The following is a 'list of military officers who have led divisions of a civil service'.
Canada
Department of National Defence
★ Brigadier-General (Ret)
Gordon O'Connor,
Minister of National Defence,
2006 -
Aug 2007
Canada Revenue Agency
Brigadier-General (Ret)
Gordon O'Connor,
Minister of National Revenue 2007-
United States
A serving military officer, without special authorization, cannot be Secretary of State or Defense. Special circumstances existed for George Marshall, as a five-star General of the Army (GOA). Five-star ranks, which have not been used since shortly after WWII, technically never retire.
The
National Security Act of 1947 allows either the Director or Vice Director of Central Intelligence to be a serving officer, but not both.
Central Intelligence Agency
★ RADM
Sidney Souers,
Director of Central Intelligence,
1946
★ LTG
Hoyt S. Vandenberg, US Army, Director of Central Intelligence,
1946 -
1947
★ RADM
Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter, Director of Central Intelligence,
1947 -
1950
★ GEN
Walter Bedell Smith, US Army, Director of Central Intelligence,
1950 -
1953
★ VADM
William Raborn, Director of Central Intelligence,
1965 -
1966
★ ADM
Stansfield Turner, Director of Central Intelligence,
1977 -
1981
★ GEN
Michael Hayden, US Air Force, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency,
2006 - Present
Department of State
★ GOA
George Marshall,
Secretary of State,
1947 -
1949
★ GEN
Colin Powell, US Army (Ret)
Secretary of State,
2001 -
2005
Department of Defense
★ GOA
George Marshall,
Secretary of Defense,
1950 -
1951
See also
★
Civil service
★
List of political leaders who held active military ranks in office
★
Military officer