal Money Allowance (Monthly Amount) of $333.33, basic allowance for subsistence of $253.38, basic allowance for housing from $50.70–1923.30.

The Chief of Staff of the Army is nominated by the President and must be confirmed by the Senate. By statute, the CSA is appointed as a four-star general.

The Chief of Staff of the Army has an official residence, Quarters 1 at Joint Base Myer–Henderson Hall, Virginia.

The Chief of Staff holds an annual future study program called Unified Quest.

History

Prior to 1903, the senior military officer in the army was the Commanding General, who reported to the Secretary of War. From 1864 to 1865, Major General Henry Halleck (who had previously been Commanding General) served as "Chief of Staff of the Army" under the Commanding General, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant, thus serving in a different office and not as the senior officer in the army.

The first chief of staff moved his headquarters to Fort Myer in 1908.

List of Chiefs of Staff of the Army (1903–present)

The rank listed is the rank when serving in the office.

#	Name	Photo	Term began	Term ended	Notes
1.	LTG Samuel B. M. Young		August 15, 1903	January 8, 1904	Retired upon reaching mandatory retirement age of 64.
2.	LTG Adna Chaffee		August 19, 1904	January 14, 1906	Resigned position; retired in February at own request, shortly before reaching mandatory retirement age of 64.
3.	LTG John C. Bates		January 15, 1906	April 13, 1906	Last Civil War veteran to serve as Chief of Staff. Retired in April 1906 at own request, shortly before reaching mandatory retirement age of 64.
4.	MG J. Franklin Bell		April 14, 1906	April 21, 1910	Commanded several divisions and departments after serving as Chief of Staff. Died while commanding Department of the East during World War I.
5.	MG Leonard Wood		April 22, 1910	April 21, 1914	Commanded divisions and departments, including organizing and training two divisions for combat in World War I. Retired in 1921.
6.	MG William W. Wotherspoon		April 22, 1914	November 16, 1914	Retired upon reaching mandatory retirement age of 64.
7.	MG Hugh L. Scott		November 17, 1914	September 22, 1917	Retired upon reaching mandatory retirement age of 64. Recalled to active duty for World War I; commanded a division during its organization and training before retiring again in 1919.
8.	GEN Tasker H. Bliss		September 23, 1917	May 19, 1918	Retired upon reaching mandatory retirement age of 64 in 1917. Continued on active duty to remain Chief of Staff during World War I; served as U.S. representative on Supreme War Council and as U.S. representative during post-war Paris Peace Conference. Retired again in 1920.
9.	GEN Peyton C. March		May 20, 1918	June 30, 1921	Retired at own request in 1921.
10.	GAS John J. Pershing		July 1, 1921	September 13, 1924	Last Indian Wars veteran to serve as Chief of Staff. Retired from active military service upon reaching age 64 in 1924.
11.	GEN John L. Hines		September 14, 1924	November 20, 1926	Commanded IX Corps Area and Department of the Philippines; retired upon reaching mandatory retirement age of 64 in 1932.
12.	GEN Charles P. Summerall		November 21, 1926	November 20, 1930	Last Spanish-American War veteran to serve as Chief of Staff. Placed on extended leave until reaching mandatory retirement age of 64 in 1931.
13.	GEN Douglas MacArthur		November 21, 1930	October 1, 1935	Supervised creation of Philippines Army. Retired in 1937, and continued to serve in the Philippines as military advisor to the president. Recalled to active duty in 1941; led defense of the Philippines during World War II, and then commanded Southwest Pacific Area. Served in post-war Japan, and led initial U.S. effort during Korean War. Relieved of command and retired from active military service in 1951.
14.	GEN Malin Craig		October 2, 1935	August 31, 1939	Retired upon reaching mandatory retirement age of 64 in 1939; recalled to active duty for World War II as head of the War Department Personnel Board.
15.	GA George C. Marshall		September 1, 1939	November 18, 1945	Attained mandatory retirement age of 64 in 1944, but continued to serve as Chief of Staff. Relieved from active military duties in November 1945.
16.	GA Dwight D. Eisenhower		November 19, 1945	February 6, 1948	Relieved from active military duties in 1948. Recalled to active duty in 1951 to serve as first Supreme Allied Commander Europe. Retired in May 1952 upon becoming a candidate for President of the United States. Returned to the active rolls as a General of the Army in 1961, with no assigned duties.
17.	GA Omar Bradley		February 7, 1948	August 15, 1949	Resigned to become first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
18.	GEN J. Lawton Collins		August 16, 1949	August 14, 1953	US Representative to NATO from 1953 to 1954. Special representative of the United States in Vietnam from 1954 to 1955. US representative to NATO from 1955 until reaching mandatory retirement age of 60 in 1956.
19.	GEN Matthew B. Ridgway		August 15, 1953	June 29, 1955	Last World War I veteran to serve as Chief of Staff. Retired in June 1955, declining age waiver that would have allowed him to complete full term.
20.	GEN Maxwell D. Taylor		June 30, 1955	June 30, 1959	Retired in 1959. Recalled to active duty in 1961 to serve as Military Representative to the President. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1962 to 1964. Retired in 1964 to become United States Ambassador to South Vietnam.
21.	GEN Lyman L. Lemnitzer		July 1, 1959	September 30, 1960	Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1960 to 1962. Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, 1963 to 1969. Retired upon reaching mandatory retirement age of 60 in 1969.
22.	GEN George H. Decker		October 1, 1960	September 30, 1962	Retired upon reaching mandatory retirement age of 60 in 1962.
23.	GEN Earle G. Wheeler		October 1, 1962	July 2, 1964	Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1964 to 1970, including waiver to serve beyond mandatory retirement age of 60. Retired in 1970.
24.	GEN Harold K. Johnson		July 3, 1964	July 2, 1968	Retired at end of term.
25.	GEN William C. Westmoreland		July 3, 1968	June 30, 1972	Retired at end of term.
	GEN Bruce Palmer, Jr.		July 1, 1972	October 11, 1972	Acting Chief of Staff. Resumed duties as Vice Chief of Staff upon appointment of Creighton W. Abrams as Chief of Staff. Commander, United States Readiness Command, 1973 to 1974. Retired in 1974.
26.	GEN Creighton W. Abrams		October 12, 1972	September 4, 1974	Died in office.
27.	GEN Frederick C. Weyand		October 3, 1974	September 30, 1976	Retired upon reaching mandatory retirement age of 60.
28.	GEN Bernard W. Rogers		October 1, 1976	June 21, 1979	Last World War II veteran to serve as Chief of Staff. Supreme Allied Commander Europe, 1979 to 1987, including waiver to continue service past age 60. Retired in 1987.
29.	GEN Edward C. Meyer		June 22, 1979	June 21, 1983	Last Korean War veteran to serve as Chief of Staff. Retired at end of term.
30.	GEN John A. Wickham, Jr.		July 23, 1983	June 23, 1987	Retired at end of term.
31.	GEN Carl E. Vuono		June 23, 1987	June 21, 1991	Retired at end of term.
32.	GEN Gordon R. Sullivan		June 21, 1991	June 20, 1995	Retired at end of term.
33.	GEN Dennis J. Reimer		June 20, 1995	June 21, 1999	Retired at end of term.
34.	GEN Eric K. Shinseki		June 21, 1999	June 11, 2003	Last Vietnam War veteran to serve as Chief of Staff. Retired at end of term.
35.	GEN Peter J. Schoomaker		August 1, 2003	April 10, 2007	Retired in 2000. Recalled to active duty to serve as Chief of Staff. Retired again at end of term.
36.	GEN George W. Casey, Jr.		April 10, 2007	April 10, 2011	Retired at end of term.
37.	GEN Martin E. Dempsey		April 11, 2011	September 7, 2011	Term shortened due to appointment as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
38.	GEN Raymond T. Odierno		September 7, 2011	August 14, 2015	Retired at end of term.
39.	GEN Mark A. Milley		August 14, 2015	Incumbent

See also

• Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army
• Army Staff Senior Warrant Officer
• Sergeant Major of the Army

References

• Bell, William Gardner (2005) [1983]. "Appendix B: Chronological List of Senior Officers of the United States Army". Commanding Generals and Chiefs of Staff 1775-2005: Portraits & Biographical Sketches of the United States Army's Senior Officer. United States Army Center of Military History. ISBN 0-16-072376-0. CMH Pub 70-14. 

Further reading

• Bell, William Gardner (2005). Commanding Generals and Chiefs of Staff 1775-2005:Portraits & Biographical Sketches of the United States Army's Senior Officer. Washington, D.C.: United States Army Center of Military History. ISBN 0-16-072376-0. CMH Pub 70–14. 
• Watson, Mark Skinner. Chief of Staff: Prewar Plans and Preparations. United States Army in World War II. Washington D.C.: United States Army Center of Military History.  - full text

External links

• The short film Big Picture: Top Soldier is available for free download at the Internet Archive