Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army
The vice chief of staff of the Army (VCSA) is the principal deputy to the chief of staff of the Army, and is the second-highest-ranking officer on active duty in the Department of the Army.
| Vice Chief of Staff of the Army | |
|---|---|
 Flag of the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army | |
| United States Army Army Staff | |
| Abbreviation | VCSA |
| Member of | Army Staff Joint Requirements Oversight Council |
| Reports to | Chief of Staff of the Army |
| Seat | The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Term length | Not fixed |
| Constituting instrument | 10 U.S.C. § 3034 |
| Precursor | Deputy Chief of Staff of the United States Army |
| Formation | November 1, 1948 |
| First holder | GEN J. Lawton Collins |
| Succession | First in Chief of Staff succession |
| Deputy | Director of the Army Staff |
| Website | www.army.mil/ |
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The vice chief of staff generally handles the day-to-day administration of the Army Staff, freeing the chief of staff to attend to the interservice responsibilities of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. By statute, the vice chief of staff is appointed as a four-star general in the United States Army while so serving.
The incumbent vice chief of staff of the Army, since July 2019, is General Joseph M. Martin.
Role
The senior leadership of the U.S. Department of the Army consists of two civilians, the secretary of the Army and the under secretary of the Army, as well as two commissioned officers, the Army Chief of Staff and the Army Vice Chief of Staff.
Under the supervision and direction of the secretary of the Army (who in turn is under the authority, direction and control of the secretary of defense) the vice chief of staff assists the chief of staff on missions and functions related to their duties. The vice chief of staff also assists the chief of staff in the management/oversight of U.S. Army installations and facilities.
Furthermore, the vice chief of staff may also represent the Army at the Office of the Secretary of Defense/Joint Staff level in areas relating to the chief of staff's responsibility and U.S. Army capabilities, requirements, policy, plans, and programs. The vice chief of staff is the designated Army representative to the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC).
If the chief of staff is incapacitated or otherwise relieved of duty, the vice chief of staff serves as the acting chief of staff. If both the chief of staff and the vice chief of staff were to be incapacitated, the senior-most general on the Army Staff would become the acting chief of staff of the Army until someone else is appointed.[1][2]
Appointment
The vice chief of staff of the Army is appointed by the president, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, from among the general officers of the Army.
Unlike the chief of staff of the Army, there is no fixed term nor term limit to the position of the vice chief of staff, although most of those appointed to the office have typically served for two or three year tenures.
List of Vice Chiefs of Staff of the Army
| No. | Portrait | Vice Chief of Staff of the Army | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General J. Lawton Collins[4] (1896–1987) | 1 November 1948 | 15 August 1949 | 287 days | Chief of Staff of the Army (1949–53) U.S. Representative to NATO (1953–54) Special Representative in South Vietnam (1954–55) U.S. Representative to NATO (1955–56) Retired, 1956. | |
| 2 | General Wade H. Haislip (1889–1971) | 16 August 1949 | 30 July 1951 | 1 year, 347 days | Retired, 1951 | |
| 3 | General John E. Hull (1895–1975) | 30 July 1951 | 14 August 1953 | 2 years, 15 days | Commander of Far East Command (1953–55) Retired, 1955. | |
| 4 | General Charles L. Bolte (1895–1989) | 15 August 1953 | 29 June 1955 | 1 year, 318 days | Retired, 1955 | |
| 5 | General Williston B. Palmer (1899–1973) | 30 June 1955 | 31 May 1957 | 1 year, 335 days | Deputy Commander, USEUCOM (1957–59) Director of Military Assistance, OSD, (1959–60) Retired, 1960 | |
| 6 | General Lyman L. Lemnitzer (1899–1988) | June 1, 1957 | June 30, 1959 | 2 years, 29 days | Chief of Staff (1959–60) Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1960–62) SAEUR/CINCUSEUCOM (1963–69) Retired, 1969 | |
| 7 | General George H. Decker (1902–1980) | July 1, 1959 | September 29, 1960 | 1 year, 90 days | Chief of Staff (1960–62) Retired, 1962 | |
| 8 | General Clyde D. Eddleman (1902–1992) | September 30, 1960 | March 31, 1962 | 1 year, 181 days | Retired, 1962 | |
| 9 | General Barksdale Hamlett (1908–1979) | 1 April 1962 | September 3, 1964 | 2 years, 155 days | Retired, 1964 | |
| 10 | General Creighton Abrams (1914–1974) | September 4, 1964 | April 30, 1967 | 2 years, 238 days | Deputy Commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (1967–68) Commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (1968–72) Chief of Staff (1972–74) Died in office, 1974. | |
| 11 | General Ralph E. Haines Jr. (1913–2011) | May 1, 1967 | July 2, 1968 | 1 year, 62 days | Commander, United States Army Pacific (1968–70) Commander, Continental Army Command (1970–73) Retired, 1973 | |
| 12 | General Bruce Palmer Jr. (1913–2000) | July 3, 1968 | January 31, 1973 | 4 years, 212 days | Acting Chief of Staff (July–October 1972) Commander, United States Readiness Command (1973–74) Retired, 1974 | |
| 13 | General Alexander Haig (1924–2010) | February 1, 1973 | July 31, 1973 | 180 days | Chief of Staff to the President (1973–74) SACEUR/CINCUSEUCOM (1974–79) Retired, 1979 Secretary of State (1981–82) | |
| 14 | General Frederick C. Weyand (1916–2010) | August 1, 1973 | October 20, 1974 | 1 year, 80 days | Chief of Staff, 1974–76 Retired, 1976 | |
| 15 | General Walter T. Kerwin Jr. (1917–2008) | October 21, 1974 | September 23, 1978 | ~4 years | Retired, 1978 | |
| 16 | General Frederick J. Kroesen (1923–2020) | October 26, 1978 | October 7, 1979 | ~1 year | Commander, United States Army Europe (1979–83) Retired, 1983 | |
| 17 | General John William Vessey Jr. (1922–2016) | October 10, 1979 | January 19, 1982 | ~3 years | Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1982–85) Retired, 1985 Special emissary to Vietnam for missing American service personnel (1985–96) | |
| 18 | General John A. Wickham Jr. (born 1928) | January 27, 1982 | August 11, 1983 | ~1 year | Chief of Staff (1983–87) Retired, 1987 | |
| 19 | General Maxwell R. Thurman (1931–1995) | August 26, 1983 | February 4, 1987 | ~4 years | Commander, Training and Doctrine Command (1987–89) Commander, United States Southern Command (1990–91) Retired, 1991 | |
| 20 | General Arthur E. Brown Jr. (born 1929) | February 15, 1987 | January 20, 1989 | ~2 years | Retired, 1989 | |
| 21 | General Robert W. RisCassi (born 1936) | January 21, 1989 | December 10, 1990 | ~1 year | Commander, Eighth United States Army (1990–92) Commander, United States Forces Korea (1992–93) Retired, 1993 | |
| 22 | General Gordon R. Sullivan (born 1937) | December 17, 1990 | April 27, 1991 | ~1 year | Chief of Staff, 1991–95 Retired, 1995 | |
| 23 | General Dennis J. Reimer (born 1939) | May 14, 1991 | January 20, 1993 | ~2 years | Commander, Forces Command (1993–95) Chief of Staff (1995–99) Retired, 1999 | |
| 24 | General J. H. Binford Peay III (born 1940) | January 23, 1993 | January 15, 1994 | ~1 year | Commander, Central Command, 1994–97 Retired, 1997 | |
| 25 | General John H. Tilelli Jr. (born 1941) | January 20, 1994 | January 2, 1995 | ~1 year | Commander, Forces Command (1995–96) Commander, U.S. Forces Korea (1996–99) Retired, 2000 | |
| 26 | General Ronald H. Griffith (1936–2018) | January 26, 1995 | July 20, 1997 | ~2 years | Retired, 1997 | |
| 27 | General William W. Crouch (born 1941) | August 6, 1997 | November 22, 1998 | ~1 year | Retired, 1998 | |
| 28 | General Eric K. Shinseki (born 1942) | November 24, 1998 | June 21, 1999 | 209 days | Chief of Staff (1999–2003) Retired, 2003. Secretary of Veterans Affairs (2009–14) | |
| 29 | General John M. Keane (born 1943) | June 22, 1999 | October 16, 2003 | 4 years, 116 days | Retired, 2003. | |
| 30 | General George W. Casey Jr. (born 1948) | October 17, 2003 | July 23, 2004 | 280 days | Commander Multi-National Force – Iraq (2004–07) Chief of Staff (2007–11) Retired, 2011 | |
| 31 | General Richard A. Cody (born 1950) | July 24, 2004 | July 31, 2008 | 4 years, 7 days | Retired, 2008 | |
| 32 | General Peter W. Chiarelli (born 1950) | August 4, 2008 | January 31, 2012 | 3 years, 180 days | Retired, 2012 | |
| 33 | General Lloyd J. Austin III (born 1953) | January 31, 2012 | March 8, 2013 | 1 year, 36 days | Commander, United States Central Command (2013–2016) Retired, 2016 | |
| 34 | General John F. Campbell[6] (born 1957) | March 8, 2013 | August 8, 2014 | 1 year, 153 days | Commander, International Security Assistance Force – Afghanistan (2014–2016) Retired, 2016 | |
| 35 | General Daniel B. Allyn[8] (born 1959) | August 15, 2014 | June 16, 2017 | 2 years, 305 days | Retired, 2017 | |
| 36 | General James C. McConville[10] (born 1959) | June 16, 2017 | July 26, 2019 | 2 years, 40 days | Chief of Staff (2019–) | |
| 37 | General Joseph M. Martin (born 1962) | July 26, 2019 | Incumbent | 1 year, 198 days |
See also
- Sergeant Major of the Army
- Under Secretary of the Army
- Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps (USMC counterpart)
- Vice Chief of Naval Operations (USN counterpart)
- Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force (USAF counterpart)Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force (USAF counterpart)
- Vice Chief of Space Operations (USSF counterpart)
- Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard (USCG counterpart)
References
- "General Richard Cody - Vice Chief of Staff Army". Archived from the original on September 12, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
- "WAIS Document Retrieval". Retrieved September 22, 2007.
- Hewes, James E., Jr. (1983) [1975]. "Appendix B". From Root to McNamara Army Organization and Administration. Special Studies. Washington, D.C.: United States Army Center of Military History. Retrieved September 23, 2007.
- Hewes, James E., Jr. (1983) [1975]. "Appendix B". From Root to McNamara Army Organization and Administration. Special Studies. Washington, D.C.: United States Army Center of Military History. Retrieved September 23, 2007.
- http://www.defense.gov/video/default.aspx?videoid=354460
- http://www.defense.gov/video/default.aspx?videoid=354460
- Hinnant, Jim (15 August 2014). "Milley takes FORSCOM colors as Army's new vice chief of staff departs Fort Bragg". The United States Army. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
- Hinnant, Jim (15 August 2014). "Milley takes FORSCOM colors as Army's new vice chief of staff departs Fort Bragg". The United States Army. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
- Panzino, Charlsy (16 June 2017). "Army personnel chief sworn in as vice chief of staff". ArmyTimes. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
- Panzino, Charlsy (16 June 2017). "Army personnel chief sworn in as vice chief of staff". ArmyTimes. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
