Joseph L. Votel

Business Executives for National Security (BENS) is a nonpartisan and non-profit organization which supports the U.S. government by applying pro bono, best business practice solutions to its most difficult national security problems. For thirty years, BENS has served as the primary channel through which senior American business leaders contribute special experience and talent to help build a more secure nation. With regional offices across the country and from our headquarters in Washington, D.C., our membership has earned the trust and respect of leaders in government.

The Department of Defense is America's oldest and largest government agency. With our military tracing its roots back to pre-Revolutionary times, the Department of Defense has grown and evolved with our nation. The Defense Department manages an inventory of installations and facilities to keep Americans safe. The Department’s physical plant is huge by any standard, consisting of more than several hundred thousand individual buildings and structures located at more than 5,000 different locations or sites. When all sites are added together, the Department of Defense utilizes over 30 million acres of land.

The United States Army (USA) is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services.