The CJCS furnishes recommendations and views to which three entities?

• A. The President, National Security Council, and Secretary of Defense
• B. The Congress
• C. The Joint Chiefs of Staff
• D. The Supreme Court

Answer: (A)

The main concept is that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff serves as the senior military advisor to civilian leadership and provides recommendations and views to those who direct national security policy. The CJCS communicates directly with the President, the National Security Council, and the Secretary of Defense to help shape strategic decisions with military perspective, options, and assessments. The President sets policy, the NSC coordinates national security strategy, and the Secretary of Defense oversees the armed forces; the CJCS furnishes the military input they need to decide on courses of action. Congress or the Supreme Court aren’t the routine recipients of this military advice, and the CJCS as an office isn’t issuing recommendations to the Joint Chiefs of Staff itself in this context. So the three entities are the President, the National Security Council, and the Secretary of Defense.