European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 3, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 28 the stars and stripes monday april 3. 1939 Dod lagging on reforms report says Washington a the Penta gon has made link1 Progress in implementing the major reforms of a defense department reorganization Law calling for a stronger Hife for the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and the com Hal an i commanders according to a congressional report released sunday. It has been 2 i years since passage of the. Goldwater Nihols act Al some Point trying to implement the Law be comes Basic non compliance with its Hep Nicholas Mavroulis i maw. Chairman of the House armed services investigations subcommittee said in releasing the report. The cold water Nichols department of defense reorganization act of 1986 strengthened the authority of the joint chiefs chairman in advising on the Bud get and evaluating preparedness by among other things shifting responsibilities from the members to inc chairman and creating the. Position of vice chair Man. In october 1985. Staff members of inc Senate armed services committee had concluded thai inc joint chiefs had been unable to provide useful and timely unified military advice to the Security Council and Secretary of defense because it functioned As a committee.". But the general accounting office Congress investigative found that the Pentagon has been slow in implementing the provisions with the joint chiefs chairman still not playing a major role in the budget process. The Oao report found that the Penta gon will not Issue guidance on the chair Man s budget role until the department and Congress agree on whether to adopt a 2-Ycar budget Cycle. The defense department has clearly constructed a convenient catch-22. Situa Mavroules said. Regardless of impending decisions however Dod is currently not following the Law. The chairman is assigned important responsibilities in the planning programming and budgeting area that arc not being the report also found that the joint chiefs have been limited 10 lowest com Mon denominator decision making. In response the Pentagon said there is no question the senior leaders of the department understand their role in Hie process. They Are not awaiting fur ther instruction or clarification Asim plied in the the old Walcer Nichols act strength ened the authority of the combatant commanders the commanders in chief of Floc 10 commands that employ combat forces including the european command the Pacific visiting most of the combatant commands the Gao found that Many commanders opposed separate operation budgets although inc reorganization Law gave them that Gao said it was also told that separate operation budgets were not re Quested because it might duplicate some functions of without Sci Dent at the main Gate of ,6th Fleet Headquarters. Protesters led b the leftist proletarian democracy Pany and disarmament groups displayed on Nurs urging Italy to leave nato and deny Alliance forces use fit ibises. The base at Gaeta about 60 Miles North of Naples is the Home port of the guided missile Cruiser Belknap. Flagship ofthe6lh Fleet. The protesters gathered at i h30 . Fur about 45 minutes said a base spokes Man. Chief Petty officer Paul Versailles. They were orderly and did not Block traffic be said. The protest came two Days before the 40th anniversary of the 1949 signing of the North Atlantic treaty when Italy became a Diarie member of nato Over strident leftist objections organizers promised other actions this Spring and summer in Rome and at nato facilities such As the la Madda Lena submarine tending base off the is land of Sardinia and the planned base in the Southern Calabria Region for the , 401st tac fighter Wing from Torreon a Spain
