The Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is, by U.S. law, the second highest-ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces, ranking just below the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The vice chairman outranks all respective heads of each service branch, with the exception of the chairman, but does not have operational command authority over their service branches. The Goldwater–Nichols Act of 1986 created the position of VJCS to assist the chairman in exercising his or her duties. In the absence of the chairman, the vice chairman presides over the meetings of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and all other duties prescribed under and may also perform other duties that the president, the chairman, or the secretary of defense prescribes.c
Responsibilities
Although the office of Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is considered to be very important and highly prestigious, neither the vice chairman nor the Joint Chiefs of Staff as a body have any command authority over combatant forces. The chain of command runs from the -resident to the secretary of defense directly to the commanders of the Unified Combatant Commands.. The vice chairman's primary duties include: "overseeing joint military requirements, representing the military in National Security Council deputies meetings, and performing other duties as directed by the chairman." As of 2 February 2019, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has been appointed as the senior designated official for the Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations Cross Functional Team.. The appointment, pursuant to Section 1053 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, requires the vice chairman to "oversee the cross-functional team...and serve as an ex-officio member of the Electronic Warfare Executive Committee."
Appointment and term limitations
The vice chairman is nominated by the president for appointment and must be confirmed via majority vote by the Senate. The chairman and vice chairman may not be members of the same armed force service branch. However, the president may waive that restriction for a limited period of time in order to provide for the orderly transition of officers appointed to serve in those positions. The vice chairman serves a two-year term of officeat the pleasure of the president, but can be reappointed to serve two additional terms for a total of six years In case of times of war or national emergency, there is no limit to how many times an officer can be reappointed to serve as Vice Chairman. Historically, the vice chairman has served two terms. By statute, the vice chairman is appointed as a four-stargeneral or admiral.
Upcoming changes
Beginning January 1, 2021, the vice chairman's statutory term length will increase from two years to a single four-year term and cannot be reappointed unless in times of war or national emergency. The vice chairman will begin assuming office on October 1 of every odd-number year, except the assumption of that term may not begin in the same year as the term of the chairman. The vice chairman will not be eligible for appointment to chairman or appointment to any other four-star position unless the president determines such appointment is necessary under national interest.
The positional color of the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is white with a diagonal medium blue strip from upper hoist to lower fly. Centered on the flag is an American bald eagle with wings spread horizontally, in proper colors. The talons grasp three crossed arrows. A shield with blue chief and thirteen red and white stripes is on the eagle's breast. Diagonally, from upper fly to lower hoist are four five-pointed stars, medium blue on the white, two above the eagle, and two below. The fringe is yellow; the cord and tassels are medium blue and white. The design was approved by Secretary of DefenseCaspar Weinberger on 20 January 1987.
