Department of Defense

The Vinish Department of Defense (DoD, VNDOD, or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government of the Vindex Nation charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the Vinish government directly related to national security and the Vinish National Armed Forces.

Vinish Department of Defense
Department of Defense Seal.png
The Seal of the Vinish Department of Defense.
Active2014 - Present
CountryVindex Nation
TypeUnified Military Department
Garrison/HQThe Pentagon
Adderfield City, Viridis
Commanders
Commander-in-ChiefPresident TBA
Secretary of DefenseSecretary TBD
Secretary of the NavySecretary TBD
Secretary of the ArmySecretary TBD
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffTBD
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffTBD
Chief of Naval OperationsADM TBD
Chief of Staff of the ArmyGEN TBD


The Department of Defense is headed by the secretary of defense, a cabinet-level head who reports directly to the President of Vindex Nation. Beneath the Department of Defense are two subordinate military departments: the Department of the Army and the Department of the Navy. In addition, two national intelligence services are subordinate to the Department of Defense: the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and the National Security Agency (NSA).

History

Upon the seating of the 1st Vinish Congress in 2013, legislation to create a military defense force stagnated as they focused on other concerns relevant to setting up the new government. President Christian Silversmith went to Congress to remind them of their duty to establish a military during this time.

War Department (early DoD)

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Department of the Army

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Department of the Navy

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Organizational Structure

The Secretary of Defense (SECDEF), appointed by the President (POVN) with the advice and consent of the Senate, is by federal law the head of the Department of Defense, "the principal assistant to the President in all matters relating to Department of Defense", and has "authority, direction, and control over the Department of Defense". Because the Constitution vests all military authority in Congress and the president, the statutory authority of the SECDEF is derived from their constitutional authority. Since it is impractical for either Congress or the president to participate in every piece of Department of Defense affairs, the secretary of defense and the secretary's subordinate officials generally exercise military authority.

The Department of Defense is composed of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and the Joint Staff (JS), Office of the Inspector General (DODIG), the Combatant Commands, the Military Departments (Department of the Army (DA) and Department of the Navy (DON)), and such other offices, agencies, activities, organizations, and commands established or designated by law, or by the president or by the secretary of defense.

Office of the Secretary of Defense

The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) is the secretary and their deputies, including predominantly civilian staff.

OSD is the principal staff element of the Secretary of Defense in the exercise of policy development, planning, resource management, fiscal and program evaluation and oversight, and interface and exchange with other Vinish federal government departments and agencies, foreign governments, and international organizations, through formal and informal processes.

Defense Agencies

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National Intelligence Agencies

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Joint Chiefs of Staff

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council and the President on military matters. The composition of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is defined by statute and consists of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VCJCS), Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman (SEAC), the Military Service Chiefs from the Army, Marine Corps, and Navy, all appointed by the President following U.S. Senate confirmation. Each of the individual Military Service Chiefs, outside their Joint Chiefs of Staff obligations, works directly for the secretary of the military department concerned: the Secretary of the Army and Secretary of the Navy.

Military Departments and Services

There are three military departments within the Department of Defense:

  1. the Department of the Army, within which the Vinish Army is organized.
  2. the Department of the Navy, within which the Vinish Navy and the Vinish Marine Corps are organized.

The Military Departments are each headed by their own secretary (i.e., Secretary of the Army and Secretary of the Navy), appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate. They have the legal authority to conduct all the affairs of their respective departments within which the military services are organized. The secretaries of the Military Departments are (by law) subordinate to the Secretary of Defense and (by SECDEF delegation) to the Deputy Secretary of Defense.

Secretaries of military departments, in turn, normally exercise authority over their forces by delegation through their respective service chiefs (i.e., Chief of Staff of the Army, Commandant of the Marine Corps, and Chief of Naval Operations) over forces not assigned to a Combatant Command.