The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS)

Updated August 5, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Symbol of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Source: pnt.gov

The Joint Chiefs of Staff is composed of the highest-ranking member of each branch of the military. It consists of the chairman, the vice chairman, the chief of staff of the Army, the chief of naval operations, the chief of staff of the Air Force, the commandant of the Marine Corps, and the chief of the National Guard Bureau.

The chairman is the principal military adviser to the president, the secretary of defense, and the National Security Council (NSC). The Joint Chiefs of Staff has no executive authority to commit combatant forces.