Office of the Secretary of Defense
There is in the Department of Defense an Office of the Secretary of Defense. The function of the Office is to assist the Secretary of Defense in carrying out the Secretary’s duties and responsibilities and to carry out such other duties as may be prescribed by law.
The Office of the Secretary of Defense is composed of the following:
The Deputy Secretary of Defense.
The Under Secretaries of Defense, as follows:
The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.
The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.
The Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.
The Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller).
The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
The Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security.
Other officers who are appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, and who report directly to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary without intervening authority, as follows:
The Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation.
The Director of Operational Test and Evaluation.
The General Counsel of the Department of Defense.
The Inspector General of the Department of Defense.
The Chief Information Officer of the Department of Defense, who reports directly to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary without intervening authority.
The Deputy Under Secretaries of Defense.
The Assistant Secretaries of Defense.
Other officials provided for by law, as follows:
The two Deputy Directors within the Office of the Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation under section 139a(c) of this title.
The Director of Small Business Programs appointed pursuant to section 144 of this title.
The official designated under section 1501(a) of this title to have responsibility for Department of Defense matters relating to missing persons as set forth in section 1501 of this title.
The Director of Military Family Readiness Policy under section 1781 of this title.
The Director of the Office of Corrosion Policy and Oversight assigned pursuant to section 2228(a) of this title.
The official designated under section 4273(a) of this title to have responsibility for conducting and overseeing performance assessments and root cause analyses for major defense acquisition programs.
Such other offices and officials as may be established by law or the Secretary of Defense may establish or designate in the Office.
Officers of the armed forces may be assigned or detailed to permanent duty in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. However, the Secretary may not establish a military staff in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
The Secretary of each military department, and the civilian employees and members of the armed forces under the jurisdiction of the Secretary, shall cooperate fully with personnel of the Office of the Secretary of Defense to achieve efficient administration of the Department of Defense and to carry out effectively the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary of Defense.
Source
(Added Pub. L. 99–433, title I, § 104,Notes
Editorial Notes
Prior Provisions
Amendments
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date of 2021 Amendment
Effective Date of 2017 Amendment
Effective Date of 2016 Amendment
Effective Date of 2014 Amendment
Effective Date of 2011 Amendment
In general.—
Except as provided in paragraph (2), this section [see Tables for classification] and the amendments made by this section shall take effect on
Certain matters.—
Subsection (i) [enacting and amending provisions set out as notes under section 137a of this title] and the amendments made by that subsection, and subsection (o) [enacting provisions set out as a note under this section], shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act [
Effective Date of 2008 Amendment
Effective Date of 1996 Amendment
Establishment and Assignment of Roles and Responsibilities for Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control in Support of Integrated Joint Warfighting
In General.—
The Secretary of Defense shall establish, and assign to appropriate components of the Office of the Secretary, roles and responsibilities relating to—
the development of combined joint all-domain command and control (commonly known as ‘CJADC2’) capabilities in support of integrated joint warfighting; and
the delivery of such capabilities to the combatant commands.
Roles and Responsibilities.—
The roles and responsibilities established and assigned under subsection (a) shall include, at a minimum, the following:
Identifying new technology and operational concepts for experimentation and prototyping for delivery to the Joint Force to address key operational challenges.
Providing technical support for the Joint Force in exploring and analyzing new combined joint all-domain command and control capabilities and operational concepts, including through advanced modeling and simulation.
Executing experimentation associated with such capabilities through the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve or another mechanism.
Enabling the acquisition of cross-domain, joint, and cross-system mission capabilities, including resourcing of modifications necessary for integration and interoperability among mission components.
Ensuring the effectiveness of cross-domain, joint, and cross-system mission capabilities through analysis and testing.
Creating and operating a complete capability for software development that allows for iterative, secure, and continuous deployment of developmental, prototype, and operational tools and capabilities from multiple vendors to test networks and operational networks for combatant commanders to—
gain operational awareness, make decisions, and take actions;
integrate relevant data sources to support target selection, target prioritization, and weapon-target pairing; and
assign targets through networks, tools, and systems of the Armed Forces and combat support agencies.
Initial Prioritization.—
In establishing an initial set of roles and responsibilities under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall prioritize the development and delivery of capabilities that meet the requirements of the United States Indo-Pacific Command.
Briefings Required.—
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [
any activities carried out in accordance with the roles and responsibilities under subsection (a); and
any plans associated with such roles and responsibilities.”
Responsibilities for National Mobilization; Personnel Requirements
Executive Agent for National Mobilization.—
The Secretary of Defense shall designate a senior civilian official within the Office of the Secretary of Defense as the Executive Agent for National Mobilization. The Executive Agent for National Mobilization shall be responsible for—
developing, managing, and coordinating policy and plans that address the full spectrum of military mobilization readiness, including full mobilization of personnel from volunteers to other persons inducted into the Armed Forces under the Military Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. 3801 et seq.);
providing Congress and the Selective Service System with updated requirements and timelines for obtaining inductees in the event of a national emergency requiring mass mobilization and induction of personnel under the Military Selective Service Act for training and service in the Armed Forces; and
providing Congress with a plan, developed in coordination with the Selective Service System, to induct large numbers of volunteers who may respond to a national call for volunteers during an emergency.
Report Required.—
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act [
Oversight of Registered Sex Offender Management Program
Designation of Official or Entity.—
The Secretary of Defense shall designate a single official or existing entity within the Office of the Secretary of Defense to serve as the official or entity (as the case may be) with principal responsibility in the Department of Defense for providing oversight of the registered sex offender management program of the Department.
Duties.—
The official or entity designated under subsection (a) shall—
monitor compliance with Department of Defense Instruction 5525.20 and other relevant polices;
compile data on members serving in the military departments who have been convicted of a qualifying sex offense, including data on the sex offender registration status of each such member;
maintain statistics on the total number of active duty service members in each military department who are required to register as sex offenders; and
perform such other duties as the Secretary of Defense determines to be appropriate.
Briefing Required.—
Not later than
the compliance of the military departments with the policies of the Department of Defense relating to registered sex offenders;
the results of the data compilation described in subsection (b)(2); and
any other matters the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
Military Departments Defined.—
In this section, the term ‘military departments’ has the meaning given that term in section 101(a)(8) of title 10, United States Code.”
Framework for Oversight of Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Policy, Programs, and Activities
Oversight Plan.—
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [
Directive.—
Not later than 90 days after the submission of the oversight plan under subsection (b), the Secretary of Defense shall issue a directive for the implementation of the oversight plan by the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction-Unity of Effort Council.”
Designation of Office Within Office of the Secretary of Defense To Oversee Use of Food Assistance Programs by Members of the Armed Forces on Active Duty
To discharge responsibility for overseeing the efforts of the Department of Defense to collect, analyze, and monitor data on the use of food assistance programs by members of the Armed Forces on active duty.
To establish and maintain relationships with other departments and agencies of the Federal Government to facilitate the discharge of the responsibility specified in paragraph (1).”
Chief Management Officer
Secretary of Defense Delivery Unit
In General.—
The Secretary of Defense serving in that position as of
Composition.—
The unit established pursuant to subsection (a) shall consist of not more than 30 individuals selected by the Secretary primarily from among individuals outside the Government who have significant experience and expertise in management consulting, organizational architecture, relationship management, or data analytics.
Duties.—
The unit established pursuant to subsection (a) shall have the duties as follows:
To advise the Secretary on improving the implementation and delivery of policies and priorities of the Department, including making recommendations on establishing performance or implementation targets, assisting in the development of delivery plans to achieve targets, and monitoring and measuring progress.
To work across organizations, missions, and functions of the Department in order to identify obstacles to improving the implementation of policies and priorities of the Department, including organization, culture, and incentives, and to recommend options to the Secretary for addressing such obstacles.
Sunset.—
The unit established pursuant to subsection (a) shall sunset on
References
ASDEIE.—
Any reference to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy Plans and Programs or to the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment in any provision of law or in any rule, regulation, or other paper of the United States shall be deemed to refer to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment.”
Redesignation of Certain Positions in Office of Secretary of Defense
Redesignation.—
Positions in the Office of the Secretary of Defense are hereby redesignated as follows:
The Director of Defense Research and Engineering is redesignated as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.
The Director of Operational Energy Plans and Programs is redesignated as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy Plans and Programs [now Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment].
The Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Chemical and Biological Defense Programs is redesignated as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs.
References.—
Any reference in any law, rule, regulation, paper, or other record of the United States to an office of the Department of Defense redesignated by paragraph (1) shall be deemed to be a reference to such office as so redesignated.”
Inapplicability of Appointment Requirement to Certain Individuals Serving on Effective Date
In general.—
Notwithstanding this section [see Tables for classification] and the amendments made by this section, the individual serving as specified in paragraph (2) on
Covered individuals and positions.—
The individuals and positions specified in this paragraph are the following:
In the case of the individual serving as Director of Defense Research and Engineering, the position of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.
In the case of the individual serving as Director of Operational Energy Plans and Programs, the position of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy Plans and Programs.
In the case of the individual serving as Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Chemical and Biological Defense Programs, the position of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs.”