Reducing the Number of Active Duty General/Flag Officers
Over years the ratio of Active duty general and flag officers to troops has increased over time. This report reviews the proposal to reduce the number of general/flag officers.
Topic: Reform
Read the most recent CSIS research on defense reform efforts.
Reducing the Number of Senior Executive Service Positions by 25 Percent
Summary Cutting the number of SES is consistent with the widespread desire to cut overhead and the existing DoD direction to cut management headquarters. However, the current number of SES is not out of line with history. Further, DoD has proportionally many fewer SES than the domestic agencies. Download Report Here
Reducing Number of Four-Star Generals/Flag Officers
Summary The administration, SASC, and HASC all agree that some reduction is needed. The Senate would cut many more billets (14) than the House (5). The discussion will be about how many billets to cut and how much latitude DoD has in implementation. Download Report Here
Limiting Size of NSC Staff
Growing in both its staff size and its role in national security decisionmaking, the NSC has assumed more of an operational role rather than focusing on strategic planning and interagency coordination. The NSC has been criticized for its overreach into operational and tactical details. However, as an entity under presidential purview, Congress’s ability to restrict the NSC is a constitutional issue. Due to these challenges and constraints, what is a possible way forward for NSC reform?
Creating OSD “Mission Teams”
Proposals for OSD “Mission Teams” is not new and it is not controversial. Rather it is a mark of good government. The disagreement comes from proposed legislative language. This report reviews congressional remarks and provides a recommendation for moving forward.
Reforming Security Cooperation for the 21st Century
Both House and Senate bills for the FY 2017 National Defense Authorization Act take a historic leap forward in reforming the Department of Defense’s security cooperation enterprise. Security cooperation is vital to helping the U.S. secure objectives abroad. But what do these drafts propose and what are the implications?
Crowdsourcing Defense Reform
This report is the result of a public survey on defense reform, undertaken with two primary goals. First, to garner a broad sense of public opinion on some of the key facets of the defense reform issues. Second, to test opinions against the old axiom that “where you stand depends on where you sit” by requiring respondents to answer several demographic questions.
Restructuring National Security Organizations and Decisionmaking
In the format of question and answer, Marc Cancian reviews the May 12 Senate Armed Services Committee proposal for reform of organizations and processes in the national security enterprise.
Reflections: The Mistake that Decapitated Pentagon Innovation — and How to Fix It
The Packard Commission reform transformed the acquisition side of the Department of Defense. However, it also decapitated the innovation ecosystem. If we are to restore the culture of innovation the Packard Commission will need be addressed.
Weathering the Storm
The United States has never grappled with the degree of civil-military dysfunction that many other nations have faced. The threat of a military coup has never been a significant concern. Yet civil-military friction is intrinsic in the compromise between the nation’s republican nature, which insists on civilian control and military subordination, and the existence of a standing federal military force.