Joint Chiefs of Staff

Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. statutory agency, created in 1949 within the Dept. of Defense. The chairman is the principal military adviser to the President, the National Security Council, and the Secretary of Defense. Members include the chairman, appointed by the President with Senate approval; the chief of staff, U.S. army; the chief of naval operations; the chief of staff, U.S. air force; the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, and a vice chairman who manages the Joint Staff. The Joint Chiefs prepare military plans and direct unified and other combat commands under the Secretary of Defense.

Joint Chiefs of Staff JCS or J.C.S. the primary military advisory group to the president of the United States, comprised of the chiefs of each of the armed forces—the Air Force, Army, Navy—and the commandant of the Marine Corps.

Joint Chiefs of Staff • n. the chiefs of staff of the U.S. Army and Air Force, the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, and the chief of U.S. Naval Operations. This group's chairman, selected from one of the branches, is the highest-ranking military adviser to the president of the U.S.