Director of the Joint Staff

The director of the Joint Staff (DJS) is a three-star officer who assists the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a cabinet of senior military officers within the United States Armed Forces who advise the secretary of defense and the president on military matters. The director assists the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in managing the Joint Staff and with the management and organization of the staff's members. The director also chairs meetings of the Operations Deputies, a subsidiary body comprising the director and a three-star delegate from each service who preview or resolve issues before they are escalated to the four-star level of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.^[1]

Director of the Joint Staff
Seal of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Incumbent LTG Douglas A. Sims II, USA since 3 January 2024
Joint Staff
Abbreviation	DJS
Reports to	Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Seat	The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
Appointer	Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Constituting instrument	10 U.S.C. § 155
Inaugural holder	MG Alfred M. Gruenther, USA
Formation	19 September 1949
Deputy	Vice Director of the Joint Staff
Website	www.jcs.mil

The director of the Joint Staff is selected by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in consultation with the other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and subject to the approval of the secretary of defense.^[1] As with all three- and four-star positions, the director's appointment is subject to presidential nomination and Senate confirmation.

The position of director is considered one of the most desirable three-star positions in the United States military establishment, for the position has historically served as a stepping stone to a four-star position.^[2] As of January 2024, 38 of the 49 past directors and one past acting director, have been promoted to four-star rank. Many of them have been promoted to four-star rank within a year of leaving the position.

The current director of the Joint Staff is Lieutenant General Douglas A. Sims II.

List of directors of the Joint Staff

This is a complete list of the directors of the Joint Staff.^[3] An asterisk (*) indicates an acting Director.

Of the 41 directors of the Joint Staff as of 2012^[update], 30 have been promoted to four-star rank while on active duty, as has one acting director; and a 31st former director was promoted to that rank upon retirement. Moreover, 22 of the last 23 directors have been promoted to four-star rank within a year of leaving the Joint Staff.

No.	Director		Term			Service branch	Notes
	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Term length
1		Major General Alfred M. Gruenther	17 September 1947	19 September 1949	2 years, 2 days	U.S. Army	Promoted to general, 1951.
2		Rear Admiral Arthur C. Davis	20 September 1949	1 November 1951	2 years, 42 days	U.S. Navy	Promoted to admiral on retirement, 1955.
3		Lieutenant General Charles P. Cabell	2 November 1951	23 April 1953	1 year, 172 days	U.S. Air Force	Promoted to general, 1958.
4		Lieutenant General Frank F. Everest	24 April 1953	18 March 1954	328 days	U.S. Air Force	Promoted to general, 1957.
5		Lieutenant General Lemuel Mathewson	19 March 1954	14 March 1956	1 year, 361 days	U.S. Army	Retired, 1958.
6		Vice Admiral Bernard L. Austin	15 March 1956	31 March 1958	2 years, 16 days	U.S. Navy	Retired, 1968.
7		Lieutenant General Oliver S. Picher	1 April 1958	31 March 1960	1 year, 365 days	U.S. Air Force	Retired, 1960.
8		Lieutenant General Earle Wheeler	1 April 1960	24 February 1962	1 year, 329 days	U.S. Army	Promoted to general, 1962.
9		Vice Admiral Herbert D. Riley	25 February 1962	23 February 1964	1 year, 363 days	U.S. Navy	Retired, 1964.
10		Lieutenant General David A. Burchinal	24 February 1964	31 July 1966	2 years, 157 days	U.S. Air Force	Promoted to general, 1966.
11		Lieutenant General Andrew J. Goodpaster	1 August 1966	31 March 1967	242 days	U.S. Army	Promoted to general, 1968.
12		Lieutenant General Berton E. Spivy	1 April 1967	31 July 1968	1 year, 121 days	U.S. Army	Promoted to general, 1968.
13		Vice Admiral Nels C. Johnson	1 August 1968	19 July 1970	1 year, 352 days	U.S. Navy	Retired, 1970.
14		Lieutenant General John W. Vogt	20 July 1970	7 April 1972	1 year, 262 days	U.S. Air Force	Promoted to general, 1972.
–		Rear Admiral Mason B. Freeman Acting	8 April 1972	11 June 1972	64 days	U.S. Navy	Retired, 1979.
15		Lieutenant General George M. Seignious II	12 June 1972	31 May 1974	1 year, 353 days	U.S. Army	Retired, 1974.
16		Vice Admiral Harry D. Train II	1 June 1974	30 June 1976	2 years, 29 days	U.S. Navy	Promoted to admiral, 1978.
17		Lieutenant General Ray B. Sitton	1 July 1976	30 June 1977	364 days	U.S. Air Force	Retired, 1977.
18		Vice Admiral Patrick J. Hannifin	1 July 1977	20 June 1978	354 days	U.S. Navy	Retired, 1978.
–		Major General John A. Wickham Jr. Acting	1 July 1978	21 August 1978	51 days	U.S. Army	Appointed as 19th director.
19		Lieutenant General John A. Wickham Jr.	22 August 1978	22 June 1979	304 days	U.S. Army	Promoted to general, 1979.
20		Vice Admiral C. Thor Hanson	22 June 1979	30 June 1981	2 years, 8 days	U.S. Navy	Retired, 1982.
21		Lieutenant General James E. Dalton	1 July 1981	30 June 1983	1 year, 364 days	U.S. Air Force	Promoted to general, 1983.
22		Lieutenant General Jack N. Merritt	1 July 1983	30 June 1985	1 year, 364 days	U.S. Army	Promoted to general, 1985.
23		Vice Admiral Powell F. Carter Jr.	1 July 1985	14 August 1987	2 years, 44 days	U.S. Navy	Promoted to admiral, 1987.
24		Lieutenant General Robert W. RisCassi	15 August 1987	30 November 1988	1 year, 107 days	U.S. Army	Promoted to general, 1988.
25		Lieutenant General Hansford T. Johnson	1 December 1988	20 September 1989	293 days	U.S. Air Force	Promoted to general, 1989.
–		Major General Gene A. Deegan Acting	21 September 1989	26 September 1989	5 days	U.S. Marine Corps	Retired, 1991.
26		Lieutenant General Michael P.C. Carns	27 September 1989	16 May 1991	1 year, 231 days	U.S. Air Force	Promoted to general, 1991.
27		Lieutenant General Henry Viccellio Jr.	17 May 1991	1 December 1992	1 year, 198 days	U.S. Air Force	Promoted to general, 1992.
28		Vice Admiral Richard C. Macke	1 December 1992	17 July 1994	1 year, 228 days	U.S. Navy	Promoted to admiral, 1994.
–		Major General Charles T. Robertson Jr. Acting	18 July 1994	24 July 1994	6 days	U.S. Air Force	Promoted to general, 1998.
29		Lieutenant General Walter Kross	25 July 1994	12 July 1996	1 year, 353 days	U.S. Air Force	Promoted to general, 1996.
–		Major General Carlton W. Fulford Jr. Acting	13 July 1996	13 September 1996	62 days	U.S. Marine Corps	Later appointed as the 32nd director.
30		Vice Admiral Dennis C. Blair	14 September 1996	12 December 1998	2 years, 89 days	U.S. Navy	Promoted to admiral, 1999.
31		Vice Admiral Vern Clark	13 December 1998	26 July 1999	225 days	U.S. Navy	Promoted to admiral, 1999.
32		Lieutenant General Carlton W. Fulford Jr.	27 July 1999	14 July 2000	353 days	U.S. Marine Corps	Promoted to general, 2000.
33		Vice Admiral Scott Fry	15 July 2000	15 October 2001	1 year, 92 days	U.S. Navy	Retired, 2003.
34		Lieutenant General John P. Abizaid	16 October 2001	23 January 2003	1 year, 99 days	U.S. Army	Promoted to general, 2003.
35		Lieutenant General George W. Casey Jr.	24 January 2003	15 October 2003	287 days	U.S. Army	Promoted to general, 2003.
36		Vice Admiral Timothy J. Keating	16 October 2003	20 October 2004	1 year, 4 days	U.S. Navy	Promoted to admiral, 2004.
37		Lieutenant General Norton A. Schwartz	21 October 2004	29 August 2005	312 days	U.S. Air Force	Promoted to general, 2005.
38		Lieutenant General Walter L. Sharp	30 August 2005	22 June 2008	2 years, 326 days	U.S. Army	Promoted to general, 2008.
–		Major General Stephen M. Goldfein Acting	23 June 2008	10 August 2008	48 days	U.S. Air Force	Brother of the 43rd director, David L. Goldfein.
39		Lieutenant General Stanley A. McChrystal	11 August 2008	11 June 2009	304 days	U.S. Army	Promoted to general, 2009.
-		Rear Admiral Bruce E. Grooms Acting	12 June 2009	8 August 2009	57 days	U.S. Navy	Retired, 2015.
40		Lieutenant General Lloyd Austin	9 August 2009	13 July 2010	338 days	U.S. Army	Promoted to general, 2010.
41		Vice Admiral William E. Gortney	14 July 2010	8 August 2012	2 years, 25 days	U.S. Navy	Promoted to admiral, 2012.
42		Lieutenant General Curtis M. Scaparrotti	9 August 2012	11 August 2013	1 year, 2 days	U.S. Army	Promoted to general, 2013.
43		Lieutenant General David L. Goldfein	12 August 2013	31 July 2015	1 year, 353 days	U.S. Air Force	Brother of acting director, Stephen M. Goldfein. Promoted to general, 2015.
44		Lieutenant General William C. Mayville Jr.	1 August 2015	30 July 2017	1 year, 363 days	U.S. Army	Retired, 2018.
45		Lieutenant General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr.	31 July 2017	28 February 2019	1 year, 212 days	U.S. Marine Corps	Promoted to general, 2019.
46		Vice Admiral Michael M. Gilday	1 March 2019	17 July 2019	138 days	U.S. Navy	Promoted to admiral, 2019.
–		Major General Glen D. VanHerck Acting	18 July 2019	26 September 2019	70 days	U.S. Air Force	Promoted to director.
47		Lieutenant General Glen D. VanHerck	27 September 2019	3 August 2020	311 days	U.S. Air Force	Promoted to general, 2020.
–		Rear Admiral William D. Byrne Jr. Acting	3 August 2020	30 September 2020	58 days	U.S. Navy	Vice director of the Joint Staff from September 2019 to May 2021.
48		Lieutenant General Andrew P. Poppas	1 October 2020	2 June 2022	1 year, 244 days	U.S. Army	Promoted to general, 2022.
49		Lieutenant General James J. Mingus	2 June 2022	3 January 2024	1 year, 215 days	U.S. Army	Promoted to general, 2024.
50		Lieutenant General Douglas A. Sims II	3 January 2024	Incumbent	1 year, 221 days	U.S. Army	Served as Director for Operations (J3), the Joint Staff.

See also

• List of active duty United States four-star officers
• List of United States Army four-star generals
• List of United States Marine Corps four-star generals
• List of United States Navy four-star admirals
• List of United States Air Force four-star generals