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Office of the Secretary of Defense and Military Services

            The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) is the principal staff element of the Secretary of Defense that has the unique responsibility of exercising policy development, planning, resource management, fiscal, and program evaluation responsibilities. The office also includes subordinate offices; including the immediate offices of the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense, Under Secretaries of Defense, Director of Defense Research and Engineering, Assistant Secretaries of Defense, General Counsel, Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, Assistants to the Secretary of Defense, Director of Administration and Management, and such other staff offices as the Secretary establishes to assist in carrying out assigned responsibilities. Defining the responsibilities of this office is not as simple as the author suggests. Its diversity and abundance of subordinate offices create myriad responsibilities. Mr. Schlesinger does give an overarching definition of the primary responsibilities that I can agree with. He states that the overall responsibility is to relate U.S. policy objectives, as established through the National Security Council system, to develop, the sustaining and the deployment of forces. This cannot be accomplished if the primary means is not available. Mr Schlesinger identifies that the ability for the OSD to accomplish its goals and objectives, the most important quotient to the formula is the budget. Budgetary limits makes or breaks the OSD; it sets the limits to funding for pay to technological advancements that keep us far in advance of our adversaries. Making matters even worse, not only is the Secretary of Defense responsible for the aforementioned items he is also responsible for both White House relations and executive branch relations. This in my opinion is the most important of his responsibilities. Here is where the rubber meets the road. The secretary usually has the Executive Branch's ear on all issues and most of the time has the ability to talk directly to the President in regards to the Military.


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1. Government Spending on Defense and Education

... and to work together with our allies and partners in dealing with common security challenges. The last piece of our strategy is sort of, arguably, the more kinetic pillar of the strategy, and that's -- we've called it projecting power, and winning decisively, and here, we see the ability of the joint force to project power around the world as sort of a signature of our U.S. military. It's one of ... of arts degree for teachers; (2) professional development for teachers and staff; (3) low staff-child ratios and small class sizes; (4) a full-day program; (5) developmentally appropriate, evi...

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2. Elected Officials, Legislative Committees and the Ohio Budget

... with the Democratic Party and is serving his second term in office. President Obama is the first African American elected President. He is from a middle-class upbringing, values family, and believes that hard work and education are essential for getting ahead (Administration, n.d. President). The job of the President is to act as the head of state and government of the United States. He is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces. The President has the power ... . The head of the Department of the Treasury is Secretary Jack Lew. Leading the Department of Defense is Secret...

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3. Mercenaries and Private Military Companies

... defined as 'such services connected with the security of the State as the [National Security] Council may determine'.38 The National Security and Intelligence Act establishes the Office of National Security (ONS), the governmental agency which grants licenses to companies, with the decision involving assessments of profiles of promoters and personnel at all levels, as well as financial resources, and acquisition of equipment, arms and ammunition 'to be used in the business of the operations of the companies'. However, there are ... ) in the United States provides a measure of c...

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4. Concepts of the American Presidency

... in Chief of the Army & Navy of the United States. As the texts states, the framers insisted that the people have elected representative, the president, be in charge of the military. This principle of civilian control over the military is a central element in our constitutional democracy. The professional military take their orders from the president and his chief civilian agent, the secretary of defense. This is not just a ceremonial role; rather the ultimate power to decide how and when to use the military rests with the president ... ). Organization of the Executive The Constitution, r...

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5. presidential election of 2000

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6. Information Warfare as Weapons of Mass Destruction

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7. Gays in Military

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8. Should Women Enter the Militar

... more likely to suffer from sprained or broken ankles, have back problems, and suffer from lower body injuries (Bockhorn 2). It is obvious that their bodies are not made for the physical strength needed to perform in the military. Women are not allowed to participate in a number of the services the military has to offer. On October 1, 1994 Secretary of Defense Aspin had announced that "women shall be excluded from assignments to units ... male instructors at a Naval Training Center (Burrelli 12). The General Accounting Office in January 1994 found that nearly 97 percent of military acade...

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9. Seperation of powers

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