Are Standing Joint Task Force Headquarters the First Step in Transforming Cold War Formations

摘要

The Standing Joint Task Force (SJTF) headquarters concept in the 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) was an attempt to prepare for the future by establishing permanent SJTF headquarters to meet the demands of the strategic operational environment and to strengthen joint operations. The purpose of this research project is to determine if the SJTF headquarters concept is the first step in transforming U.S. Cold War organizations. The research approach focuses on the strategic-operational environment, joint doctrine, joint culture, and JTF lessons. The conclusions and recommendations focus on JTF headquarters efficiency, they do not focus on success or failure. The essence is to determine if the SJTF headquarters is more efficient than other JTF headquarters options. During crises, the geographic commander in chief (CINC) may decide to establish a JTF headquarters using one of three available options: form an ad hoc headquarters, augment a subordinate service component headquarters, or use an existing standing JTF headquarters. The SJTF headquarters has the best potential to be the CINC's most efficient JTF headquarters option. SJTF experiences (service interaction in joint-interagency- coalition environments) will forge joint culture over time in the form of new beliefs, traditions, and values. Jointness is synonymous with culture and culture is synonymous with experience. The SJTF headquarters offers the promise of positive experiences to reinforce change to achieve more efficient joint- interagency-coalition operations. The SJTF offers an opportunity to transform the way the U.S. Armed Forces employs the unique contributions of the individual services from distinct instruments playing simultaneously to a joint symphony. The SJTF is better suited than other JTF headquarters options to integrate the individual service capabilities to create synergism. Nonetheless, the joint symphony is just an intermediate objective in the effort to achieve national unified action.