page_title: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
section_title: Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by branches of service
hierarchical_section_title: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff / List of chairmen / Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by branches of service
caption_attribution_description: English: Gen. Henry H. Shelton, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hosted a one-day conference today in the Pentagon for former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The meeting was held to update the former chairmen, who collectively have more than 200 years of distinguished military experience, and to seek their perspective on a number of issues. Standing from left to right are: Gen. Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret); Gen. John W. Vessey, USA (Ret); Adm. Thomas H. Moorer, USN (Ret); Gen. Shelton, USA; Gen. David C. Jones, USAF (Ret); Adm. William J. Crowe, Jr., USN (Ret); and Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, USA (Ret).
context_page_description: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces and is the principal military advisor to the president, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, and the secretary of defense. While the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff outranks all other commissioned officers, the chairman is prohibited by law from having operational command authority over the armed forces; however, the chairman does assist the president and the secretary of defense in exercising their command functions.
  The chairman convenes the meetings and coordinates the efforts of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, an advisory body within the Department of Defense comprising the chairman, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the chief of staff of the Army, the chief of naval operations, the chief of staff of the Air Force, the commandant of the Marine Corps, and the chief of the National Guard Bureau. The post of a statutory and permanent Joint Chiefs of Staff chair was created by the 1949 amendments to the National Security Act of 1947.
context_section_description: Army: 10
  Navy: 5
  Air Force: 4
  Marine Corps: 2
  Space Force: none
caption: General Henry H. Shelton hosted on 1 December 2000 a conference in the Pentagon for former Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Standing from left to right are: Gen. Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret); Gen. John W. Vessey, USA (Ret); Adm. Thomas H. Moorer, USN (Ret); Gen. Shelton, USA; Gen. David C. Jones, USAF (Ret); Adm. William J. Crowe, Jr., USN (Ret); and Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, USA (Ret).
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