Third member in the Administrative Command's top three?

Third member in the Administrative Command's top three?

• A. President
• B. SecDef
• C. Sec Military Branches
• D. VCJCS

Answer: (C)

In this hierarchy, the highest level of the Department of Defense’s administrative leadership goes from the President (Commander-in-Chief) to the Secretary of Defense (the principal civilian leader of DoD), and then to the head of the military department for that service—the Secretary of the Army, Secretary of the Navy, or Secretary of the Air Force. That third slot is occupied by the Secretary of the Military Branch, not by a military officer like the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Vice Chairman sits within the military leadership but is not part of the top three civilian leaders in this administrative framework. So the third member in the Administrative Command’s top three is the Secretary of the Military Branch.

In this hierarchy, the highest level of the Department of Defense’s administrative leadership goes from the President (Commander-in-Chief) to the Secretary of Defense (the principal civilian leader of DoD), and then to the head of the military department for that service—the Secretary of the Army, Secretary of the Navy, or Secretary of the Air Force. That third slot is occupied by the Secretary of the Military Branch, not by a military officer like the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Vice Chairman sits within the military leadership but is not part of the top three civilian leaders in this administrative framework. So the third member in the Administrative Command’s top three is the Secretary of the Military Branch.