Who chairs the Armed Forces Policy Council?

• A. The Deputy Secretary of Defense
• B. The Secretary of Defense
• C. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
• D. The Secretary of the Army

Answer: (B)

The chair of the Armed Forces Policy Council is the Secretary of Defense. This position represents the civilian leadership responsible for defense policy across all services, guiding the council’s agenda and approving policy recommendations for the entire Department of Defense. The Deputy Secretary would support but not chair; the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff serves as the senior military adviser and typically leads military planning bodies rather than this inter-service policy council; the Secretary of the Army governs only the Army and does not chair a DoD-wide policy body.