Richard Bowman Myers is a retired United States Air Force general who served as the 15th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As chairman,Myers was the highest ranking uniformed officer of the United States military forces. He also served as the 14th president of Kansas State University from 2016 to 2022.
The United States National Security Council (NSC) is the principal forum used by the president of the United States for consideration of national security,military,and foreign policy matters. Based in the White House,it is part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States,and composed of senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense,which advises the president of the United States,the secretary of defense,the Homeland Security Council and the National Security Council on military matters. The composition of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is defined by statute and consists of a chairman (CJCS),a vice chairman (VJCS),the chiefs of the Army,Marine Corps,Navy,Air Force,Space Force,and the chief of the National Guard Bureau. Each of the individual service chiefs,outside their JCS obligations,works directly under the secretaries of their respective military departments,e.g. the secretary of the Army,the secretary of the Navy,and the secretary of the Air Force.
The United States order of precedence is an advisory document maintained by the Ceremonials Division of the Office of the Chief of Protocol of the United States which lists the ceremonial order,or relative preeminence,for domestic and foreign government officials at diplomatic,ceremonial,and social events within the United States and abroad. The list is used to mitigate miscommunication and embarrassment in diplomacy,and offer a distinct and concrete spectrum of preeminence for ceremonies. Often the document is used to advise diplomatic and ceremonial event planners on seating charts and order of introduction. Former presidents,vice presidents,first ladies,second ladies,and secretaries of state and retired Supreme Court justices are also included in the list.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces and 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 assists the president and the secretary of defense in exercising their command functions.
The vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VJCS) is,by U.S. law,the second highest-ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces,ranking just below the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The vice chairman outranks all respective heads of each service branch,with the exception of the chairman,but does not have operational command authority over their service branches. The vice chairman assists the chairman in exercising their duties. In the absence of the chairman,the vice chairman presides over the meetings of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and performs all other duties prescribed under 10 U.S.C. § 153 and may also perform other duties that the president,the chairman,or the secretary of defense prescribes.
The Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force is a unique non-commissioned rank in the United States Air Force. The holder of this rank and position of office represents the highest enlisted level of leadership in the Air Force,unless an enlisted airman is serving as the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman. The CMSAF provides direction for the enlisted corps and represents their interests,as appropriate,to the American public,and to those in all levels of government. The CMSAF is appointed by the Air Force chief of staff (AF/CC) and serves as the senior enlisted advisor to the Air Force chief of staff and the secretary of the Air Force on all issues regarding the welfare,readiness,morale,and proper utilization and progress of the enlisted force.
The Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) is an advisory committee established by the United States Congress with the official mandate of promoting the fullest possible public access to a thorough,accurate,and reliable documentary record of significant U.S. national security decisions and activities. The Board is composed of nine individuals:five appointed by the President of the United States and one each appointed by the Speaker of the House,House Minority Leader,Senate Majority Leader,and Senate Minority Leader. Appointees must be U.S. citizens preeminent in the fields of history,national security,foreign policy,intelligence policy,social science,law,or archives.
Barbara McConnell Barrett is an American businesswoman,attorney and diplomat who served as the United States secretary of the Air Force from 2019 to 2021. She is also an instrument-rated pilot,and cattle and bison rancher.
Lori Jean Robinson is a retired United States Air Force general who served as commander of the United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) from May 2016 to May 2018. She was the first female officer in the history of the United States Armed Forces to command a major Unified Combatant Command.
Michael Bruce Donley is a United States government official who is the director of administration and management in the Office of the Secretary of Defense since May 2021,having served in the same position from 2005 to 2008. In the Bush and Obama administrations,Donley served as the 22nd secretary of the Air Force,amongst other positions. Donley has 30 years of experience in the national security community,including service on the staff of the United States Senate,White House and The Pentagon.
The director of the Joint Staff (DJS) is a three-star officer who assists the Joint Chiefs of Staff,a cabinet of senior military officers within the United States Armed Forces who advise the secretary of defense and the president on military matters. The director assists the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in managing the Joint Staff and with the management and organization of the staff's members. The director also chairs meetings of the Operations Deputies,a subsidiary body comprising the director and a three-star delegate from each service who preview or resolve issues before they are escalated to the four-star level of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Ramón Colón-López is a retired senior non-commissioned officer of the United States Air Force and a former pararescueman,and served as the 4th Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman (SEAC) from December 13,2019 to November 3,2023. In his role as SEAC,Colón-López was the most senior enlisted member of the United States military. In 2007 he was the only Hispanic American among the first six airmen to be awarded the newly created Air Force Combat Action Medal. He served as the Senior Enlisted Leader of United States Africa Command from September 2016 to November 2019.
Erin Cathleen Conaton is a former United States Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. She previously served as Under Secretary of the Air Force.
Tidal W. "Ty" McCoy was United States Assistant Secretary of the Air Force from 1981 to 1989.
Deborah Roche Lee James served as the 23rd Secretary of the Air Force. She is the second woman,after Sheila Widnall,to ever hold this position.
John Earl Hyten is a retired United States Air Force general who served as the 11th vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2019 to 2021. A career space operations and acquisitions officer,he commanded the United States Strategic Command from 2016 to 2019 and the Air Force Space Command from 2014 to 2016.
Steven Alan Schaick is a retired major general in the United States Air Force,and an ordained Presbyterian minister,who last served as the 19th Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force. He previously served as the 25th Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force,Headquarters U. S. Air Force,Pentagon,Washington,D.C. As the deputy chief of chaplains,he was a member of the special staff of the Chief of Staff,Schaick assists the Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force in establishing guidance on all matters pertaining to the religious and moral welfare of Air Force personnel and their dependents and directing and maintaining a trained,equipped and professional Chaplain Corps of more than 2,200 chaplains and chaplain assistants from the active and Air Reserve components. As a member of the Armed Forces Chaplains Board,he and other members advise the Secretary of Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff on religious,ethical and quality-of-life concerns.
Michelle White "Miki" Bowman is an American attorney who has served as a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors since 2018. She is the first person to fill the community bank seat on the board,a seat created by a 2015 law.
Burke Edwin Wilson is a retired United States Air Force two-star general who served as Commander,24th Air Force at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland,Texas from 2014 to 2016.
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