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

摘要

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.