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Chief of Engineers of the
United States Army
Chief of Engineers of the; United States Army
	Seal of the Office of the Chief of Engineers
	Flag of the Chief of Engineers
	Incumbent; LTG William H. Graham Jr.; since 13 September 2024
	Department of the Army
Reports to	Secretary of the Army; Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works)
Seat	The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
Appointer	The President; with Senate advice and consent
Term length	Four years
Constituting instrument	10 U.S.C. § 3036
Formation	April 1776
First holder	LTC Rufus Putnam
Website	Official website

The Chief Signal Officer of the United States Army was a position which was established during the American Civil War. Over the course of a century, the chief signal officer was the commanding officer of the U.S. Army Signal Corps which at various times was responsible for combat communications, strategic communications, purchasing the Army's communications equipment, weather reporting, Army photography and motion pictures, collection of signal intelligence, and research and development of technologies as diverse as wigwag flag signaling, cryptography, radar, homing pigeons, FM radio, submarine cable, combat aircraft, and satellite communications. The chief signal officer was the principal advisor to the Secretary of War, and after 1947, the Secretary of Defense, on all matters related to communications.

While the office of chief signal officer survived for a century, its responsibilities, role, and position in the Army and American society varied dramatically over time. The office evolved with changing technology, changes in America's role in the world, and the impact of major wars. For much of its history, the chief signal officer led a stand-alone technical service, the Signal Corps. While the focus and independence of a separate corps often produced important innovations and effective operations, it also created duplication and organizational friction with other parts of the Army. The chief signal officer was frequently involved in policy discussions with Congress and the rest of the military over the breadth of his responsibilities and the role of the Signal Corps in the Army and American society.

The office was eliminated in a 1964 reorganization.

Origins

Communications has always been important to military leaders. Early signaling technologies included shouting, drums, bugles, signal fires, couriers, and others which required little or no special expertise. The invention of the telegraph and semaphore in the nineteenth century began to change the nature of warfare by expanding the reach and speed of communications. The newer technologies required specialized infrastructure and skills.

In the United States, this trend took shape in Albert J. Myer, an Army doctor who proposed a new method of flag signaling in 1856. He was given a hearing on his idea by an examination board chaired by Lieutenant Colonel Robert E. Lee in 1859, and was authorized to conduct tests of his method. The tests were promising, and Myer appeared before the House and Senate Military Affairs Committees. In June 1860, Congress voted to fund one signal officer on the Army staff with the rank of major to pursue this work.^[1] Myer was appointed to the position.^[2]

Myer was sent to New Mexico to support Lieutenant Colonel Edward Canby in operations against the Navajo. Canby found Myer's signaling unit helpful, but disagreed with him about how it should be deployed in the Army. Canby argued for a separate signal corps, while Myer advocated training all officers in the new technology.^[3] The question of how much communication capability to integrate into the broader Army and how much to place in the hands of a stand-alone technical service faced the chief signal officer for a century.

At the start of the Civil War in 1861, there was no Army signal corps. Myer had trained a handful of men, but they were in no way prepared to support the broader war effort. There were several private telegraph companies in the United States when the war began, however. Congress

Signal Officer of the Army (1863–1866)

On 3 March 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, Congress enacted into law the position of Signal Officer of the Army to lead the Army Signal Corps. The authorization for this position was temporary, only for the duration of "the present rebellion." The signal officer of the Army was to have the rank of Colonel. Congress authorized a staff of one lieutenant colonel, and two majors who were to act as inspectors for the Corps. Each Army Corps or military department was to have one captain, and as many lieutenants as the President saw fit to name, up to eight.^[4]

Chief Signal Officer (1866–1964)

After the Civil War, in 1866, Congress passed a law to establish the peacetime structure of the Army. The office of Chief Signal Officer of the Army was created as a permanent position with the rank of colonel, and gave the Secretary of War the discretion to assign as many as 6 officers, and 100 non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel to signal duty.^[5]

World War II (1942–194x)

At General George C. Marshall's suggestion, Franklin Roosevelt ordered the Army reorganized into three commands effective 9 March 1942. They were ground forces, air forces, and services of supply, later renamed the Army Service Forces.^[6] Under this organization, the chief signal officer reported to the commanding general of the Army Service Forces, Lieutenant General Brehon B. Somervell.

McNamara reorganization (196x–1964)

Department of the Army General Order 28, dated 28 February 1964 specified that on 31 July 1964 the office of Chief Signal Officer was abolished. Major General Gibbs, the last chief signal officer, became Chief of Communications-Electronics. This new role included staff responsibilities of the previous office while the operational responsibilities were distributed elsewhere in the Army.

Successor position

There were still Army signal soldiers after the office of chief signal officer was abolished. Beginning on 3 June 1986, the commandant of the U.S. Army Signal School was designated Chief of Signal, and is responsible for personnel planning, development, and advocacy for all signal soldiers and organizations within the Army.^[7]

Chief Signal Officers

Rank	Name	Begin Date	End Date	Notes
Brigadier General	Albert J. Myer	27 June 1860	24 August 1880	^[8]
Brigadier General	William B. Hazen	17 December 1880	16 January 1887	^[8]
Brigadier General	Adolphus W. Greely	3 March 1887	9 February 1906	^[8]^[9]
Brigadier General	James Allen	10 February 1906	13 February 1913	^[8]^[9]
Brigadier General	George P. Scriven	5 March 1913	13 February 1917	^[9]
Major General	George O. Squier	14 February 1917	31 December 1923	^[8]^[9]
Major General	Charles M. Saltzman	1 January 1924	8 January 1928	^[9]
Major General	George S. Gibbs	9 January 1928	30 June 1931	^[9]
Major General	Irving J. Carr	1 July 1931	31 December 1934	^[9]
Major General	James B. Allison	1 January 1935	30 September 1937	^[9]
Major General	Joseph O. Mauborgne	1 October 1937	30 September 1941	^[9]
Major General	Dawson Olmstead	1 October 1941	30 June 1943	^[9]
Major General	Harry C. Ingles	1 July 1943	31 March 1947	^[9]
Major General	Spencer B. Akin	1 April 1947	31 March 1951	^[9]
Major General	George I. Back	2 May 1951	30 April 1955	^[9]
Lieutenant General	James D. O'Connell	1 May 1955	30 April 1959	^[9]
Major General	Ralph T. Nelson	1 May 1959	30 June 1962	^[9]
Major General	Earle F. Cook	1 July 1962		^[9]
	David P. Gibbs		31 July 1964