Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense
The Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense ( German about military Senior Assistant to the Secretary of Defense ) is an official position of the US armed forces , by a Lieutenant General or Vice Admiral occupied.
The Senior Military Assistant supports and advises the US Secretary of Defense and is his principal liaison officer in the Department of Defense . The position requires the nomination of the US President and the approval of the Armed Services Committee of the US Senate .
The closeness and personal selection of the Secretary of Defense was and is often a sure way to a higher rank than general or admiral .
List of Senior Military Assistants
| Surname | Beginning of the appointment | End of appointment | superior defense minister | later important positions | last rank | image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lieutenant General Thomas D. Waldhauser | 2012 | Leon Panetta and Chuck Hagel | --- | |||
| Lieutenant General John F. Kelly | April 2011 | 2012 | Robert Gates and Leon Panetta | Commander US Southern Command | general |
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| Vice Admiral Joseph D. Kernan | June 2009 | April 2011 | Robert Gates | deputy commander of US Southern Command | Vice Admiral |
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| Lieutenant General David M. Rodriguez | August 2008 | June 2009 | Robert Gates | Deputy Commander US Forces Afghanistan (nominated) | Lieutenant General |
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| Lieutenant General Peter W. Chiarelli | March 2007 | August 2008 | Robert Gates | Vice Chief of Staff of the Army | general |
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| Lieutenant General Victor E. Renuart Jr. | August 2006 | February 2007 | Robert Gates | Commander US Northern Command | general |
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| Vice Admiral James G. Stavridis | July 2004 | August 2006 | Donald Rumsfeld | Commander US Southern Command | admiral |
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| Lieutenant General Bantz J. Craddock | August 2002 | July 2004 | Donald Rumsfeld | Commander US Southern Command ; Commander US European Command / Supreme Allied Commander Europe | general |
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| Vice Admiral Edmund P. Giambastiani | 2001 | August 2002 | William Cohen and Donald Rumsfeld | Commander US Joint Forces Command / Supreme Allied Commander Transformation ; vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff | admiral |
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| Rear Admiral (lh) Deborah Loewer | 2000 | 2001 | William Cohen | Deputy Commander Military Sealift Command ; Commander Mine Warfare Command US Navy | Rear admiral (lh) |
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| Vice Adm. Gregory G. Johnson | May 1999 | October 2000 | William Cohen | Commander 6th US Fleet; Commander US Naval Forces Europe ; Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Southern Europe ; from March 2004 Commander US Naval Forces Europe and Commander Allied Joint Force Command Naples | admiral |
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| Lieutenant General James L. Jones | 1997 | 1999 | William Cohen | Commandant of the Marine Corps ; Commander US European Command / Supreme Allied Commander Europe , National Security Advisor under Barack Obama | general |
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| Lieutenant General Randolph W. House | June 1996 | February 1997 | William Perry | Commander of the 8th US Army / Chief of Staff of UN Combined Forces Command Korea / US Forces Korea ; Deputy Commander U.S. Southern Command | Lieutenant General | |
| Lieutenant General Paul J. Kern | ? | June 1996 | William Perry | Commanding General 4th Infantry Division ; Commander of the US Army Materiel Command | general |
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| ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Major General John P. Jumper | May 1992 | February 1994 | Les Aspin | Chief of Staff of the Air Force | general |
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| Vice Admiral William A. Owens | 1988 | 1992 | Frank Carlucci and Dick Cheney | vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff | admiral |
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| Lieutenant General Gordon E. Fornell | January 1987 | September 1988 | Caspar Weinberger and Frank Carlucci | Commander of the Electronic Systems Division , Air Force Systems Command | Lieutenant General |
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| ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Brigadier Genera l Colin Powell | 1979 | 1981 | Harold Brown | Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ; US Secretary of State | general |
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| ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |