This volume, the first of a series by the Historical Office of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, affirms the importance of capturing and preserving the historical record in published works. It is a collection of documents with a single theme—the establishment and development of the organization of the Department of Defense. This reference collection contains source materials that will be useful to scholars, officials of government, reporters of current affairs, and others. It may also afford insights into the evolution of a large and complex department of government. Most important of all, the presentation of these documents in a single volume will serve well the broader purpose of informing the public about the operation of government.

In this volume are gathered the basic statutes, Executive orders, and related documents that constitute the official authentication of the creation and organization of the Department of Defense since its establishment in 1947. These documents fall into two main categories. First and foremost are those pertaining to the fundamental instrument creating the Department of Defense—the National Security Act of 1947—together with all of the significant changes in that act in the years following. The second category (Part VI of this volume) consists of documents—executive rather than legislative—which pertain to the roles and missions of the armed Services. These are essential to an understanding of the evolution of the organizations and functions of the armed Services in relation to each other and to the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

As is inevitable in such compilations, it has been necessary to be selective and discriminating in the choice of documents. The guiding principle was to restrict the choices to the highest levels of organization and function. Accordingly, documents pertaining to internal changes within the military Services and the Office of the Secretary of Defense are included only if their significance extends beyond a single Service. Pertinent history of the legislative and executive branch documents appears in headnotes, together with citations to additional sources. The organization charts presented have been altered from their original form to correct errors, clarify content, and improve readability.

The texts of the National Security Act of 1947 and the later amendments are published as found in the Statutes at Large; however, many of the provisions of these laws were subsequently repealed and reenacted without substantive change as sections of Title 10, U.S. Code. This codification of the laws relating to the Department of Defense and the military Services was undertaken as part of a broader program to codify all the general and permanent laws of the United States. The U.S. Code serves as legal evidence and makes unnecessary recourse to the numerous volumes of the Statutes at Large; it also was designed to eliminate the contradictions, duplications, ambiguities, obscurities, and obsolete provisions of the many laws enacted by successive Congresses.]]> Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:05:57 +0000 es Copyright 202 6BiblioEteca Technologies SL