(DoD) The senior or principal member or head of a staff, or the principal assistant in a staff capacity to a person in a command capacity; the head or controlling member of a staff, for purposes of the coordination of its work; a position that in itself is without inherent power of command by reason of assignment, except that which is invested in such a position by delegation to exercise command in another's name.
Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. 31 January 2011.
| APA | Military Dictionary (DoD). (2011). chief of staff. Retrieved September 27, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/chief_of_staff/definitions/1960760 |
| Chicago | Military Dictionary (DoD). 2011. "chief of staff" http://smartdefine.org/chief_of_staff/definitions/1960760 (accessed September 27, 2026). |
| Harvard | Military Dictionary (DoD) 2011, chief of staff, Smart Define, viewed 27 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/chief_of_staff/definitions/1960760>. |
| MLA | Military Dictionary (DoD). "chief of staff" 4 April 2011. Web. 27 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/chief_of_staff/definitions/1960760> |