Military Theater Commanders Get More Power

President Reagan on Wednesday signed a bill giving more power to military theater commanders and making the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff the principal military adviser to the President.

In a statement accompanying his signature, Reagan called the legislation “a milestone in the long evolution of defense organization since our national security Establishment was created in 1947.”

Congressional sponsors of the bill, led by Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz.), said it would help to prevent foul-ups caused by snarls in the chain of command.

Goldwater, the retiring chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has said the legislation would provide for “the most far-reaching reorganization of the United States defense Establishment in almost 30 years.”

More Authority for Leaders

The bill gives theater commanders more latitude in deciding where to store ammunition, to hire and fire four-star generals and admirals and to send budget recommendations directly to the secretary of defense.

The bill was passed earlier this year by the Senate on a 95-0 vote and in the House by a 406-4 margin. A conference committee worked for several weeks to resolve minor differences between the two versions and the conference report was passed by voice vote last month in each chamber.

Since the nation’s current military structure was created in 1947, there have been more than 30 studies of the institution, some of them from the Pentagon itself. All have called for changes.

The bill does the following:

--Designates the chairman of the five-member Joint Chiefs of Staff as the President’s principal military adviser. Previously, the corporate staff had that role.

Post of Vice Chairman

--Creates the position of vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to assist the chairman.

--Takes several steps aimed at improving the nation’s “joint” military capability and ending the interservice rivalry that critics say has hampered military readiness and effectiveness.

For example, the 10 unified and specified commanders will receive more authority over the personnel under their jurisdiction, and the promotion of officers who serve in “joint” duty will no longer be controlled by their home service.

It also orders reductions in the number of headquarters staffs and reduces by about two-thirds the number of reports required by Congress from the Pentagon.