# Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army

The vice chief of staff of the Army (VCSA) is the principal deputy to the chief of staff of the Army, and is the second-highest-ranking officer on active duty in the Department of the Army.
The vice chief of staff generally handles the day-to-day administration of the Army Staff, freeing the chief of staff to attend to the interservice responsibilities of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. By statute, the vice chief of staff is appointed as a four-star general in the United States Army while so serving.
The 39th and current vice chief of staff of the Army is General James J. Mingus.

## Role

The senior leadership of the U.S. Department of the Army consists of two civilians, the secretary of the Army and the under secretary of the Army, as well as two commissioned officers, the Army chief of staff and the Army vice chief of staff.
Under the supervision and direction of the secretary of the Army (who in turn is under the authority, direction and control of the secretary of defense) the vice chief of staff assists the chief of staff on missions and functions related to their duties. The vice chief of staff also assists the chief of staff in the management/oversight of U.S. Army installations and facilities.
Furthermore, the vice chief of staff may also represent the Army at the Office of the Secretary of Defense/Joint Staff level in areas relating to the chief of staff's responsibility and U.S. Army capabilities, requirements, policy, plans, and programs. The vice chief of staff is the designated Army representative to the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC).
If the chief of staff is incapacitated or otherwise relieved of duty, the vice chief of staff serves as the acting chief of staff. If both the chief of staff and the vice chief of staff were to be incapacitated, the senior-most general on the Army Staff would become the acting chief of staff of the Army until someone else is appointed.

## Appointment

The vice chief of staff of the Army is appointed by the president, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, from among the general officers of the Army.
Unlike the chief of staff of the Army, there is no fixed term nor term limit to the position of the vice chief of staff, although most of those appointed to the office have typically served for two or three year tenures.

## List of vice chiefs of staff of the Army

| No. | Vice Chief of Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Chief of Staff |
| 1 | Collins, Joseph LawtonGeneral J. Lawton Collins (1896–1987) | November 1, 1948 | August 15, 1949 (became CSA) | 287 days | Omar Bradley |
| 2 | Haislip, Wade HamptonGeneral Wade H. Haislip (1889–1971) | August 16, 1949 | July 29, 1951 (retired) | 1 year, 347 days | J. Lawton Collins |
| 3 | Hull, John EdwinGeneral John E. Hull (1895–1975) | July 30, 1951 | August 14, 1953 (reassigned) | 2 years, 15 days | J. Lawton Collins |
| 4 | Bolte, Charles LawrenceGeneral Charles L. Bolte (1895–1989) | August 15, 1953 | June 29, 1955 (retired) | 1 year, 318 days | Matthew Ridgway |
| 5 | Palmer, Williston BirkhimerGeneral Williston B. Palmer (1899–1973) | June 30, 1955 | May 31, 1957 (reassigned) | 1 year, 335 days | Maxwell D. Taylor |
| 6 | Lemnitzer, Lyman LouisGeneral Lyman L. Lemnitzer (1899–1988) | June 1, 1957 | June 30, 1959 (became CSA) | 2 years, 29 days | Maxwell D. Taylor |
| 7 | Decker, George HenryGeneral George H. Decker (1902–1980) | July 1, 1959 | September 29, 1960 (became CSA) | 1 year, 90 days | Lyman Lemnitzer |
| 8 | Eddleman, Clyde DavisGeneral Clyde D. Eddleman (1902–1992) | September 30, 1960 | March 31, 1962 (retired) | 1 year, 181 days | George Decker |
| 9 | Hamlett, BarksdaleGeneral Barksdale Hamlett (1908–1979) | April 1, 1962 | September 3, 1964 (retired) | 2 years, 155 days | George Decker Earle Wheeler Harold K. Johnson |
| 10 | Abrams, Creighton Williams Jr.General Creighton W. Abrams Jr. (1914–1974) | September 4, 1964 | April 30, 1967 (reassigned) | 2 years, 238 days | Harold K. Johnson |
| 11 | Haines, Ralph Edward Jr.General Ralph E. Haines Jr. (1913–2011) | May 1, 1967 | July 2, 1968 (reassigned) | 1 year, 62 days | Harold K. Johnson |
| 12 | Palmer, Bruce Jr.General Bruce Palmer Jr. (1913–2000) | July 3, 1968 | January 4, 1973 (reassigned) | 4 years, 185 days | William Westmoreland Creighton Abrams |
| 13 | Haig, AlexanderGeneral Alexander M. Haig Jr. (1924–2010) | January 4, 1973 | May 4, 1973 (reassigned) | 120 days | Creighton Abrams |
| 14 | Weyand, Frederick CarltonGeneral Frederick C. Weyand (1916–2010) | May 4, 1973 | October 20, 1974 (became CSA) | 1 year, 169 days | Creighton Abrams Himself (acting) |
| 15 | Kerwin, Walter Thomas Jr.General Walter T. Kerwin Jr. (1917–2008) | October 21, 1974 | September 23, 1978 (retired) | 3 years, 337 days | Frederick C. Weyand Bernard W. Rogers |
| 16 | Kroesen, Frederick James Jr.General Frederick J. Kroesen (1923–2020) | October 26, 1978 | October 7, 1979 (reassigned) | 346 days | Bernard W. Rogers Edward C. Meyer |
| 17 | Vessey, John William Jr.General John W. Vessey Jr. (1922–2016) | October 10, 1979 | January 19, 1982 (became JCS chairman) | 2 years, 101 days | Edward C. Meyer |
| 18 | Wickham, John Adams Jr.General John A. Wickham Jr. (1928–2024) | January 27, 1982 | June 22, 1983 (became CSA) | 1 year, 146 days | Edward C. Meyer |
| 19 | Thurman, Maxwell ReidGeneral Maxwell R. Thurman (1931–1995) | August 26, 1983 | February 4, 1987 (reassigned) | 3 years, 162 days | John A. Wickham Jr. |
| 20 | Brown, Arthur Edmon Jr.General Arthur E. Brown Jr. (born 1929) | February 15, 1987 | January 20, 1989 (retired) | 1 year, 340 days | John A. Wickham Jr. Carl E. Vuono |
| 21 | RisCassi, Robert WilliamGeneral Robert W. RisCassi (born 1936) | January 21, 1989 | December 10, 1990 (reassigned) | 1 year, 323 days | Carl E. Vuono |
| 22 | Sullivan, Gordon RussellGeneral Gordon R. Sullivan (1937–2024) | December 17, 1990 | June 20, 1991 (became CSA) | 185 days | Carl E. Vuono |
| 23 | Reimer, Dennis JoeGeneral Dennis J. Reimer (born 1939) | June 21, 1991 | January 20, 1993 (reassigned) | 1 year, 213 days | Gordon R. Sullivan |
| 24 | Peay, James Henry Binford IIIGeneral J. H. Binford Peay III (born 1940) | January 23, 1993 | January 15, 1994 (reassigned) | 357 days | Gordon R. Sullivan |
| 25 | Tilelli, John Harold Jr.General John H. Tilelli Jr. (born 1941) | January 20, 1994 | January 2, 1995 (reassigned) | 347 days | Gordon R. Sullivan |
| 26 | Griffith, Ronald HoustonGeneral Ronald H. Griffith (1936–2018) | January 26, 1995 | July 20, 1997 (retired) | 2 years, 175 days | Gordon R. Sullivan Dennis Reimer |
| 27 | Crouch, William WrightGeneral William W. Crouch (1941–2024) | August 6, 1997 | November 22, 1998 (retired) | 1 year, 108 days | Dennis Reimer |
| 28 | Shinseki, Eric KenGeneral Eric K. Shinseki (born 1942) | November 24, 1998 | June 21, 1999 (became CSA) | 209 days | Dennis Reimer |
| 29 | Keane, John M.General John M. Keane (born 1943) | June 22, 1999 | October 16, 2003 (retired) | 4 years, 116 days | Eric Shinseki Peter Schoomaker |
| 30 | Casey, George William Jr.General George W. Casey Jr. (born 1948) | October 17, 2003 | July 23, 2004 (reassigned) | 280 days | Peter Schoomaker |
| 31 | Cody, Richard ArthurGeneral Richard A. Cody (born 1950) | July 24, 2004 | July 31, 2008 (retired) | 4 years, 7 days | Peter Schoomaker George W. Casey Jr. |
| 32 | Chiarelli, Peter WilliamGeneral Peter W. Chiarelli (born 1950) | August 4, 2008 | January 31, 2012 (retired) | 3 years, 180 days | George W. Casey Jr. Martin Dempsey Raymond T. Odierno |
| 33 | Austin, Lloyd James IIIGeneral Lloyd J. Austin III (born 1953) | January 31, 2012 | March 8, 2013 (reassigned) | 1 year, 36 days | Raymond T. Odierno |
| 34 | Campbell, John FrancisGeneral John F. Campbell (born 1957) | March 8, 2013 | August 8, 2014 (reassigned) | 1 year, 153 days | Raymond T. Odierno |
| 35 | Allyn, Daniel BartlettGeneral Daniel B. Allyn (born 1959) | August 15, 2014 | June 16, 2017 (retired) | 2 years, 305 days | Raymond T. Odierno Mark A. Milley |
| 36 | McConville, James CharlesGeneral James C. McConville (born 1959) | June 16, 2017 | July 26, 2019 (became CSA) | 2 years, 40 days | Mark A. Milley |
| 37 | Martin, Joseph MatthewGeneral Joseph M. Martin (born 1962) | July 26, 2019 | August 5, 2022 (retired) | 3 years, 10 days | Mark A. Milley James C. McConville |
| 38 | George, Randy AlanGeneral Randy A. George (born 1964) | August 5, 2022 | September 21, 2023 (became CSA) | 1 year, 47 days | James C. McConville Himself (acting) |
| 39 | Mingus, JamesGeneral James J. Mingus (born 1964) | January 5, 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 50 days | Randy A. George |