Editing Secretary (section)

==== Military ====
[[File:P20211006AS-1410_(51760514492).jpg|right|thumb|[[United States Coast Guard]] military aide [[Lieutenant commander (United States)|Lieutenant Commander]] Jayna McCarron, left, serving as part of the [[White House Military Office]] is seen meeting with U.S. President [[Joe Biden]] about [[Medal of Honor]] recipients, Wednesday, October 6, 2021, in the [[Oval Office]]]]
In the [[U.S. Department of Defense]], the title of [[military assistant]] (MA) or executive assistant (EA) is typically held by Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]]s, [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|lieutenant colonel]]s, and senior [[Major (United States)|major]]s and Navy [[Captain (United States O-6)|captain]]s, [[Commander (United States)|commander]]s and senior [[Lieutenant commander (United States)|lieutenant commander]]s who are in direct support of the [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]], [[United States Deputy Secretary of Defense|Deputy Secretary of Defense]] and other civilian defense officials down to the level of a [[Office of the Secretary of Defense|Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense]], as well as [[General officers in the United States|general officers]] or [[flag officer]]s.

The Secretary of Defense also has a [[Lieutenant general (United States)|lieutenant general]] or [[Vice admiral (United States)|vice admiral]] as his/her senior military assistant.

Like their civilian counterparts, EAs are also a resource in decision-making, policy setting, and will have leadership oversight of the entire military and civilian staff supporting the civilian official, general officer, or flag officer.  EAs are often interchangeable with other senior military officers of equivalent rank holding the title of chief of staff in other service organizations headed by a flag officer or general officer.  In the case of unified combatant commands and service major commands, the Chief of Staff is often a general officer or flag officer himself/herself, typically at the 1-star or 2-star level, but he or she should not be confused with the 4-star officers holding the title of [[Chief of Staff of the United States Army|Chief of Staff of the Army]] or [[Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force|Chief of Staff of the Air Force]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130620205218/http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA382504 Military Assistant/Executive Officer Handbook]. Retrieved on 11 June 2013.</ref>