U.S. Department of Defense

U.S. Department of Defense, executive division of the U.S. federal government responsible for ensuring national security and supervising U.S. military forces. Based in the Pentagon, it includes the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the departments of the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Air Force, and numerous defense agencies and allied services. It was formed in 1947 by an act of Congress (amended 1949) combining the War and Navy Departments.