Title 10, Armed ForcesRelease 119-110

§163 Role of Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff

Title 10 › Subtitle A — General Military Law › PART I — ORGANIZATION AND GENERAL MILITARY POWERS › CHAPTER 6 — COMBATANT COMMANDS › § 163

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Under the limits in section 152(c), the President may require that messages between the President or the Secretary of Defense and the commanders of the unified and specified combatant commands go through the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The President may also give the Chairman duties to help with command tasks. The Secretary of Defense may let the Chairman oversee combatant command activities, but that does not give the Chairman command authority or change commanders’ duties under section 164(b)(2). With the Secretary’s direction, the Chairman acts as the commanders’ spokesman about their operational needs. The Chairman must talk with commanders, gather and combine their information, advise the Secretary of Defense, and pass those needs to other parts of the Department of Defense as appropriate.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §163

Armed Forces, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Communications Through Chairman of JCS; Assignment of Duties.—

Subject to the limitations in section 152(c) of this title, the President may—

(1)direct that communications between the President or the Secretary of Defense and the commanders of the unified and specified combatant commands be transmitted through the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and

(2)assign duties to the Chairman to assist the President and the Secretary of Defense in performing their command function.

(b)Oversight by Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff.—

(1)The Secretary of Defense may assign to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff responsibility for overseeing the activities of the combatant commands. Such assignment by the Secretary to the Chairman does not confer any command authority on the Chairman and does not alter the responsibility of the commanders of the combatant commands prescribed in section 164(b)(2) of this title.

(2)Subject to the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff serves as the spokesman for the commanders of the combatant commands, especially on the operational requirements of their commands. In performing such function, the Chairman shall—

(A)confer with and obtain information from the commanders of the combatant commands with respect to the requirements of their commands;

(B)evaluate and integrate such information;

(C)advise and make recommendations to the Secretary of Defense with respect to the requirements of the combatant commands, individually and collectively; and

(D)communicate, as appropriate, the requirements of the combatant commands to other elements of the Department of Defense.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 163

Title 10, Armed Forces

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110