# Secretary of Defense **Entity class:** Cabinet office and national command authority ## Definition The **Secretary of Defense** is the civilian head of the Department of Defense and, subject to the President's direction, exercises authority, direction, and control over the Department. The office supplies policy and command authority above technical architectures such as [[wiki/CJADC2|CJADC2]]. ## Relationships - **reports to:** [[wiki/President of the United States|President of the United States]]. - **leads:** [[wiki/United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]]. - **command chain to:** [[wiki/Combatant Command|combatant commands]]. - **advised by:** [[wiki/Joint Staff|Joint Staff]] and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. ## Sources / Provenance - [DoD — Office of the Secretary of Defense](https://www.defense.gov/About/Office-of-the-Secretary-of-Defense/)