The major functions of the Department of Defense have not changed much since the end of the Cold War, but the basics are covered in Title 10, Chapter 2 of the United States Code. The Department of Defense oversees the conduct of all six branches of the armed forces: the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, Marines and National Guard.
Three Main Functions
The Defense Department is meant to maintain and employ armed forces to defend the U.S. Constitution from attack by all enemies "foreign and domestic." It is responsible for the security of the United States, its overseas territories (such as Guam) and all other areas deemed "vital to its interest." Finally, the Defense Department must uphold and advance the policies of the president and Congress.
Review
A great deal of manpower is mustered by the department to review the performance, manpower, and equipment used in all defense operations. The department must publish a budget request, manpower demand and operational report each year. It has to conduct more-thorough reviews of its ongoing missions abroad and a survey of troops' quality of life every four years. Also, every March 1 or earlier, the department must publish a report detailing all ongoing research programs to Congress.
New Roles and New Threats
A year after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the department founded a new "command" focused solely on protecting the continental United States from terrorist attacks. This new command, called "Northcom," highlights the fact that the Department of Defense has a large umbrella of intelligence-gathering agencies under its control. The National Security Agency, National Reconnaissance Office, Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Imagery and Mapping Agency all take their marching orders from the Pentagon.
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