These waivers apply to a number of the provisions, including (1) the  methods for designating joint specialty officers, (2) the posteducation  assignments for joint specialty officers, (3) the assignment of joint  specialty officers to critical joint duty positions, and (4) the promotions of  officers to the general and flag officer pay grades. DOD uses a two-phased approach to educate officers in joint matters. Lack of a Strategic Approach Is Contributing to DOD’s Difficulties to Fully Respond to the Act’s Intent

A significant impediment affecting DOD’s ability to fully realize the  cultural change that was envisioned by the act is the fact that DOD has not  taken a strategic approach that establishes clear goals for officer  development in joint matters and links those goals to DOD’s overall  mission and goals. DOD, for example, has not fully assessed how many joint specialty officers  it actually needs. However, at the time of our review, the  Secretary of Defense had not yet, within a total force concept, fully  addressed how it will provide joint officer development to reserve officers  who are serving in joint organizations – despite the fact that no significant  operation can be conducted without reserve involvement. As of  fiscal year 2001, DOD has been promoting more officers who had the  requisite joint experience to the general and flag officer pay grades than it  did in fiscal year 1995. In fiscal year 2001, however, DOD still relied on  allowable waivers in lieu of joint experience to promote one in four  officers to these senior pay grades. DOD has made progress, but is still not fully meeting provisions to  promote mid-grade officers (majors, lieutenant colonels, and colonels in  the Air Force, Army, and Marine Corps and lieutenant commanders,  commanders, and captains in the Navy) who are serving or who have  served in joint positions at rates not less than the promotion rates of their  peers who have not served in joint positions. Between fiscal years  1995 and 2001, DOD met this promotion objective 74 percent of the time. Positive Actions Taken, but Gaps Remain in Education and Assignments

One of the provisions in the Goldwater-Nichols Act requires DOD to  develop officers, in part, through education in joint matters. The act, however, did not identify a specific numerical  requirement and, similarly, DOD has not established numerical goals  concerning the number of officers who should complete joint professional  military education. According to DOD data, only one-third of the officers serving in joint  positions in fiscal year 2001 had received both phases of the joint  education program. This number reached an all-time high in fiscal year  2001, when DOD did not fill 311, or more than one-third, of its critical joint  duty positions with joint specialty officers.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Department of Defense (DOD) has increasingly engaged in multiservice and multinational operations. Congress enacted the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986, in part, so that DOD's military leaders would be better prepared to plan, support, and conduct joint operations. GAO assessed DOD actions to implement provisions in the law that address the development of officers in joint matters and evaluated impediments affecting DOD's ability to fully respond to the provisions in the act.

What GAO Found

DOD has not taken a strategic approach to develop officers in joint matters. It has not identified how many joint specialty officers it needs, and it has not yet, within a total force concept, fully addressed how it will provide joint officer development to reserve officers who are serving in joint organizations--despite the fact that no significant operation can be conducted without reserve involvement. As of fiscal year 2001, DOD has promoted more officers with previous joint experience to the general and flag officer pay grades that it did in fiscal year 1995. However, in fiscal year 2001, DOD still relied on allowable waivers in lieu of joint experience to promote one in four officers to these senior pay grades. Furthermore, DOD is still not fully meeting provisions to promote mid-grade officers who are serving or who have served in joint positions at rates not less than the promotion rates of their peers who have not served in joint positions. Between fiscal years 1995 and 2001, DOD met more than 90 percent of its promotion goals for officers who served on the Joint Staff, almost 75 percent of its promotion goals for joint specialty officers, and just over 70 percent of its promotion goals for all other officers who served in joint positions. DOD has met provisions in the act that require it to develop officers in joint matters through education by establishing a two-phased joint professional military education program. The act, however, did not establish specific numerical requirements, and DOD has also not determined the number of officers who should complete the joint education. In fiscal year 2001, only one-third of the officers who were serving in joint organizations had completed both phases of the education. DOD has also increasingly relied on allowable waivers and has not filled all of its critical joint duty positions with officers who hold a joint specialty designation. This number reached an all-time high in fiscal year 2001 when DOD did not fill 311, or more than one-third, of its 808 critical joint duty positions with joint specialty officers.