Director of the Joint Staff

Director of the Joint Staff
Incumbent LTG William C. Mayville, Jr., USA since August 2015
Formation	19 September 1949
First holder	MG Alfred M. Gruenther, USA
Website	Official Website

The Director of the Joint Staff (DJS) is a three-star officer (the first two were two-star) who assists the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with the management of the Joint Staff, an organization composed of approximately equal numbers of officers contributed by the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and National Guard Bureau. The Joint Staff are assigned to assist the Chairman with the unified strategic direction, operation, and integration of the combatant land, naval, and air forces. The Director also chairs meetings of the Operations Deputies, a subsidiary body comprising the Director and a three-star delegate from each service who preview or resolve issues before they are escalated to the four-star level of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The Director of the Joint Staff is selected by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in consultation with the other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and subject to the approval of the Secretary of Defense. As with all three- and four-star positions, the Director's appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.

The position of Director is considered one of the most desirable billets in the United States military establishment, for the position has historically served as a stepping stone to a four-star billet. As of February 2016, 34 of the 43 past Directors and 7 past short term acting Directors (all "acting" were two-star) have been promoted to four-star rank, including a former Director promoted to that rank upon retirement from active duty. Many of these have been promoted to four-star rank within a year of leaving the position of Director of the Joint Staff.

The current Director of the Joint Staff is Lieutenant General William C. Mayville, Jr., U.S. Army.