The shape of the modern American military was cast on this date 65 years ago when President Truman signed the National Security Act. The Department of War was renamed the Department of Defense, and the secretaries of the Army and Navy were moved from the President’s cabinet and placed under the Secretary of Defense. The same act created the U.S. Air Force, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the CIA, and the National Security Council. Known simply as “DOD,” the defense department is one of the largest organizations in the world, with some 773,000 civilian employees. In addition, there are just over 1.4 million military personnel on active duty in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. Profile America is in its 16th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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