Ex-Joint Chiefs Chairman Endorses Pentagon Overhaul

WASHINGTON —  A controversial proposal by the Senate Armed Services Committee staff to overhaul civilian and military operations of the Pentagon received the qualified endorsement Friday of a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The retired officer, Gen. David C. Jones of the Air Force, said in an interview that the 645-page document “clearly illustrates the great difficulty we’ve had in military operations where there is a strong need for interservice actions.”

Sees Some Advantages

When asked about the study’s recommendation to abolish the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Jones replied: “I wouldn’t go that far.” However, he said he sees some advantages to such a proposal.

The report suggested that the joint chiefs be replaced by a military advisory committee made up of the most senior officers on their final tours of duty, when they presumably would be free of the pressures that their services could exert. The study also recommended a two-year budget cycle, a streamlined chain of command and a reorganization of the senior civilian positions at the Pentagon to put a greater emphasis on military missions.

‘Systemic Problems’

Jones, who left office in 1982, said that coordination problems have been chronic since World War II. “It’s not a problem of personalities; these are systemic problems,” he said.

Traditional rivalries among the services and lack of extensive preparations for joint operations have been blamed for creating these difficulties.

In addition, Jones attributed some of the services’ problems to short tours of duty in specific senior positions. Those who serve on the joint staff at a level just below the Army and Air Force chiefs of staff, the chief of naval operations and the commandant of the Marine Corps are replaced every two years, he said.

He added that the newcomers on the staffs serving the joint chiefs rarely have had wide experience commanding units from other services.

The views offered by Jones, who served longer than any other officer on the Joint Chiefs of Staff--four years as Air Force chief and four years as chairman--contrasted sharply to those of the Pentagon.

Steady Criticism

Defense Department spokesmen have kept up a steady drumbeat of criticism of the report, although it has been supported by Sens. Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz.) and Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), chairman and ranking minority member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and two formidable allies of the military in Congress.

The Pentagon opposition, defense sources have said, stemmed not only from the content of the report, but also from the committee staff’s failure to consult extensively with the Defense Department before completing its work.

Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger was described as having been angered because his views had not been sought. No Pentagon officials were allowed to take part in a pre-publication conference between the committee staff and military experts.

In addition, one official said, Congress, having played a role in creating a system that featured a relatively weak joint chiefs chairman, shared the responsibility for many problems cited in the study.

Jones, who was chairman of the joint chiefs during the Iran raid in April, 1980, in the past has criticized what he considers to be serious failures in multi-service military operations.