About OUSD(C)
OUSD(C) History
A Brief History of the Comptroller's Office
Seals for the War Department, and the Department of the Navy
Shortly after World War II ended, the U.S. Government took steps to reorganize and consolidate national security. President Truman summarized the need in a message to Congress in December, 1945. He wrote, "Technological developments have made the Armed Services much more dependent upon each other than ever before. The boundaries that once separated the Army's battlefield from the Navy's battlefield have been virtually erased…. True preparedness now means preparedness not alone in armaments and numbers of men, but preparedness in organization also." |
President Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947 and reorganized military forces by merging the Department of War and the Department of the Navy into the National Military Establishment (later the Department of Defense) and creating the U.S. Air Force. The act also created the CIA and the National Security Council.
Signing of the National Security Act of 1947 James V. Forrestal |
In 1949, this arrangement was codified by the legislation that created the Department of Defense. Title IV of the amended National Security Act of 1947 (Public Law 216, 81st Congress) provided for three Assistant Secretaries, one of whom was designated as Comptroller of the Department. Section 401 of the law specified that the Comptroller would be responsible for advising the Secretary on budgetary and fiscal matters, for developing and executing the Defense budget, and for overseeing financial management across the Department. |
Over the years, as the Department changed and developed in response to new threats and new technology, the Comptroller's role and title evolved as well. In 1986, the Department of Defense Reorganization Act (popularly known as "Goldwater-Nichols") changed the title of the position to Department of Defense Comptroller, with the status of an assistant secretary, but without that title. The position was upgraded to Under Secretary by the National Defense Authorization Act of 1995. Two other developments marked major milestones in the development of the Comptroller's office: |
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Assistant Secretary of Defense Robert Anthony | ASD Borsting interviewed by the media | ASD John Hamre conducts a Pentagon press conference | USD(C) Zakheim hosts Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs for the UAE |
In the six decades of their existence, the Department of Defense and the Office of Under Secretary (Comptroller) have developed and changed. Today, in addition to managing the development and execution of the Defense budget, there is renewed emphasis on improving financial management across the Department to ensure that taxpayer resources are managed wisely and efficiently. The bottom line, as always, is to ensure that the U.S. military has the resources needed to protect and defend the United States, its interests, and its people. |
Assistant Secretary of Defense |
On 24 March 2010 the Honorable Robert F. Hale was the speaker for this month's Developing FM Leaders for the 21st Century (DFML21) open forum. |
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[1] First Report of the Secretary of Defense, 1948, p. 30.