United States Secretary of Defense to die was Frank Carlucci (1987–1989), on 3 June 2018. United States Secretary of Defense The Secretary of Defense (SecDef) is the leader and chief executive officer of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the Armed Forces of the United States. The Secretary of Defense's position of command and authority over the United States' military is second only to that of the President and Congress, respectively. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in many other countries. The Secretary of Defense is appointed by the President with the advice and consent
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs completely on January 31, 1961, and for the remainder of the decade, all of its functions were vested in the "Assistant Secretary of Defense (Manpower)". However, Congress authorized a permanent assistant secretary position for health affairs in November 1969 (P.L. 91-121). The post was then re-established as "Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health and Environment)" in June 1970 by Defense Directive 5136.1. In January 1976, the position was re-designated "Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs)", a title that has endured to the present day. The ASD(HA) is responsible for a number of organizations which directly affect the health care of service