THE JOINT CHIEFS: POLITICS VERSUS PROFESSIONALISM

Joint. The term is used ubiquitously in the U.S. Department of Defense. Joint operations, joint professional military education, joint mindedness, joint staff, etc.—at a certain point in a professional's career, you can't go an hour without hearing a joint-associated term. A product of the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986, jointness has been a much-discussed topic ever since its creation. Sharon Weiner is in the studio to present her thoughts on jointness, specifically the Joint Chiefs of Staff and civil-military relations. She joins host Carrie Lee in this first of a multi-part special series supporting the U.S. Army War College's Civil-Military Relations Center.