At the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) this afternoon, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter spoke about key long-term strategic management questions DOD is currently addressing. Since the Goldwater-Nichols Act was enacted 30 years ago this fall, the world has changed. Secretary Carter said, “It’s time that we consider practical updates to this critical organizational framework, while still preserving its spirit and intent.”
Last fall Secretary Carter ordered a comprehensive, department-wide review of organizational issues spanning the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the combatant commanders, and the military departments. The task force identified potential redundancies, inefficiencies, or other areas of possible improvement and provided preliminary recommendations to the Secretary. The four areas identified are:
1. Transregional and Transfunctional Integration and Advice
Background: The challenges the U.S. faces today are not likely to confine themselves to neat regional or functional boundaries (e.g. the fight against ISIL involves CENTCOM, EUCOM, AFRICOM, SOCOM, STRATCOM, and CYBERCOM). Our decision chain cuts across the combatant commands only at the Secretary of Defense level so we’re not as agile as we could be.
Recommendations: Clarify the role and authority of the Chairman of Joint Chiefs and the Joint Staff to A) help synchronize resources globally for daily operations around the world, enhancing our flexibility and ability to move forces rapidly across the seams between combatant commands; B) provide objective military advice for ongoing operations, not just future planning; and C) advise the Secretary of Defense on military strategy and operational plans.
2. Combatant Command Updates and Streamlining Headquarters
Background: The combatant commands need to be adapted to new functions including how they manage themselves in cyberspace, while DOD needs to continue to aggressively streamline headquarters.
Recommendations: DOD should consider changes to cyber’s role in DoD’s Unified Command Plan. And instead of combining commands (e.g. AFRICOM and EUCOM) to reach the goal of reducing management HQ by 25%, DOD should focus on integrating functions like logistics, intelligence, and plans across the Joint Staff, the combatant commands, and subordinate commands. Additionally, DOD will look to simplify and improve command and control by filling billets currently staffed by four-star generals and admirals instead with three-stars in the future.
3. Acquisition Reform
Background: There is more that we can and must do to deliver better military capability while making better use of the taxpayers’ dollars. Better Buying Power began 6 years ago and we’re now on our third iteration. While we’re seeing compelling indications of positive improvements, there’s still a constant need for improvement – particularly as technology, industry, and DOD’s own missions continue to change.
Recommendations: Involving the service chiefs more in acquisition decision-making and accountability. Streamlining the acquisition system including evaluating and, where appropriate, reducing other members of the Defense Acquisition Board. Reducing burdensome acquisition documentation requirements in a meaningful way. And pushing approval authority lower down when a program is on the right track eliminating redundant reviews and shortening review timelines.
4. Changes to Joint Personnel Management
Background: Secretary Carter started the Force of the Future endeavor last year to ensure the high quality of the future all-volunteer force even as generations change and job markets change. DOD has taken several steps already – building on-ramps and off-ramps so technical talent can more easily flow between DoD and America’s great innovative communities; opening all combat positions to women who meet service standards to expand our access to 100 percent of America’s population for our all-volunteer force; and doing more to support military families to improve retention, like extending maternity and paternity leave, and giving families the possibility of some geographic flexibility in return for additional commitments.
Recommendations: Change the requirements for joint duty assignments to broaden the definition of positions for which an officer can receive joint duty credit, going beyond planning and command-and-control to include joint experience in other operational functions, such as intelligence, fires, transportation and maneuver, protection, and sustainment, including joint acquisition. And shorten the amount of time required to accumulate joint duty, from three years to two years, so top personnel have more flexibility to take on command assignments and other opportunities to broaden and deepen their careers.
DOD will execute some of these decisions under their own existing authority, but where legislation is needed, they will work with the House and Senate Armed Services Committees as they consider their FY17 National Defense Authorizations. Secretary Carter said that DOD will be detailing and discussing these questions with congressional committees in the coming weeks.
The full text of the Secretary’s speech can be found at: http://www.defense.gov/News/Speeches/Speech-View/Article/713736/remarks-on-goldwater-nichols-at-30-an-agenda-for-updating-center-for-strategic