Joseph Dunford

Joseph Francis Dunford, Jr. (born December 8, 1955) is a United States Marine Corps general. He is currently the 19th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was also the 36th Commandant of the Marine Corps. Earlier in his career, Dunford served as commander of the International Security Assistance Force and United States Forces-Afghanistan from February 2013 until August 2014. He has commanded several units, including the 5th Marine Regiment during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. On July 29, 2015, Dunford was confirmed by the Senate to be the 19th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Dunford became the highest-ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces on October 1, 2015.

Early life and education

Dunford was born in Boston in 1955, and raised in Quincy, Massachusetts. He is of Irish background and has been described as a "fervent Catholic." He graduated from Boston College High School in 1973 and from Saint Michael's College in June 1977. He earned his commission the month of his college graduation. He is a graduate of the United States Army War College, Ranger School and the Amphibious Warfare School. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Government from Georgetown University and a second Master of Arts in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Dunford, South Yorkshire

Dunford is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, 14.5 miles (23.3 km) northwest of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Peak District and within the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley. The parish is centred on Dunford Bridge to the west and Lower Cumberworth to the east with Crow Edge virtually central between them.

The parish includes several other villages and hamlets such as Carlecotes and Flouch. There are several important water sources, such as the Broadstone, Dunford Bridge, Harden, Ingbirchworth, Royd Moor, Scout Dyke, Snailsden and the Upper and Lower Windleden Reservoirs in the parish that are sourced from the surrounding moorland by Yorkshire Water.

History

The parish was formed in 1938 from parts of the urban districts of Holme, Newmill (Fulstone Hepworth, Scholes) and Thurlstone.

Before the Local Government Act 1972, when South Yorkshire was formed, the parish was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of 627.

Joint Chiefs of Staff

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President of the United States on military matters. The composition of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is defined by statute and consists of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VCJCS), and the Military Service Chiefs from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, all appointed by the President following Senate confirmation. Each of the individual Military Service Chiefs, outside of their Joint Chiefs of Staff obligations, works directly for the Secretary of the Military Department concerned, i.e., Secretary of the Army, Secretary of the Navy, and the Secretary of the Air Force.

Following the Goldwater–Nichols Act in 1986, the Joint Chiefs of Staff do not have operational command authority, neither individually nor collectively, as the chain of command goes from the President to the Secretary of Defense, and from the Secretary of Defense to the Commanders of the Combatant Commands. Goldwater–Nichols also created the office of Vice Chairman, and the Chairman is now designated as the principal military adviser to the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and to the President.