The Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Defense Department
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The senior ranking member of the Armed Forces is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a body linking the highest-ranked officers in each branch of the military. The Joint Staff assists the chairman in his duties as the principal military adviser to the president of the United States and as the coordinator of the Armed Forces' strategic direction. The chairman doesn't exercise military authority directly over combatant commands but can convey orders from the president or the secretary of Defense.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff began meeting during World War II to improve coordination under a unified command. The group's role was codified after the war in the National Security Act of 1947.
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