Synopsis
On 22 July 2004 the 9/11 Commission released its report on the events surrounding the attacks of 11 September 2001. The 9/11 Report renewed calls for reform of the intelligence community (IC), continuing a long series of intelligence reform efforts that began shortly after the National Security Act of 1947 laid the foundation of the modern IC. As reform proceeds and government officials consider further changes, three topics remain relevant: (1) the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols reform of the Department of Defense (DoD) and its applicability to the IC, (2) the common findings and recommendations of past reform efforts of the IC, and (3) the competing interests inherent in the IC that influence the pace and character of actual reform. This study explores these topics in the context of the 9/11 Report and the subsequent reform efforts initiated by the executive and legislative branches. The 9/11 Report, statements by members of Congress, 9/11 Commissioners and others reveal that many stakeholders explicitly considered the Goldwater-Nichols Act a compelling model for legislative reform of a large bureaucracy. Chapter Two examines the DoD reform legislation, specifically the factors that motivated reformers to press for action, the Congressional approach to reform, and the impact of the reform measures on the DoD. Three core issues drove the DoD reform effort: (1) the failure of joint action and the associated imbalance of responsibility and authority, (2) the effects of the DoD organizational structure on the military advice provided to the president, and (3) the poor quality of personnel filling joint duty positions. Each of these areas shares commonalities with problems identified within the IC; however, there are also substantial differences, and understanding both is an important aspect in determining the applicability of DoD reform measures to the IC. Goldwater-Nichols addressed these issues through several measures including increasing the authority of the
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