Who are the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff?

• A. Chairman, Vice Chairman, Chiefs of Staff from each military branch, and the Chief of the National Guard Bureau.
• B. The commanders of all combatant commands.
• C. The Secretaries of Defense and the Joint Chiefs.
• D. The presidents of the uniformed services associations.

Answer: (A)

The group that makes up the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the senior uniformed leaders who provide military advice to the President and the Secretary of Defense. It includes the Chairman and Vice Chairman, the Chiefs of Staff of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, and the Chief of the National Guard Bureau. This lineup ensures that each service has a voice in high-level advising, while actual combatant command authority remains with the unified commanders and the Secretary of Defense. The other options describe roles or groups that aren’t formal members of the Joint Chiefs, such as combatant command commanders, the Secretary of Defense itself, or presidents of service associations.