United States Secretary of War
The United States Secretary of War is the head of the Department of War. The current Secretary of War is Pete Hegseth, who was nominated by President Donald J. Trump and approved by the US Senate.
History
The Secretary of War was a member of the President's Cabinet. President George Washington created the position in 1789 when he nominated Henry Knox.
From 1789 until 1947 the branch of the federal government that dealt with military matters was called the War Department which was headed by the Secretary of War, a cabinet member. The Department of Defense was created along with the position of Secretary of Defense by the National Security Act of 1947. The War Department functions were taken over by the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force.[1]
The Secretary of War was the head of the War Department and was responsible for all military affairs. In 1798, the Navy was split out under the Secretary of the Navy. In 1947 the two departments were reunited under the Secretary of Defense. The union also created the positions of Secretary of the Army and Secretary of the Air Force to replace Secretary of War.
The Secretary of Defense position was created in 1947 by President Harry S Truman along with the creation of the National Military Establishment (which became the DoD in 1949), which replaced the Secretary and Department of War. James Forrestal was appointed as the first Secretary of Defense.
In September 2025 President Donald Trump changed the name by Executive Order of the US Defense Department back to the Department of War
Duties
The Secretary of Defense is the principal defense policy advisor to the President and is responsible for the formulation of general defense policy and policy related to all matters of direct and primary concern to the DoD, and for the execution of approved policy. Under the direction of the President, the Secretary exercises authority, direction, and control over the Department of Defense.[2]
Partial list of secretaries
| Secretaries of Defense | ||
|---|---|---|
| Donald Rumsfeld | January 20, 2001 | December 18, 2006 |
| Robert Gates | December 18, 2006 | July 11, 2011 |
| Leon Panetta | July 11, 2011 | February 27, 2013 |
| Chuck Hagel | February 27, 2013 | February 17, 2015 |
| Ashton Carter | February 17, 2015 | January 20, 2017 |
| James Mattis | January 20, 2017 | Incumbent |
