Department of Defense

The Department of Defense is a civilian cabinet organization of the government of United States. It is the body that controls the working of the country’s military. DoD has its headquarter at the Pentagon. Headed presently by the Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld its concerns are armed services and military matters. The secretary or the Head of the Department of Defense is a member of the President’s Cabinet.

The formation of the Department of Defense was a gradual process. In 1944, the Congress put forward suggestions to coordinate the activities of the military services. In a further advancement, the three branches of the military services suggested special plans in 1945. In accordance with the plan, President Harry Truman proposed to create a composite Department of National Defense. The idea of concentration of power in a single department raised certain negative response yet DoD was eventually accepted.

The Department of Defense combined the Navy Department, the war Department and the Air Force Department. The main objective of the DoD was to combat inter-service rivalry that reduced the military effectiveness during World War II. While it exercises control over the three major defense systems during crisis it also has control over the Coast Guard.

The annual budget of DoD is over $375 billion excluding the sum provided by the Congress annually. Gold-Water Act of 1986 discusses the command structure of the Department of Defense vividly. At the highest ladder is the President of the United States, whose order passes through the Secretary of Defense to the regional commanders. The regional commander commands the troops and carries out the order dexterously.

Thus, the Department of Defense includes the Army, Navy and Air Force, along with the Marine Corps, National Security Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency that form the intricate part of the country’s protection and Defense.

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