The director of the Joint Staff (DJS) is a three-star officer who assists the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a cabinet of senior military officers within the United States Armed Forces who advise the secretary of defense and the president on military matters.

The director also chairs meetings of the Operations Deputies, a subsidiary body comprising the director and a three-star delegate from each service who preview or resolve issues before they are escalated to the four-star level of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

[1] As with all three- and four-star positions, the director's appointment is subject to presidential nomination and Senate confirmation.

The current director of the Joint Staff is Lieutenant General Douglas A. Sims II.

Moreover, 22 of the last 23 Directors have been promoted to four-star rank within a year of leaving the Joint Staff.