Department of Defense

The mission of the Department of Defense (DoD) is to protect and defend the United States through a balance of military and civilian power.  The DoD is made up of several combatant and non-combatant agencies.  The combatant agencies include our United States military departments and the non-combatant agencies include agencies such as the National Security Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency.  The primary purpose of the Department of Defense is to provide civilian control over the United States military.  In doing so a set of policies and directives are put into place to establish limitations and provide structure to keep a balance between military and civilian power.