Interoperability: A Case Study of the Joint Force Development Process

Abstract

Abstract : The Joint Force Development Process (JFDP) was created to fill a void left by the Joint Chiefs of Staff's (JCS) inability to work together and deal effectively with questions of total force integration. An organization noted for logrolling, compromise, and irrelevant advice, the service chiefs and Joint Staff were unable to dedicate themselves to the greater needs of the national defense over individual service loyalty. To meet this need, an evolution of cooperation between the Army and Air Force developed over the last decade outside the formal structure of the JCS. The JFDP was established as an informal, ad hoc organization chartered to field compatible, cost effective, and complimentary forces that would produce the greatest battlefield power. The 1986 DOD Reorganization Act has legislated many changes to the JCS that will enable them to meet the challenge of jointness. This paper examines the historical background of the JFDP, the process differences between the JCS and the JFDP, past and present, and makes recommendations to improve the future of force interoperability and integration between the services by modifying the JFDP.