Forty years ago, the Goldwater-Nichols Act reshaped how the U.S. military operates. Passed in 1986 following coordination breakdowns in operations like Vietnam and the Iranian hostage rescue, the law forced the branches to overcome fierce rivalries and operate as a joint team.
Host Ron Granieri sits down with Bob Bradford and Levi Rains to examine whether those reforms worked, where friction remains, and where defense reform goes next. Together, they break down the tension between the services—responsible for training and equipping forces—and regional combatant commanders who employ those troops in real-world missions. The discussion explores how the law clarified the chain of command, mandated joint officer education, and balanced readiness against immediate crises.
Looking ahead, Bradford and Rains consider what future reorganization should tackle, from synchronizing military strategy across other government departments to joint force design.
Be sure to check out Bob’s article about “Victory On the Potomac” that will be released on 8 Oct 26 REFORMING DEFENSE: VICTORY ON THE POTOMAC
I would say that there’s a constant tension today as we would expect with the combatant commands and the services. Combatant commands employing forces, services providing the organized training equip and readiness to the combatant commanders.
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Levi Rains is a U.S. Air Force colonel and a faculty member in the U.S. Army War College Department of Military Strategy Planning and Operations. A 2022 graduate of the War College, before returning to Carlisle, he managed the Global Force Management portfolio for U.S. Pacific Command.
Bob Bradford is the Associate Professor of Defense and Joint Processes at the U.S. Army War College and is in his eleventh year on the Carlisle faculty. Bob served 30 years as an officer in the U.S. Army, the last 20 as an operations research analyst supporting enterprise decisions.
Ron Granieri is Professor of History and the Chair of the Department of National Security and Strategy at the U.S. Army War College and the Editor of A BETTER PEACE.
The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of War.
Photo Description: President Ronald Reagan Meeting with Senator Barry Goldwater in The Oval Office, 12 December 1984. The Reagan administration chose not to have a public signing ceremony for the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 (Public Law 99-433)
Photo Credit: White House Photographic Office. 1981-1989
