United States Department of Defense

The **United States Department of Defense**, secondarily referred to as the **Department of War** (**DoW**), is an is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with supervising the six U.S. armed services consisting of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, the Coast Guard. The current secretary of defense is Pete Hegseth. In 2025, President Donald Trump authorized "Department of War" as a secondary title for the DOD, however, congressional approval is needed to change the legal statutory name of the department.

The Department of Defense is headed by the secretary of defense, a cabinet-level head who reports directly to the president of the United States. Below the Department of Defense are three different military departments consisting of the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, and the Department of the Air Force. In addition, four national intelligence services are second to the Department of Defense consisting of the Defense Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency (NSA), National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and National Reconnaissance Office.

Other Department of Defense agencies include the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Defense Logistics Agency, Missile Defense Agency, Defense Health Agency, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, Space Development Agency and Pentagon Force Protection Agency.

## Infobox (government agency)

- **agency name**: United States Department of Defense
- **seal**: US Department of Defense seal.svg
- **seal width**: 175
- **seal caption**: Seal of the Department of Defense
- **logo**: United States Department of Defense Logo (2021).svg
- **logo width**: 250
- **logo caption**: Logo for the Department of Defense
- **picture**: An aerial view of the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., May 15, 2023.jpg
- **picture width**: 250 px
- **picture caption**: An aerial view of the Pentagon
- **formed**: (as National Military Establishment)
- **preceding1**: United States Department of War, Department of War
- **preceding2**: United States Department of the Navy, Department of the Navy
- **jurisdiction**: Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government
- **headquarters**: The Pentagon
Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
- **region code**: US
- **budget**: $842 billion FY2024
- **chief1 name**: Pete Hegseth, Peter Hegseth
- **chief1 position**: United States Secretary of Defense, Secretary
- **chief2 name**: Steve Feinberg
- **chief2 position**: United States Deputy Secretary of Defense, Deputy Secretary
- **chief3 name**: Dan Caine
- **chief3 position**: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
- **chief4 name**: Christopher W. Grady
- **chief4 position**: Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
- **child1 agency**: United States Department of the Army, Department of the Army
- **child2 agency**: United States Department of the Navy, Department of the Navy
- **child3 agency**: United States Department of the Air Force, Department of the Air Force
- **child4 agency**: National Security Agency
- **child5 agency**: Defense Intelligence Agency
- **child6 agency**: National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
- **child7 agency**: National Reconnaissance Office
- **agency type**: United States Federal Executive Departments, Executive department