The Goldwater - Nichols Department of Defense Act of 1986: Genesis and Postscript

Abstract

This thesis examines the Goldwater - Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 in the light of previous Congressional attempts to legislate Service cooperation by amending the National Security Act of 1947. The hypothesis examined is that attempts to end Service rivalry by amendment have failed because the 1947 Act is itself the product of a legislative attempt to incorporate into an organizational structure two fundamentally incompatible philosophies of how basic defense policy should be formulated. Using an historical approach, this thesis examines the origins of the 1947 Act, the effect of the 1958 amendments on the Kennedy Administration, and the drive for further reform during the Reagan Administration. The conclusion is that while the Goldwater - Nichols Act may increase efficiency in some areas, it will not change the fundamentally competitive nature of the defense budget planning process.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1987
Accession Number
ADA193286

Entities

People

  • Mark T. Seeley

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Power
  • Aircraft Carriers
  • Aircrafts
  • Defense Planning
  • Governments
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Naval Operations
  • Naval Warfare
  • Navy
  • Organizational Structure
  • Recreation
  • Unified Combatant Commands
  • Vietnam War
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Theoretical Analysis.