Chief of Staff of the United States Army The Chief of Staff of the Army ( abbreviated as CSA ) is a statutory office ( ) held by a four - star general in the United States Army , and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army , and as such is the principal military advisor and a deputy to the Secretary of the Army ; and is , in a separate capacity , a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( ) , and thereby a military advisor to the National Security Council , the Secretary of Defense , and the President . The Chief of Staff 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 , and while the Chief of Staff does not have operational command authority over Army forces proper ( that is within the purview of the Combatant Commanders who reports to the Secretary of Defense ) , the Chief of Staff 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 Raymond T . Odierno . 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 Chief of Staff also directs the Inspector General of the Army to perform inspections and investigations as required . The Chief of Staff also 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 Chief of Staff also designates army personnel and army resources to the Commanders of the Combatant Commands . He also performs all other functions enumerated in 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 Chief of Staff has no operational command authority over army forces , dating back to the passage of the Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1958 . The Chief of Staff is served by a number of Deputy Chiefs of Staff of the Army , such as G - 1 , Personnel . The Chief of Staff of the Army base pay is $ 19 , 326 . 60 per month . The Chief of Staff is nominated by the President and must be confirmed by majority vote from the Senate . By statute , the CSA is appointed as a four - star general . 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 Wager 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 .