Reappraising Defense Organization: An Analysis Based on the Defense Organization Study of 1977-1980,

Abstract

Organizational problems have plagued our military establishment from the start. The development of the Army and the Navy was accompanied by the growth of semiautonomous, often intractable fiefdoms which continued to riddle those services right up to the start of World War II. The demands of the war provided the incentive to make major progress in integrating efforts within each service, but cross-service cooperation remained extremely difficult even under the pressures of a major conflict. The author provides a unique service in illuminating defense organization issues by adding the weight of organizational theory to the evidence accumulated over the past 35 years. His identification of the allocation of decisions as the highest level of administrative responsibility rings very true on a practical as well as a theoretical plane. This book should be studied by those interested in one of the most important issues facing our country today. Although the current threat to our security is great, there is little likelihood that we will have the time to regroup if we do not meet the threat effectively at the outset of any major conflict. We can no longer afford the degradation of our defense capabilities that comes with less than effective organization.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1983
Accession Number
ADA134313

Entities

People

  • Archie D. Barrett
  • David C. Jones

Organizations

  • National Defense University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Business Administration
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Employment
  • Government Procurement
  • Health Services
  • Management Personnel
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military Medicine
  • Military Organizations
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Recreation
  • Students
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Naval Personnel Management
  • Strategic Security Studies