An Interagency Goldwater-Nichols Act Is Needed For a Truly Effective Whole-of-Government Approach

In an increasingly interdependent world, America will continue to be stretched in many directions and the pace of government commitments is likely to increase. The US security enterprise needs transformation to meet these challenges. The time is now for the country to confront these challenges if there is any chance of remaining a superpower. An interagency Goldwater-Nichols Act (GNA) is needed for a truly effective whole-of-government approach. After an overview of how security and defense decisions are made at the highest levels of government, the research examines current statutory and non-statutory interagency guidance. The research further identifies a need for interagency reform by bringing to light security failures since passage of the original GNA.