Why the Idea of Unifying the Chain of Command under One Officer Should Get a Full Hearing--and How to Give It One
Abstract
Although proposals to unify the military chain of command under one officer (a "top officer") have been a perennial feature of defense reform debates since World War II, the idea has not received a full hearing. In the future, it should. Through the decades, three barriers have frustrated debate over the idea of a top officer. First, debate participants have poorly defined and often oversimplified the idea. Second, debates have frequently dealt with the idea in the abstract rather than with concrete proposals for reform. Third, the idea is undeservedly controversial. These barriers to debate are interrelated and exacerbate one another. Participants in future defense reform debates should work to overcome these barriers and give top officer proposals a full hearing, for two reasons. First, the growing challenges of global integration and all-domain conflict may require reorganization of the chain of command. As a result, the pros and cons of a top officer should be the subject of frank and open debate, grounded in concrete proposals for reform that address clearly identified problems and their causes. Second, the failure to give the idea a full hearing may have contributed to an unintended consequence: the evolution of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff into a top officer-like figure.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 29, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1178428
Entities
People
- Nathan A Wood
Organizations
- Marine Corps University