The presidential cabinet has several secretaries who aid the president in foreign affairs. This includes the secretary of state and the secretary of defense.
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, which is concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence. The current Secretary of State is John Kerry, the 68th person to hold the post. The specific duties of the Secretary of State include:
- Organizes and supervises the entire United States Department of State and the United States Foreign Service.
- Advises the President on matters relating to U.S. foreign policy, including the appointment of diplomatic representatives to other nations, and on the acceptance or dismissal of representatives from other nations.
- Participates in high-level negotiations with other countries, either bilaterally or as part of an international conference or organization, or appoints representatives to do so. This includes the negotiation of international treaties and other agreements.
- Responsible for overall direction, coordination, and supervision of interdepartmental activities of the U.S. Government overseas.
- Provides information and services to U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad. Also provides credentials in the form of passports and visas.
- Supervises the United States immigration policy at home and abroad.
- Communicates issues relating the United States foreign policy to Congress and U.S. citizens.
Most of the domestic functions of the Department of State have been transferred to other agencies. Those that remain include storage and use of the Great Seal of the United States, performance of protocol functions for the White House, and the drafting of certain proclamations. The Secretary also negotiates with the individual states over the extradition of fugitives to foreign countries. Under Federal Law, the resignation of a President or of a Vice-President is only valid if declared in writing in an instrument delivered to the office of the Secretary of State. Accordingly, the resignations of President Nixon and of Vice-President Spiro Agnew, domestic issues, were formalized in instruments delivered to the Secretary of State.
As the highest-ranking member of the cabinet, the Secretary of State is the third-highest official of the executive branch of the Federal Government of the United States, after the President and Vice President. The Secretary of State is fourth in line to succeed the Presidency, coming after the Vice President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. Six Secretaries of State have gone on to be elected President.
As the head of the United States Foreign Service, the Secretary of State is responsible for managing the diplomatic service of the United States. The foreign service employs about 12,000 people domestically and internationally. It supports 265 United States Diplomatic missions around the world, including ambassadors to various nations.
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense, which is an Executive Department of the Government of the United States of America . This position corresponds to what is generally known as a defense Minister in many other countries. The Secretary of Defense is appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the senate. The individual is by custom a member of the cabinet and by law a member of the National Security Council.
Flag of the Secretary of Defense
The flag of the secretary of defense.
Secretary of Defense is a statutory office. It is the general provision in administrative law that provides that the Secretary of Defense has "authority, direction and control over the Department of Defense. " The Secretary of Defense is further designated by the same statute as "the principal assistant to the President in all matters relating to the Department of Defense. " Ensuring civilian control of the military, an individual may not be appointed as Secretary of Defense within seven years after relief from active duty as a commissioned officer of a regular (i.e., non-reserve) component of an armed force.
The Secretary of Defense is in the chain of command and exercises command and control, subject only to the orders of the President, over all Department of Defense forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps) for both operational and administrative purposes. Only the Secretary of Defense (or the President) can authorize the transfer of operational control of forces between the three Military Departments and between the combatant commands. Because the Office of Secretary of Defense is vested with legal powers which exceeds those of any commissioned officer, and is second only to the Office of President in the military hierarchy, it has sometimes unofficially been referred to as a de facto "deputy commander-in-chief. " The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the principal military adviser to the Secretary of Defense and the President. While the Chairman may assist the Secretary and President in their command functions, the Chairman is not in the chain of command.