Roles and Missions Review: Steps Toward Jointness
Abstract
For the first century and a half of our nation's history, the armed forces' role and missions were not subject to much debate. The Army's role was fighting on land. The Navy's and Marines' role was fighting on and from the sea. This simple division of labor started to get complicated after World War I, when the services began to adapt the increasing combat potential of the airplane to their respective war-fighting roles. Roles and missions grew even more confused during World War II, when the globe was divided into theaters, each encompassing land and sea areas. A commander in chief was appointed for each theater and given a mission, so that admirals began to command soldiers and generals began to command sailors. After the war, to implement lessons learned, Congress passed the National Security Act of 1947. This act made the Joint Chiefs of Staff a permanent, formal body, created the United States Air Force as a separate service; and, after amendment in 1949, led to establishment of the Department of Defense. This act also attempted to clarify and codify service roles and missions to provide a framework for program and budget decisions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA497259
Entities
People
- Colin Powell
Organizations
- Joint Chiefs of Staff