On August 16, 1949, Army Gen. Omar N. Bradley was sworn in as the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by then Secretary of Defense Louis A. Johnson in Washington, D.C. This followed an amendment to the National Security Act, signed by President Harry Truman Aug. 10, 1949, which officially created the position of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to help provide unified direction of the services following World War II to address the growing nuclear Soviet threat.

Transcript

Defense Secretary Louis Johnson: I’m one of those who agreed with the boys of the ranks that you were the GI’s general. And now that we have unification, there’s no more important task than the commander that comes in to be the first chairman, permanently, of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Gen. Omar Bradley: I believe that by having a chairman, we can greatly improve the efficiency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and our strategic planning and other duties with which we’re charged. I must admit that I take this position with somewhat mixed feeling, because, in a way, it takes me away from the men and women of the Army who’ve been so loyal and helpful to me in carrying out my duties, not only as chief of staff, but in the years gone by.