Reshaping the Pentagon

The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly last week to make some badly needed reforms in the powers and responsibilities of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Senate may have some slightly different ideas on how the country’s highest-ranking military officers should be organized, but it is important that reform legislation be enacted in the present Congress.

Dissatisfaction with the workings of the Joint Chiefs goes back to the Eisenhower years, but the present wave of concern was initially generated by Gen. David C. Jones before his retirement as chairman of the Joint Chiefs in 1982, and by Gen. Edward C. Meyer, then Army chief of staff.

The basic criticism is that members of the Joint Chiefs are influenced too much by interservice rivalries and not enough by broader considerations of national interest. The result is too much duplication of weaponry and combat roles, lack of cohesion in planning, and confusion in joint operations.

The major thrust of the House bill is to increase the powers of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs relative to those of the individual services and the Joint Chiefs as a body.

For example, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs--rather than all five members as a group--would become the principal military adviser to the President, although the other four members could present dissenting views. The chairman would also have the responsibility of submitting a suggested military budget covering all the services to the secretary of defense; this is currently the province of the individual services. The idea is to minimize the log-rolling that now takes place, thus cutting down on waste and duplication.

In addition, the bill seeks to strengthen the direct lines of authority and communication between the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the various joint-service commands. This is intended to enhance the voice of major field commanders in budget and weapons-choice decisions.

Chairman Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz.) of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia, the ranking Democrat, are leading advocates of reform. But Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger insists that the present system works well as is. He and others at the Pentagon with a vested interest in the status quo can be counted on to pursue delaying tactics until the clock runs out next year.

It is extremely important that Goldwater, Nunn and other members of the bipartisan reform movement finish writing their own bill in time to hammer out a final version in concert with the House. If the present opportunity is wasted, it may be a long time before the requisite momentum for reform is regained.