Goldwater-Nichols Act
The Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 (click here to view), signed by President Ronald Reagan on October 1, 1986, was created with the purpose of restructuring the American military to allow for optimal cooperation between the different branches of the military and those in command. The bill had wide acceptance in both the House and Senate and was a direct result of investigations provoked by problems reported during the American invasion of Grenada and the Vietnam War. Accordingly, the Goldwater-Nichols Act paved the way for the creation of the U.S. Special Operations Command in 1987, which has had immense involvement in overseeing and conducting every major military operation by the United States since its initial creation.
"There's really no glory, especially in war, but they all want to do it there way and they don't want to depend on the other services which, I think, is a very foolish mistake."
Dr. Steve Vitucci, major (ret.) U.S. Army Video: Steve Vitucci, interview, December 13, 2011 |