No. |
Director |
Term |
Service branch |
Notes |
Portrait |
Name |
Took office |
Left office |
Term length |
1 | | Major General Alfred M. Gruenther | 17 September 1947 | 19 September 1949 | 2 years, 2 days | U.S. Army | Promoted to general, 1951. |
2 | | Rear Admiral Arthur C. Davis | 20 September 1949 | 1 November 1951 | 2 years, 42 days | U.S. Navy | Promoted to admiral on retirement, 1955. |
3 | | Lieutenant General Charles P. Cabell | 2 November 1951 | 23 April 1953 | 1 year, 172 days | U.S. Air Force | Promoted to general, 1958. |
4 | | Lieutenant General Frank F. Everest | 24 April 1953 | 18 March 1954 | 328 days | U.S. Air Force | Promoted to general, 1957. |
5 | | Lieutenant General Lemuel Mathewson | 19 March 1954 | 14 March 1956 | 1 year, 361 days | U.S. Army | Retired, 1958. |
6 | | Vice Admiral Bernard L. Austin | 15 March 1956 | 31 March 1958 | 2 years, 16 days | U.S. Navy | Retired, 1968. |
7 | | Lieutenant General Oliver S. Picher | 1 April 1958 | 31 March 1960 | 1 year, 365 days | U.S. Air Force | Retired, 1960. |
8 | | Lieutenant General Earle Wheeler | 1 April 1960 | 24 February 1962 | 1 year, 329 days | U.S. Army | Promoted to general, 1962. |
9 | | Vice Admiral Herbert D. Riley | 25 February 1962 | 23 February 1964 | 1 year, 363 days | U.S. Navy | Retired, 1964. |
10 | | Lieutenant General David A. Burchinal | 24 February 1964 | 31 July 1966 | 2 years, 157 days | U.S. Air Force | Promoted to general, 1966. |
11 | | Lieutenant General Andrew J. Goodpaster | 1 August 1966 | 31 March 1967 | 242 days | U.S. Army | Promoted to general, 1968. |
12 | | Lieutenant General Berton E. Spivy | 1 April 1967 | 31 July 1968 | 1 year, 121 days | U.S. Army | Promoted to general, 1968. |
13 | | Vice Admiral Nels C. Johnson | 1 August 1968 | 19 July 1970 | 1 year, 352 days | U.S. Navy | Retired, 1970. |
14 | | Lieutenant General John W. Vogt | 20 July 1970 | 7 April 1972 | 1 year, 262 days | U.S. Air Force | Promoted to general, 1972. |
– | | Rear Admiral Mason B. Freeman Acting | 8 April 1972 | 11 June 1972 | 64 days | U.S. Navy | Retired, 1979. |
15 | | Lieutenant General George M. Seignious II | 12 June 1972 | 31 May 1974 | 1 year, 353 days | U.S. Army | Retired, 1974. |
16 | | Vice Admiral Harry D. Train II | 1 June 1974 | 30 June 1976 | 2 years, 29 days | U.S. Navy | Promoted to admiral, 1978. |
17 | | Lieutenant General Ray B. Sitton | 1 July 1976 | 30 June 1977 | 364 days | U.S. Air Force | Retired, 1977. |
18 | | Vice Admiral Patrick J. Hannifin | 1 July 1977 | 20 June 1978 | 354 days | U.S. Navy | Retired, 1978. |
– | | Major General John A. Wickham Jr. Acting | 1 July 1978 | 21 August 1978 | 51 days | U.S. Army | Appointed as 19th director. |
19 | | Lieutenant General John A. Wickham Jr. | 22 August 1978 | 22 June 1979 | 304 days | U.S. Army | Promoted to general, 1979. |
20 | | Vice Admiral C. Thor Hanson | 22 June 1979 | 30 June 1981 | 2 years, 8 days | U.S. Navy | Retired, 1982. |
21 | | Lieutenant General James E. Dalton | 1 July 1981 | 30 June 1983 | 1 year, 364 days | U.S. Air Force | Promoted to general, 1983. |
22 | | Lieutenant General Jack N. Merritt | 1 July 1983 | 30 June 1985 | 1 year, 364 days | U.S. Army | Promoted to general, 1985. |
23 | | Vice Admiral Powell F. Carter Jr. | 1 July 1985 | 14 August 1987 | 2 years, 44 days | U.S. Navy | Promoted to admiral, 1987. |
24 | | Lieutenant General Robert W. RisCassi | 15 August 1987 | 30 November 1988 | 1 year, 107 days | U.S. Army | Promoted to general, 1988. |
25 | | Lieutenant General Hansford T. Johnson | 1 December 1988 | 20 September 1989 | 293 days | U.S. Air Force | Promoted to general, 1989. |
– | | Major General Gene A. Deegan Acting | 21 September 1989 | 26 September 1989 | 5 days | U.S. Marine Corps | Retired, 1991. |
26 | | Lieutenant General Michael P.C. Carns | 27 September 1989 | 16 May 1991 | 1 year, 231 days | U.S. Air Force | Promoted to general, 1991. |
27 | | Lieutenant General Henry Viccellio Jr. | 17 May 1991 | 1 December 1992 | 1 year, 198 days | U.S. Air Force | Promoted to general, 1992. |
28 | | Vice Admiral Richard C. Macke | 1 December 1992 | 17 July 1994 | 1 year, 228 days | U.S. Navy | Promoted to admiral, 1994. |
– | | Major General Charles T. Robertson Jr. Acting | 18 July 1994 | 24 July 1994 | 6 days | U.S. Air Force | Promoted to general, 1998. |
29 | | Lieutenant General Walter Kross | 25 July 1994 | 12 July 1996 | 1 year, 353 days | U.S. Air Force | Promoted to general, 1996. |
– | | Major General Carlton W. Fulford Jr. Acting | 13 July 1996 | 13 September 1996 | 62 days | U.S. Marine Corps | Retired, 2002. |
30 | | Vice Admiral Dennis C. Blair | 14 September 1996 | 12 December 1998 | 2 years, 89 days | U.S. Navy | Promoted to admiral, 1999. |
31 | | Vice Admiral Vern Clark | 13 December 1998 | 26 July 1999 | 225 days | U.S. Navy | Promoted to admiral, 1999. |
32 | | Lieutenant General Carlton W. Fulford Jr. | 27 July 1999 | 14 July 2000 | 353 days | U.S. Marine Corps | Promoted to general, 2000. |
33 | | Vice Admiral Scott Fry | 15 July 2000 | 15 October 2001 | 1 year, 92 days | U.S. Navy | Retired, 2003. |
34 | | Lieutenant General John P. Abizaid | 16 October 2001 | 23 January 2003 | 1 year, 99 days | U.S. Army | Promoted to general, 2003. |
35 | | Lieutenant General George W. Casey Jr. | 24 January 2003 | 15 October 2003 | 287 days | U.S. Army | Promoted to general, 2003. |
36 | | Vice Admiral Timothy J. Keating | 16 October 2003 | 20 October 2004 | 1 year, 4 days | U.S. Navy | Promoted to admiral, 2004. |
37 | | Lieutenant General Norton A. Schwartz | 21 October 2004 | 29 August 2005 | 312 days | U.S. Air Force | Promoted to general, 2005. |
38 | | Lieutenant General Walter L. Sharp | 30 August 2005 | 22 June 2008 | 2 years, 326 days | U.S. Army | Promoted to general, 2008. |
– | | Major General Stephen M. Goldfein Acting | 23 June 2008 | 10 August 2008 | 48 days | U.S. Air Force | Brother of the 43rd director, David L. Goldfein. |
39 | | Lieutenant General Stanley A. McChrystal | 11 August 2008 | 11 June 2009 | 304 days | U.S. Army | Promoted to general, 2009. |
- | | Rear Admiral Bruce E. Grooms Acting | 12 June 2009 | 8 August 2009 | 57 days | U.S. Navy | Retired, 2015. |
40 | | Lieutenant General Lloyd Austin | 9 August 2009 | 13 July 2010 | 338 days | U.S. Army | Promoted to general, 2010. |
41 | | Vice Admiral William E. Gortney | 14 July 2010 | 8 August 2012 | 2 years, 25 days | U.S. Navy | Promoted to admiral, 2012. |
42 | | Lieutenant General Curtis M. Scaparrotti | 9 August 2012 | 11 August 2013 | 1 year, 2 days | U.S. Army | Promoted to general, 2013. |
43 | | Lieutenant General David L. Goldfein | 12 August 2013 | 31 July 2015 | 1 year, 353 days | U.S. Air Force | Brother of acting director, Stephen M. Goldfein. Promoted to general, 2015. |
44 | | Lieutenant General William C. Mayville Jr. | 1 August 2015 | 30 July 2017 | 1 year, 363 days | U.S. Army | Retired, 2018. |
45 | | Lieutenant General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. | 31 July 2017 | 28 February 2019 | 1 year, 212 days | U.S. Marine Corps | Promoted to general, 2019. |
46 | | Vice Admiral Michael M. Gilday | 1 March 2019 | 17 July 2019 | 138 days | U.S. Navy | Promoted to admiral, 2019. |
– | | Major General Glen D. VanHerck Acting | 18 July 2019 | 26 September 2019 | 70 days | U.S. Air Force | Promoted to director. |
47 | | Lieutenant General Glen D. VanHerck | 27 September 2019 | 3 August 2020 | 311 days | U.S. Air Force | Promoted to general, 2020. |
– | | Rear Admiral William D. Byrne Jr. Acting | 3 August 2020 | 30 September 2020 | 58 days | U.S. Navy | Vice director of the Joint Staff from September 2019 to May 2021. |
48 | | Lieutenant General Andrew P. Poppas | 1 October 2020 | 2 June 2022 | 1 year, 244 days | U.S. Army | Promoted to general, 2022. |
49 | | Lieutenant General James J. Mingus | 2 June 2022 | 3 January 2024 | 1 year, 215 days | U.S. Army | Promoted to general, 2024. |
50 | | Lieutenant General Douglas A. Sims II | 3 January 2024 | Incumbent | 97 days | U.S. Army | Served as Director for Operations (J3), the Joint Staff. |