Cluster of Officials by White House President administration or year (working at time of that President's term of office) Biden admin Summary • Sec. Defense-Austin • Sec State-Blinken • Sec VA-McDonough • Chief of Staff White House-Ron Klain • Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman-General Mark Milley • CIA director-William (Bill) Burns • FBI Director - Christopher Wray • Attorney General/Dept. of Justice-Merrick Garland • DHS- Alejandro Mayorkas --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken was sworn in as the 71st U.S. Secretary of State on January 26, 2021. Secretary of Defense (in Dept of Defense) Lloyd J. Austin III; 4-star general; appointed Jan 22, 2021; first African American appointed in this position. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis Richard McDonough Feb 9 2021 sworn in Chief Of Staff The chief of staff is the most senior political appointee in the White House. Ron Klain appointed Jan. 2021 Chairman-of-the-Joint-Chiefs-of-Staff/ The nation’s highest-ranking military officer and the principal military advisor to the president, the secretary of defense and the National Security Council. Appointed by Trump Dec. 8, 2018 although Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and then- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford favored Air Force Chief of Staff General David L. Goldfein for the appointment. General Mark Milley Former 39th chief of staff of the Army from August 14, 2015 to August 9, 2019,[3] CIA Director William Burns sworn in March 2021 FBI Director Christopher Wray sworn in August 2, 2017 US Attorney General Merrick Garland sworn in March 2021