INTRODUCTION
The debate on the roles and missions of the U.S. armed forces predates the creation of this Department. However, recent developments, including a rapidly changing national security environment and growing pressures to reduce the defense budget, have lent renewed urgency to finding solutions for roles and missions concerns. The creation of the independent Commission on Roles and Missions of the Armed Forces (CORM) in early 1994 represented the latest effort to address these issues. This commission delivered its final report, Directions for Defense, to the Department of Defense and Congress in May 1995.
The Commission's contributions to the long-lived roles and missions debate were significant: it argued that the terms of the roles and missions debate should be focused on the needs of the commanders in chief (CINCs), on the capability of their forces to carry out joint operations, and on many of the Department's support activities -- not on the capabilities of the individual Services. This led the CORM to propose several measures to increase the effectiveness of joint military operations, and in so doing, challenged the Department to move beyond the reforms of the Goldwater-Nichols legislation, now a decade old. The Commission also recommended that the Department of Defense implement more vigorously ̉the long-standing national policy of relying primarily on the private sector for services that need not be performed by the government" and reengineer the remaining DoD support organizations.
In addition to recasting the roles and missions debate in more meaningful terms and suggesting a major change in the conduct of support activities, the CORM also offered a comprehensive set of more than 100 specific recommendations. The Department's evaluation of these recommendations -- consistent with the imperatives to maintain readiness, enhance joint military capabilities, sustain needed force structure, and ensure U.S. forces are modernized -- revealed substantial congruence between the broad thrusts of the CORM's proposed reforms and actions already underway within DoD. Not surprisingly, the Department accepted approximately two-thirds of the Commission's specific proposals for implementation and, except for a few which were rejected, asked individual organizations or task forces to study and develop specific recommendations regarding the remaining initiatives.
To oversee the implementation of key CORM recommendations accepted by the Department and to ensure that DoD maintains a high-level focus on future study of most of the other recommendations, Secretary Perry created the Roles and Missions Senior Advisory Group (SAG). The SAG is chaired by the Deputy Secretary of Defense and is composed of the Under Secretaries of Defense, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Under Secretaries of the Military Departments, Vice Chiefs of Staff of the Services, and senior representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). Under the SAG's supervision, the Department has already made significant progress in acting on key recommendations affecting readiness, joint operations, force structure, and modernization. During the first half of 1996, significantly more progress is expected.
The following represents the first of three progress reports that will chart the Department's implementation of the Commission's findings. Other progress reports will follow at the end of the summer of 1996 and in the 1997 Annual Report to the President and the Congress.
MAINTAINING READINESS AND ENHANCING JOINT MILITARY CAPABILITIES
The Commission report and the Department's subsequent actions highlight the critical importance of maintaining combat readiness and enhancing joint operations. Considerable progress has been made in this area since the Commission report was completed. Most notably, in recent weeks the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff finalized his operational vision for future joint operations, Joint Vision 2010. The Department has also acted on the Commission's recommendation to increase funding for the Joint Warfighting Center in Norfolk, Virginia, in order to enhance the Department's preparations for joint operations. Funds were added in FY 1995 and FY 1996 to upgrade the Joint Warfighting Center's modeling and simulation capabilities. The Department has also responded to the CORM's recommendations to enhance joint warfighting capability by increasing funding for the Joint Training, Analysis, and Simulation Center and providing funds for establishment of the Joint Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) Battle Center. Furthermore, the Senior Advisory Group has also endorsed recent key Department readiness initiatives, including the preparation of the Joint Monthly Readiness Reviews by the Joint Staff and their presentation to the Senior Readiness Oversight Council, to ensure a high state of readiness for the forces assigned to the unified commands.
Even prior to the CORM's recommendation, the Department had been searching for the best way to finance contingency operations without impacting readiness. As a result, the FY 1997 budget will include funds for all ongoing operations that are expected to continue into FY 1997. The costs of FY 1996 contingency operations are being addressed in reprogramming initiatives and a supplemental budget request which, pending congressional approval, will allow the Department to finance these costs without diverting funds from readiness-related activities.
The Senior Advisory Group has reviewed several cross-Service interoperability initiatives cited by the Commission. Pending the results of the Navy/Marine Corps multipoint refueling requirements study, the Air Force has been directed to continue the current program to provide KC-10 and KC-135 tanker aircraft with multipoint capability. In addition, the Air Force has been asked to analyze and recommend a program to meet all future joint refueling requirements. Furthermore, in spring 1996, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology will provide the Deputy Secretary of Defense with an assessment of U.S. refueling interoperability with allies and coalition partners. Later this year, the Department will consider upgrades to the EA-6B fleet, based on an ongoing Joint Staff-led electronic warfare mission area assessment.
In response to the Commission's recommendation, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff reported on the adequacy of joint close air support (CAS) training, doctrine, and procedures. Based on inputs from the CINCs and the Service Chiefs, the Chairman identified several recent improvements in this area, noting in particular that the Services have increased their emphasis on CAS in training exercises. The Joint Staff also noted that a new joint publication has been released that provides commonly agreed tactics and procedures for close air support to be followed by all forces providing and helping to employ joint CAS. The Senior Advisory Group endorsed these recent initiatives and concluded that joint CAS training is adequate.
Finally, on December 28, 1995, the President approved several important changes to the Unified Command Plan as recommended by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Chairman agreed with the Commission's recommendation to reassign geographic areas of responsibility to allow for more effective operations. Specifically, effective immediately, U.S. Atlantic Command (USACOM) will make provisions to shift the waters adjoining Central and South America to U.S. Southern Command, and large portions of the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean will shift from U.S. Pacific Command to U.S. Central Command in order to enhance U.S. Central Command's ability to conduct theater-wide operations. In addition, the President has directed the Secretary of Defense to transfer to U.S. Southern Command, no earlier than June 1, 1997, the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and an additional portion of the Atlantic. Consistent with the Commission's proposal to create a functional unified command focused on joint training and force integration, the Chairman supports continuing efforts to strengthen the recently reorganized USACOM which has been assigned these roles. However, he recommended deferring a decision on the assignment of all continental U.S.-based forces to USACOM, noting that the command has not yet sufficiently matured in its new joint training and force integrator roles to merit such a change.
PROVIDING NEEDED FORCE STRUCTURE
The Department strongly endorsed the Commission's recommendation to conduct an assessment of all deep attack systems to determine appropriate force size and mix. The Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Staff, working with the Services and the unified commanders, have initiated a comprehensive two-part study in this area. The first part of this assessment will identify the appropriate weapons mix and command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) architecture to support timely, effective deep attacks, as well as procedures for integrating the employment of many deep attack systems. The second part of this assessment will investigate appropriate force structure and delivery platform tradeoffs. The study team's work on part one is well underway, with initial findings to be presented to the Senior Advisory Group in summer 1996. Results of part two will be completed by early 1997.
Developing a comprehensive architecture guiding the use of C4I assets also is essential to realizing the full potential of America's increasingly precise forces in modern military operations. A special Integration Task Force (ITF) under the leadership of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence has been formed to develop this backbone architecture. The Senior Advisory Group endorsed the ITF approach in October 1995 and will review initial results in spring 1996.
As noted by the Commission, one of the most important ways to sustain the needed force structure is to size and shape the Total Force to meet the military requirements derived from the National Security Strategy and to ensure Reserve component forces are effectively integrated with the active forces across the spectrum of military operations. A special Department task force is reviewing the size, organization, and responsibilities of the Reserve components. It also has been asked to identify measures to ensure that the Reserve components can perform to the required standards. The Army, the Joint Staff, and OSD will each contribute to this review by providing the results of their assessments of different aspects of the overall issue. These inputs will be consolidated and reviewed by the Senior Advisory Group by spring 1996. In addition, the Secretary has asked the Chairman to report on integration of Reserve component forces into the CINCs' operational plans.
Finally, DoD has already shown strong support for the Commission's recommendation to downsize and improve the operation of the operational support airlift (OSA) fleet. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff directed a study of OSA wartime requirements. This study, completed in October 1995, determined that the OSA wartime requirement was 391 aircraft. This validated requirement has allowed the Department to reduce the OSA fleet by 118 aircraft. With the help of the new Joint Air Logistics Information System (JALIS) that is providing increased visibility into the day-to-day use of the OSA fleet, the Commander in Chief of U.S. Transportation Command is examining fleet management issues. Assisted by this study, the Chairman will make his recommendations in this area to the SAG early in 1996.
ENSURING FORCE MODERNIZATION AND EFFICIENT SUPPORT STRUCTURES
The Commission's recommendations to outsource to commercial firms many support activities -- education and training, family housing, finance and accounting, data center operations, base infrastructure operations, some elements of medical care, and depot maintenance, as well as direct support of new weapon systems -- are arguably some of the most far-reaching aspects of the Commission's report. A Department-wide Integrated Process Team (IPT), chaired by the Deputy Secretary of Defense and under the day-to-day direction of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Economic Security, has been created to implement these proposals. The IPT is seeking to identify opportunities, eliminate obstacles, and develop and implement strategies for outsourcing government functions without adversely impacting the Department's mission. It has already selected near-term targets for outsourcing and has developed a legislative package to support this effort. Throughout 1996, the Department will move aggressively to increase its outsourcing efforts.
The Commission's proposal to streamline central logistics support is closely tied to DoD's outsourcing initiatives. The Department fully endorses efforts to streamline logistics support within existing organizational arrangements. Most of these initiatives will be implemented in concert with the outsourcing efforts.
The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology recently completed an assessment of the Commission's recommendation to reorganize, collocate, and consolidate aviation acquisition organizations. The Department believes it is important to sustain the Base Realignment and Closure Commission's decisions regarding the relocation of individual Service aviation acquisition activities. However, the Department will pursue cross-Service consolidation of similar program offices, as implemented in the Joint Advanced Strike Technology program office, where appropriate. To this end, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology will change DoD Directive 5000.1 and issue a policy memorandum to all DoD components and agencies making consolidation and collocation of future joint and closely related project offices a matter of DoD policy.
The Department reviewed the merits of consolidating the Defense Contract Audit Agency and Defense Contract Management Command. The results indicated that these two organizations would benefit more from streamlining initiatives that result from business process reengineering rather than consolidation. The Inspector General, however, will continue to investigate further streamlining and consolidation opportunities in this area.
Finally, since the Department already permits and endorses the use of modern commercial activity-based cost accounting systems by defense contractors, the Senior Advisory Group concluded it was unnecessary to mandate its use on an across-the-board basis.
IMPROVING DOD DECISION MAKING PROCESSES
The Commission called for improvements in a number of DoD decision making activities. An OSD/Joint Staff review team, using a framework derived from the CORM report, has developed proposals to improve the effectiveness of the Department's decision making processes. Proposals accepted by the Department include a commitment to institute a Quadrennial Strategy Review modeled after the Bottom-Up Review, targeted for 1997, and initiating a front-end assessment process addressing key planning, programming, and acquisition issues. The first front-end assessments were begun in the fall of 1995. The Department will also seek to harness more effectively the contributions of the Chairman's Joint Requirements Oversight Council/ Joint Warfighting Capabilities Assessment process, which has focused on the development of a system of systems linking intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance capabilities with advanced battle management systems to guide the precise application of increasingly lethal weapons.
The Commission also stressed the idea of creating better organizational incentives to reduce costs within the Department. The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology and the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), working with the military departments, have examined new approaches to creating incentives for achieving greater savings and efficiencies for all components within the resource allocation process and for program managers within the acquisition process -- a macro and micro approach. The goal of these approaches is to seek opportunities to reduce costs because all participants will have the opportunity to share in the associated budget savings.
Finally, Secretary Perry has received advice from the Service Secretaries in response to the CORM's recommendation to streamline the military departments and reduce political appointees within the Secretariat staffs. This advice was presented to the Senior Advisory Group for consideration, and the Deputy Secretary has issued additional guidance to the military departments to act on these important recommendations. At a minimum, the Deputy Secretary has asked the military departments to provide recommendations on the possible consolidation or streamlining of personnel, environmental, and legal functions. The Department is also continuing to explore other ways to improve overall DoD management, including establishment of a Capstone course to orient political appointees to the Department and creation of boards of directors to improve the management of defense agencies.
The Department is confident that, with the support of Congress where needed, these actions as well as the implementation of additional CORM proposals will improve DoD's abilities to maintain readiness, enhance joint military capabilities, sustain needed force structure, and ensure U.S. forces are the most modern in the world. A concerted effort to incorporate the Commission's recommendations into mainstream DoD activities will remain one of the Department's major goals for the coming year.
