Interesting proposal in the most recent Joint Forces Quarterly centers on abolishing the position of Secretary of Defense and OSD. The full article is here. Salient points include:
Thus far, and not surprisingly so, the conversation has focused on the naval forces – afloat and ashore, at work in the Solomons. Today we go a wee bit joint and talk about land-based air and its contribution. We are all (or should be) pretty familiar with the inter-service rivalry that sprung up pre-war between…
So it’s back in the the Luftwurst for the trip back home today via a, no doubt, wx impacted intermediate point…in the meantime, here’s a couple of tidbits to tide you over until our return to the rolling hills of Occupied Territory and the warmth of Hearth and Home – SJS 21 January 1972 –…
If you are in the Greater NYC area today and are interested in compelling stories, you need to head over and meet Brad Peniston: The National Maritime Historical Society has invited me to talk about “No Higher Honor: Saving the Samuel B. Roberts in the Persian Gulf” tomorrow near their New York headquarters. When: noon,…
The following is an extract of a larger work I am preparing on fifty years of ASCM combat use and hopefully will be available in the coming year. – SJS Forces – Israel. The INS EILAT (K40) was originally commissioned in 1944 as the HMS ZEALOUS, a Z-class destroyer that saw extensive action as convoy…
Sixty-five years ago. . . . . . Guts, determination, innovation & courage were defined (and well before Joint was “cool”) (Courtesy Mary R. over at USNI’s blog — General Doolittle describes the Tokyo raid) Conceived in the dark aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the raid had its genesis in the idea of…
As we move deeper into the Centennial celebrations focused on US Naval Aviation, there are those amongst us who think it consists primarily of blue airplanes from WWII flying form with Hornets in throwback blue…and miss a whole other part of our heritage, that provided by the USCG. Aviators from the USCG have been flying…
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Eliminate the OSD and SecDef – would equal more power to the White House staff, even less chance of differing opinions reaching the President’s ear.
Not if the Service Secretaries were re-instated as full up cabinet members as they were prior to the 1947 National Security Act which created the position of SecDef and OSD organization. Some valid concerns that may be raised by such a move, however, would include JCS morphing into a General Staff, concerns over what to do with the plethora of agencies that operated under SecDef (DIA, MDa, etc.) and their role, or potential role as Combat Support Agencies and, of course, inter-service rivalries, though one can argue that aspect has been and always will be with s in one form or another forever.
The author’s point, if I got it right, was that the current office has ill-served the Presidency since its inception and too often overrides advice and recommendations from the JCS, especially in a time of war.
– SJS
Why should we fear a General Staff? JCS is for all intents and purposes that-without the ability to herd the CINCS. As a result we have a subordinate flag officer being publicly featured at Congressional hearings while his boss is no where to be found.
Maybe the solution is to keep Secdef and reform the COCOM system. Also a 30% cut in the number of flag officers across the board would be a good thing.
Everyone else is being downsized, what makes them so special?