Title Four Joint Officer Personnel Policy PDF Download

The Goldwater-Nichols Act (GNA) of 1986 forged a cultural revolution in the U.S. Armed Forces by improving the way the Department of Defense (DoD) prepares for and executes its mission. Title IV of the GNA addresses joint officer personnel policies and provides specific personnel management requirements for the identification, education, training, promotion, and assignment of officers to joint duties. Recent studies suggest the need for DoD to revisit joint manpower matters and develop a strategic approach to joint officer management and joint professional military education (JPME). Additionally, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002 directed an independent study of joint officer management, JPME, and the roles of the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. While the independent study was in progress, the General Accounting Office (GAO) conducted an assessment of DoD actions to implement provisions in law that address the development of officers in joint matters. It also evaluated DoD's ability to fully respond to the provisions of the GNA. The GAO stated that "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 to develop officers in joint matters." A strategic approach to human resource management determines the need for critical workforce characteristic(s) given missions, goals, and desired organizational outcomes; assesses availability of the characteristic(s) now and in the future; and suggests changes in management practices for personnel with the characteristic(s) to minimize gaps between need and availability. This report applies a strategic approach to the development of officers in joint matters.