—  Director  of  Defense  Research  and  En- gineering — Assistant SECDEF — Director of Operational Test and Evalua- tion — General Counsel of the DOD — The Inspector General of the DOD Each  military  department  has  a  separate organization under its own Secretary and functions  under  the  direction,  authority,  and control of the SECDEF. Issuing of orders to the military departments is through the Secretaries of  these  departments.  Issuing  of  orders  to commanders of unified or specified commands is by the President or the SECDEF or by the Chairman, JCS. GENERAL MISSION AND FUNCTIONS OF THE DOD As higher authority prescribes, the DOD is responsible to maintain and employ armed forces to do the following: — Support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic — Ensure, by timely and effective military action, the security of the United States, its possessions, and its areas of vital interest — Uphold and advance the national policies and interest of the United States SECRETARY OF DEFENSE The SECDEF is a member of the President’s Cabinet. The SECDEF serves as the principal assistant to the President on matters of national defense and on all matters of the DOD. Within the  DOD,  the  operational  chain  of  command begins with the President. It then proceeds to the SECDEF, through the JCS, and to the unified and specified commanders (fig. 1-1). The Office of the SECDEF includes under secretaries,  assistant  secretaries,  the  general counsel, and assistants. SECRETARIES OF THE ARMY, NAVY, AND AIR FORCE The Secretaries of the military departments each have specific missions. However, they all operate under the same basic guidelines. The following are common functions of the military departments: — — — — — — — Prepare  forces  and  set  up  reserves  of manpower, equipment, and supplies for the effective prosecution of war and mili- tary operations short of war; plan for the expansion  of  peacetime  components  to meet the needs of war. Maintain  in  readiness  mobile  Reserve forces, properly organized, trained, and equipped for employment in emergency. Provide  adequate,  timely,  and  reliable intelligence and counterintelligence for the military departments and other agencies as directed. Recruit,  organize,  train,  and  equip interoperable  forces  for  assignment  to unified and specified combatant com- mands. Prepare  and  submit  budgets  for  their respective departments; justify before Congress budget requests as approved by the President; and control the funds made available for maintaining, equipping, and training  the  forces  of  their  respective departments, including those assigned to unified or specified combatant commands. The military department budget submis- sions to the SECDEF are done on the basis,  among  other  things,  of  recom- mendations by commander in chiefs (CINCs)  and  service  component  com- manders of forces assigned to unified and specified combatant commands. Conduct research; develop tactics, tech- niques, and organization; and develop and buy weapons, equipment, and supplies. Develop, garrison, supply, equip, and maintain bases and other installations, including lines of communications, and provide administrative and logistics sup- port for all forces and bases. 1-2