Applying Goldwater Nichols Act at the Tactical Level

The Department of Defense (DoD) has long recognized the need for interservice cooperation in warfighting and has been slowly evolving to structure, train, and equip the forces to facilitate this joint cooperation. Today, joint cooperation is even more essential at all of the levels of war: strategic, operational, and tactical. This necessity is due to complexity of operations, budget restraints, and modularity. The Goldwater Nichols Act (GNA) significantly improved joint cooperation at the operational and strategic levels but does not meet the joint needs for today's environment. The GNA did not significantly improve joint cooperation at the tactical level nor did it create a strong joint culture to overcome service parochialism engendered by strong service cultures. The DoD must extend the changes in the GNA to junior officers and create a strong joint culture in every officer early in their careers. Expanding the GNA educational changes to primary professional military education (PME) and creating a common value set through common leadership curriculum can allow the DoD to realize the full potential of the GNA and inculcate the jointness needed in today's operational environment.