制度缘起背景二次大战以前，美国国防架构仅有分立平行之陆、海军两部，上层尚无国防部及相关组织设计。珍珠港事变促使美国参战决心，是时考虑联盟作战各参战国军事决策连系协调作业之实际需要，特别参考英国军事首长会议架构，成立参谋首长联席会议组织与建立联参本部雏形架构；迄今五十余年间，历经数次重大战争军事决策效能检验，导致前后四次大幅修订相关律法及实施多次组织改造方案，方演进成为现行较周延实用之联席会议机制。一九四九年于第二次修法时，正式设立联席会议**一职，专职主持议事，协调意见。现行体制法定会议成员包括**、副**、陆军参谋长、空军参谋长、海军军令部长及陆战队司令等六人组成（均为四星上将军阶）。联席会议成立目的：初始设计目的系将联席会议定位为军事顾问咨询委员会性质，主要功能在负责提供总统（三军统帅）、国家安全会议及国防部长三首长对重大军事决策之建议与咨询角色，不具任何决策职能；联席会议亦仅为合议协商机制之设计，联席会议**亦未赋予任何法定裁量权限，通常因成员间之军种主见或立场差异，不易形成共识，议事功能有限。现今之联席会议制度主要功能仍定位为总统、国安会及部长三者之军事咨询顾问团角色，惟已调整修正**及成员部分职掌，联参**改为首席军事顾问，赋予较高主导裁量权限，其它成员则定位为军事顾问，如与联参**意见不同，依法则须将不同意见并案呈上级裁量，以确保建议决策之周延合理。联席会议依法必须定期召开，通常至少每两周实施一次。会议研讨事项：联席会议系总统及国安会之军事咨询顾问机制，重大国家安全事务决策中针对有关军事武力运用及其它军事专业知识领域提供具体建议，联席会议如对国家安全议题，其研讨事项则以相关重大决策中之军事事务建言为主，会议结论提供总统或国安会有关决策参考。联席会议亦为国防部长之军事事务咨询顾问团，故相关国防建军备战重大议题，军种间重大争议，均可于该会议中研讨，形成共识决议后，再呈报部长决策参考，该会议并无任何决策功能。联席会议研讨议题，通常由联席会议**订定，会议成员亦可建议军种关切主题或议题，经**裁定后纳入研讨，议题性质通常以建军发展或军种间重大协商议题为主，诸如军事战略规划、作战思想发展、编装制订、战备训练与后勤支持等军事事务为主。有关国防资源之分配、投资建案之决策，均属文人国防部长及军种文人部长之权责，通常非联席会议关切及研讨事项。美联参本部对投资建案建立另一套审查评估机制，由副**主持，其结论建议呈文职副部长裁决。联参会议为最高军事首长之横向协商机制，联席会议**及军种参谋长以下尚设立多层次联参本部与军种总部间横向协调机制，例如副**与军种副参谋长之会议协商机制，联参本部参谋主任及各军种总部参谋主任之会议协商机制，联参本部各联参次长与军种总部署长之会议协商机制等；军种间之争议，通常经此一绵密的横向协商机制，军种争议得以逐级妥协化解，联参与军种间之重大争议议题方可能列入联席会议研讨。联参会议结论之处理：联席会议因定位为军事顾问咨询角色，本身无决策功能，其会议结论仅提供总统、国安会及部长决策参考。一九八六年国防组织法通过后，联席会议**依法赋予主导议事地位，讨论议题经协商或妥协后，成员或可有不同意见陈述，但联席会议**之意见，仍为上级决策参考之主要依据。此一机制经波湾战争历练，运作良好，该制度之运作日趋成熟，现已较不具争议。国防政策（军种政策）及国防资源之分配为文人部长（含军种文人部长）之主要职掌权限，不论联席会议**或军种参谋长仅具决策建议权，决策仍归部长裁夺。其它战略规划、作战思想研发、编装制订、战备训练与后勤支持等军事专业领域，联席会议仍有较大发言与裁决空间。联参首长之权责：依美国国防法（US Code 10）详列参谋首长联席会议**法定职掌总共五十四项，其中重要职掌列举如后：1. 建议并协助部长参与制定国家安全目标、政策与军事任务分配。2. 建议并协助总统及部长策定用兵战略指导。3. 策订战略与相关计划作为。4. 建议并协助部长策定兵力规划与资源分配作为。5. 评估三军部队作战能力与执行任务能力，建议国防资源分配与提出专业意见。依前述职掌可明确解读参谋首长联席会议**定位于幕僚功能角色，建议并协助部长推动建军规划及战略指导，达成国防安全使命。兵力规划与建军权责定位：依美国防组织架构设计理念，兵力规划与建军权责，均属国防部长权责，应无疑义，由部本部主管政策之副部长办公室主导规划，联参本部以军事专业角度，提供支持与协助，双方必须密切协调分工合作，军文专业相辅相乘，真正在充分尊重军事专业之基础上，发挥**政府文人领军之法治精神。有关建军规划事务，部本部与联参本部均设计职掌性质相仿之组织部门，在部本部而言，以政策制订与整体规划为主，联参本部则以协助政策规划及执行政策及指导为主，两者各发挥所长，合力打造世界第一流之劲旅。以军事战略规划为例，部本部设战略办公室，由副助理部长主持，负责制定国防政策及指导军事战略规划方向，联参本部联五部门中亦另设战略规划部门，负责协助部本部制订相关战略指导工作，并协助策订军事战略计划作为。

英文资料

The Joint Chiefs of Staff consist of the Chairman, the Vice Chairman, the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and the Commandant of the Marine Corps. The collective body of the JCS is headed by the Chairman (or the Vice Chairman in the Chairman's absence), who sets the agenda and presides over JCS meetings. Responsibilities as members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff take precedence over duties as the Chiefs of Military Services. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the principal military adviser to the President, Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council (NSC), however, all JCS members are by law military advisers, and they may respond to a request or voluntarily submit, through the Chairman, advice or opinions to the President, the Secretary of Defense, or NSC. The executive authority of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has changed. In World War II, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff acted as executive agents in dealing with theater and area commanders, but the original National Security Act of 1947 saw the Joint Chiefs of Staff as planners and advisers, not as commanders of combatant commands. In spite of this, the 1948 Key West Agreement allowed members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to serve as executive agents for unified commands, a responsibility that allowed the executive agent to originate direct communication with the combatant command. Congress abolished this authority in a 1953 amendment to the National Security Act. Today, the Joint Chiefs of Staff have no executive authority to command combatant forces. The issue of executive authority was clearly resolved by the Goldwater-Nichols DOD Reorganization Act of 1986: "The Secretaries of the Military Departments shall assign all forces under their jurisdiction to unified and specified combatant commands to perform missions assigned to those commands..."; the chain of command "runs from the President to the Secretary of Defense; and from the Secretary of Defense to the commander of the combatant command."

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS)　The Goldwater-Nichols DOD Reorganization Act of 1986 identifies the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the senior ranking member of the Armed Forces. As such, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the principal military adviser to the President. He may seek the advice of and consult with the other JCS members and combatant commanders. When he presents his advice, he presents the range of advice and opinions he has received, along with any individual comments of the other JCS members.

Under the DOD Reorganization Act, the Secretaries of the Military Departments assign all forces to combatant commands except those assigned to carry out the mission of the Services, i.e., recruit, organize, supply, equip, train, service, mobilize, demobilize, administer and maintain their respective forces. The chain of command to these combatant commands runs from the President to the Secretary of Defense directly to the commander of the combatant command. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff may transmit communications to the commanders of the combatant commands from the President and Secretary of Defense but does not exercise military command over any combatant forces.

The Act also gives to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff some of the functions and responsibilities previously assigned to the corporate body of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The broad functions of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are set forth in Title 10, United States Code, and detailed in DOD Directive 5100.1. In carrying out his duties, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff consults with and seeks the advice of the other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the combatant commanders, as he considers appropriate.Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff　The DOD Reorganization Act of 1986 created the position of Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who performs such duties as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff may prescribe. By law, he is the second ranking member of the Armed Forces and replaces the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in his absence or disability. Though the Vice Chairman was not originally included as a member of the JCS, Section 911 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 1992 made him a full voting member of the JCS.

Assistant to The Chairman

This three-star oversees matters requiring close personal control by the Chairman with particular focus on international relations and politico-military concerns.

Assistants to the Chairman for National Guard and Reserve matters　These two major generals are the Chairman's subject matter experts concerning Reserve Component issues and as such provide advice and work initiatives to insure that the National Guard and Reserve effectively support the National Military Strategy.

Military Service Chiefs

The military Service Chiefs are often said to "wear two hats." As members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, they offer advice to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the NSC. As the chiefs of the Military Services, they are responsible to the Secretaries of their Military Departments for management of the Services. The Service Chiefs serve for 4 years. By custom, the Vice Chiefs of the Services act for their chiefs in most matters having to do with day-to-day operation of the Services. The duties of the Service Chiefs as members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff take precedence over all their other duties.

The Joint Staff

The Joint Staff assists the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in accomplishing his responsibilities for: the unified strategic direction of the combatant forces; their operation under unified command; and for their integration into an efficient team of land, naval, and air forces. The "Joint Staff" is composed of approximately equal numbers of officers from the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, and Air Force. In practice, the Marines make up about 20 percent of the number allocated to the Navy.

Since its establishment in 1947, statute has prohibited the Joint Staff from operating or organizing as an overall armed forces general staff; therefore, the Joint Staff has no executive authority over combatant forces.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, after consultation with other JCS members and with the approval of the Secretary of Defense, selects theDirector, Joint Staff, to assist in managing the Joint Staff. By law, the direction of the Joint Staff rests exclusively with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As the Chairman directs, the Joint Staff also may assist the other JCS members in carrying out their responsibilities.

In the joint arena, a body of senior flag or general officers assists in resolving matters that do not require JCS attention. Each Service Chief appoints an operations deputy who works with the Director, Joint Staff, to form the subsidiary body known as the Operations Deputies or the OPSDEPS. They meet in sessions chaired by the Director, Joint Staff, to consider issues of lesser importance or to review major issues before they reach the Joint Chiefs of Staff. With the exception of the Director, this body is not part of the Joint Staff. There is also a subsidiary body known as the Deputy Operations Deputies (DEPOPSDEPs), composed of the Vice Director, Joint Staff, and a two-star flag or general officer appointed by each Service Chief. Currently, the DEPOPSDEPs are the Service directors for plans. Issues come before the DEPOPSDEPs to be settled at their level or forwarded to the OPSDEPS. Except for the Vice Director, Joint Staff, the DEPOPSDEPs are not part of the Joint Staff.

Matters come before these bodies under policies prescribed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Director, Joint Staff, is authorized to review and approve issues when there is no dispute between the Services, when the issue does not warrant JCS attention, when the proposed action is in conformance with CJCS policy, or when the issue has not been raised by a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Actions completed by either the OPSDEPs or DEPOPSDEPs will have the same effect as actions by the Joint Chiefs of Staff.