Joint Chiefs of Staff (Surea)

The Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Surea (朝本民國 綜合幕僚長) is a group of military leaders from each major branch of the armed services in the Republic of Surea Armed Forces who advise the civilian government of the Republic of Surea. It is defined by statute and consists of a Chairman and Vice Chairman appointed by the President, and the Chiefs of service from the four branches of the armed services.

Similar organizations, sometimes known as Chiefs of Staff Committees (COSCs) in the Commonwealth of Nations, are common in other countries.

Unlike his/her United States counterpart, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has Operational Control over all military personnel of the Armed Forces. The National Command Authority runs from the President and the Minister of Defense to the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff and then to Operational Commands of the service branches, bypassing the Headquarters of each service branch. Currently there are two Operational Commands in the Army, three in the Navy, one in the Marine Corps and three in the Air Force.

All (regular) members of the Joint Chiefs of Staffs are 4-star generals and admirals, though the Deputy Chairman in the past has been 3-star Lieutenant-General or Vice-Admiral intermittently. The Commandant of the Republic of Surea Marine Corps, legally subordinate to the Republic of Surea Navy, can attend the Joint Chiefs of Staff meetings when examining the matter pertaining to the Marine Corps.

Chairman
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is, by law, the highest ranking military officer of the Republic of Surea Armed Forces, and the principal military adviser to the President of Surea. He leads the meetings and coordinates the efforts of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, comprising the Chairman, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the Chief of Naval Operations, and the Commandant of the Marine Corps. The Joint Chiefs of Staff have offices in The Octagon. The Chairman outranks all respective heads of each service branch and is the only one amongst the Joint Chiefs of Staff to have operational control. All combatant commanders receive operational orders directly from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Vice Chairman
The Vice Chairman is a four-star-general or admiral and, by law, is the second highest ranking member of the ROS Armed Forces (after the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff). In the absence of the Chairman, the Vice Chairman presides over the meetings of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He may also perform such duties as the Chairman may prescribe. It was not until 2002 that the position was made a full voting member of the JCS.

Director of the Joint Staff
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is assisted by the Director of the Joint Staff, a three-star officer who assists the Chairman with the management of the Joint Staff, an organization composed of approximately equal numbers of officers contributed by the Army, the Navy and Marine Corps, and the Air Force, who have been assigned to assist the Chairman with the unified strategic direction, operation, and integration of the combatant land, naval, and air forces.

Directorates of the Joint Staff
The Joint Chiefs of Staff organization includes the following departments where all the Joint Staff's planning, policies, intelligence, manpower, communications and logistics functions are translated into action.
 * DOM - Directorate of Management
 * D1 - Personnel and Manpower
 * D2 - Intelligence
 * D3 - Operations
 * D4 - Logistics
 * D5 - Strategic Plans and Policy
 * D6 - Command, Control, Communications and Computer Systems
 * D7 - Operational Plans and Joint Force Development
 * D8 - Force Structure, Resources, and Assessment