Army Vice Chief of Staff Notes PNSR Efforts at National Security Reform
October 22, 2009 in News by admin
WASHINGTON — In a speech on the changed nature of warfare, Army Vice Chief of Staff, General Peter Chiarelli, singled out the Project on National Security Reform’s work on comprehensive reform across the interagency. Addressing the annual interagency symposium sponsored jointly by National Defense University and the Army Combined Arms Center last week, General Chiarelli said that there has been no real progress over the past five years in reforming the interagency to meet the demands of the new strategic environment. However, he noted that work on the issue done by PNSR could stand up to naysayers.
General Chiarelli said that PNSR’s recommendations are authoritative because of the experience of project leader Jim Locher. Locher was a principal architect of the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 that modernized the military along joint lines. The Army Vice Chief of Staff said that PNSR had prepared a new report for the President recommending what can and should be done to achieve needed reform in the days ahead.
On the subject of the military, Chiarelli said that his experience as a former commander in Iraq had taught him that, “Warfare – as we know it- has changed forever. The new nature of warfare requires that soldiers today be versed and agile enough to operate across the continuum – from high intensity conflict or major combat operations to counterinsurgency, peacekeeping, and humanitarian efforts. Simply put, every soldier must be a utility player.”
General Chiarelli called on Americans to work together–soldiers, government civilians, the NGO community, contractors and volunteers–to maximize the full measure of the elements of national power. He said the security and stability of the nation and world depend on it.