All good questions. I wonder how far this will go?  It is notable that he is focusing on personnel management both with DOPMA and with the joint assignment process mandated by Goldwater-Nichols (which rests on the assumption that everyone has a chance to be a general/flag officer so everyone has to rotate through joint assignments) Both DOPMA and Goldwater -Nichols only allow us to pay lip service to "talent management" or maximizing the opportunity to get the right person in the right job for the right mount of time.

• “Are the roles and missions of the Joint Staff, Combatant Commands, Joint Task Forces, and other headquarters elements properly aligned to conduct strategic planning, equip our warfighters, and maximize combat power?
• “Does the vast enterprise that has become the Office of the Secretary of Defense further our ability to meet present and future military challenges?
• “Does the constant churn of uniformed officers through joint assignments make them more effective military leaders, or has this exercise become more of a self-justification for a large officer corps?
• “Is the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act of 1980 still appropriate for the joint force of 2015 and beyond, or is it time to review this law?

McCain Launches Goldwater-Nichols Review; How Far Will He Go?

By COLIN CLARKon March 26, 2015 at 2:37 PMhttp://breakingdefense.com/2015/03/mccain-launches-goldwater-nichols-review-how-far-will-he-go/

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee

UPDATED: With Thornberry Comment Supporting Reform

WASHINGTON: Sen. John McCain plans a long-term review of the law underpinning the modern American military, the Goldwater-Nichols legislation that created the current chain of command from president to defense secretary to combatant commanders.

“The Committee will be conducting a preliminary examination of the structure, roles, and missions of civilian and military organizations within the (Defense) Department. That will set the stage for a broader review of these issues starting after this year’s NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) and extending into next year, many of which are tied directly to Goldwater-Nichols Act,” a congressional staff member wrote in an email after McCain spoke this morning at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The staffer responded to an email I sent after McCain hinted at the review during his speech.

Here’s what the chairman said at CSIS:

“At the same time, three decades later, there are real questions about how Goldwater-Nichols has been implemented and what unintended consequences may have resulted. For example:

(Continued at the link below)

http://breakingdefense.com/2015/03/mccain-launches-goldwater-nichols-review-how-far-will-he-go/