---
kind: "section"
citation: "10 U.S.C. § 3004"
title: "10"
title_heading: "Armed Forces"
number: "3004"
heading: "Head of an agency"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/10/3004"
units:
  - "Subtitle A — General Military Law"
  - "Part V — Acquisition"
  - "Subpart A — General"
  - "Chapter 201 — Definitions"
  - "Subchapter I — Definitions Relating to Defense Acquisition System Generally"
---

# §3004. Head of an agency


In this part, the term “[head of an agency](/usc/10/3451.md?p=2)” means the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of Defense, the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of the Army, the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of the Navy, the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of the Air Force, the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of Homeland Security, and the [Administrator](/usc/10/2700.md?p=3) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.


## Source credit

(Added and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1806(a)(1), (6), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4152, 4153.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Codification

The text of par. (1) of section 2302 of this title, which was transferred to this section and amended by Pub. L. 116–283, § 1806(a)(6), was based on act Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 127; Pub. L. 85–568, title III, § 301(b), July 29, 1958, 72 Stat. 432; 96–513, title V, § 511(74), Dec. 12, 1980, 94 Stat. 2926; Pub. L. 98–369, div. B, title VII, § 2722(a), July 18, 1984, 98 Stat. 1186; Pub. L. 100–26, § 7(k)(2), Apr. 21, 1987, 101 Stat. 284; Pub. L. 107–296, title XVII, § 1704(b)(1), Nov. 25, 2002, 116 Stat. 2314.

### Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283, § 1806(a)(6), transferred par. (1) of section 2302 of this title to this section, realigned margin, struck out par. (1) designation at beginning, and substituted “In this part, the term” for “The term”.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Section and amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as an Effective Date of 2021 Amendment note preceding section 3001 of this title.