the Department of Defense
/ðə dɪˌpɑːtmənt əv dɪˈfens/
/ðə dɪˌpɑːrtmənt əv dɪˈfens/
(abbreviation the DoD)
- the US government department in charge of the country's military forces. It is the government's largest department and receives the most money. The Secretary of Defense is never a military person. The Secretary's assistants include the military Joint Chiefs of Staff and three who are not in the armed forces, the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of the Air Force.
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the Department of Defense