1. Foreign affairs: National Security While at first glance, it may be easy to assume that America’s national security is a domestic affair, and it certainly is, but it is also very much a foreign affair: whether it is the various military branches fighting wars on foreign soil to protect our nations security, or the CIA gathering intelligence through clandestine means, or the United States military alliance with Canada and the vast majority of Europe under the North American Treaty Organization (NATO), these are all foreign affairs related to national security

2. Department of Defense  The Department of Defense (DoD) is the successor to the Department of War which created in the first cession of Congress in 1987, along with the Departments of State and Treasury  The Department of Defense is an Executive Department containing all the branches of the United States military, except the Coast Guard which belongs to the Department of Homeland Security  The head of the Department of Defense is the Secretary of Defense who is in charge of the 1.4 million Americans serving in the armed forces, as well as another 600,000 civil servants working for the DOD

3. Civilian Control of the Military  The idea of a military under civilian (non-military personnel) control is one that the framers intended when they named the President Commander-in-Chief in Article II Section 2 of the Constitution  Article I Section 8 gives Congress the explicit power to declare War  Furthermore, it has been against Federal Law since 1878 (Reconstruction Era) for any active duty military member to hold any policy influencing role in a domestic office (I.e. President, Governor, Mayor, Congressman)  The purpose of the our Founding Fathers intent, and now the federal law, is to prevent the type of military coups we have seen any many other nations  Most famously, Julius Caesar and his army overthrew the Roman Republic

4. Civilian Control of Military

5. The Military Departments  The military Departments within the Department of Defense are what we typically consider to be the “branches of the military” 1.Department of the Army 2.Department of the Navy 3.Department of Air Force

6. The Department of the Army  The United States Army is the oldest, and by far the largest branch of the military  It massive size of about 500,000 active duty and another 200,000 reserves makes it best suited to fight large-scale wars and serves as a deterrent against foreign nations  Its roles are mostly land based with infantry (foot soldiers) and tanks.  Has very limited fixed-wing aircraft (airplanes) but the largest array of helicopters

7. The Department of Navy  Most versatile of all branches of the military  Navy has battle ships, aircraft carriers, submarines, and a variety of other vessels  Also has many airplanes  Contains the United States Marines who are an elite fighting force that can serve as a traditional infantry as well as an aquatic infantry.  Marines are best utilized in small wars or as first “boots on the ground”

8. Department of Air Force  Formally Army Air Corp but became a separate branch in 1947.  It is typically the U.S. Military’s first line of defense (and offense)  It can fight in air-to-air combat as well air-to ground  It Is in charge of all military space programs  Also has control of the United States long range nuclear capabilities

9. Joint Chiefs of Staff  The role of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is to advise the President and Secretary of Defense of military operations and war strategy  Each military branch has a Chief of Staff who is the highest ranking officer within the branch  The Chief of Staff for each respective branch is appointed by the President and must be confirmed by the Senate.  In all, there 7 total positions within the Joint Chiefs of Staff 1. Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff - Currently Gen, Joseph F. Dunford of the Marines 2.Vice Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff- Currently Gen. Paul J. Selva of the Air Force 3.Chief of Staff of the Army- Currently Gen. Mark A. Milley 4.Commandant of the Marines- Currently Gen. Robert B. Neller 5.Chief of Naval Operations- Admiral John M. Richardson 6.Chief of Staff of Air Force- Gen. Mark A. Welsh III 7.Chief of the National Guard Bureau (Part of the Army)- Gen. Frank J. Grass

11. The Director of National Intelligence  Position created in 2005  The need for such a position became evident in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks  The job of the Director of National Intelligence is to pool intelligence information related to national security from the nations many different agencies that gather it (16 agencies to be exact.)  Some of intelligence agencies that report to the DNI are the CIA, FBI, DEA, and the worlds largest spy agency, the National Security Administration

12. Department of Homeland Security  Much like the position of the Director of National Intelligence, the need for a Department of Homeland Security became apparent after 9/11  The department of the Homeland Security was signed into law in 2002  It was mainly just a reorganization of the Federal bureaucracy, as most of the agencies that fall under the authority of the Department of Homeland Security came from various other Departments.  Homeland Security includes the Secret Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs, the Coast Guard, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)