Joint Operations Exam Questions and
Answers
Genesis of the Current Joint Environment - Answers -Goldwater - Nichols Department
of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986. Established the framework for the way the DOD
operates today
Goldwater - Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986. - Answers -
Key Components:
1. Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff became the "principal military advisor to the President
of the U.S., the SECDEF, and the National Security Council.
2. Forces were "assigned" to the Combatant Commands for employment
3. Service Chiefs retained responsibility to "train, organize, and equip" but not employ
forces
4. Although the concept of joint forces employment continues to evolve, the tenets have
been proven successful on the battlefield with Operation Desert Storm in 1991,
Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001 and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
Joint Chiefs of Staff - Answers -Consists of the Chairman of Staff (CJCS), the Vice
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VCJCS), and the Chief of each major branch of
armed service in the US armed forces
Purpose of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - Answers -Primary responsibility of each member of
the JCS is to ensure the readiness of the respective military service. The JCS also acts
in an advisory military capacity for the President and the SecDef. In this strictly advisory
role, the JCS constitutes the second highest deliberating body for military policy, after
the National Security council.
Purpose of the Joint Staff (JS) - Answers -Assists the CJCS in accomplishing his
responsibility for the unified strategic direction of the combatant forces, the operation of
combatant forces under unified command, and the integration of combatant forces into
an efficient team of land, naval and air forces.
The Joint Staff - Answers -Composed of officers from the Army, Air Force, Navy and
MC in number that roughly correspond to the relative size of the Services. The Marines
make up about 20 percent of the number allocated to the Navy. The JS has no
executive authority over combatant forces. No longer executes operational command of
US military forces.
Answers
Genesis of the Current Joint Environment - Answers -Goldwater - Nichols Department
of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986. Established the framework for the way the DOD
operates today
Goldwater - Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986. - Answers -
Key Components:
1. Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff became the "principal military advisor to the President
of the U.S., the SECDEF, and the National Security Council.
2. Forces were "assigned" to the Combatant Commands for employment
3. Service Chiefs retained responsibility to "train, organize, and equip" but not employ
forces
4. Although the concept of joint forces employment continues to evolve, the tenets have
been proven successful on the battlefield with Operation Desert Storm in 1991,
Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001 and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
Joint Chiefs of Staff - Answers -Consists of the Chairman of Staff (CJCS), the Vice
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VCJCS), and the Chief of each major branch of
armed service in the US armed forces
Purpose of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - Answers -Primary responsibility of each member of
the JCS is to ensure the readiness of the respective military service. The JCS also acts
in an advisory military capacity for the President and the SecDef. In this strictly advisory
role, the JCS constitutes the second highest deliberating body for military policy, after
the National Security council.
Purpose of the Joint Staff (JS) - Answers -Assists the CJCS in accomplishing his
responsibility for the unified strategic direction of the combatant forces, the operation of
combatant forces under unified command, and the integration of combatant forces into
an efficient team of land, naval and air forces.
The Joint Staff - Answers -Composed of officers from the Army, Air Force, Navy and
MC in number that roughly correspond to the relative size of the Services. The Marines
make up about 20 percent of the number allocated to the Navy. The JS has no
executive authority over combatant forces. No longer executes operational command of
US military forces.
