The Office of the Secretary of War (OSW) has always had an administrative and management component. Since its inception, DA&M has acted as an honest broker in working to resolve organizational and management issues in the advice provided to the SecWar and DepSecWar.
Beginning in 1947, there were a series of senior officials throughout the years who were responsible for OSW administrative and management matters, including the Assistant Secretary of Defense (ASD) (Administration), a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) (Administration), and an ASD (Intelligence).
In May 1988, DoD Directive 5105.53 established the DA&M to coordinate Department-wide administrative and organizational matters. This position also functioned as the Director of Washington Headquarters Services. The dual roles lasted until 2002, when the Director of WHS became a separate position.
In July 2014, OSD was reorganized, and the responsibilities and resources of the DA&M were reassigned to the Deputy Chief Management Officer (DCMO). The DCMO was subsequently disestablished in February 2018 and the Chief Management Officer (CMO) was established.
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 disestablished the CMO. As a result, the Department decided to reestablish the DA&M, and the DA&M received many of designated responsibilities, functions, and resources from the former Office of the CMO. DA&M was redesignated a PSA reporting directly to the SecWar and DepSecWar, with authority, direction, and control over the Directors of the WHS and the Pentagon Force Protection Agency.
The DA&M's responsibilities are codified in DoW Directive 5105.53.
Users of this short history are encouraged to access other sections of the DA&M website to learn about the current responsibilities of the DA&M, the organizational structure, senior leaders, and other important information.