JFQ 92, 1
st
Quarter 2019 Davis and Kienle 23
Toward a More Lethal, Flexible,
and Resilient Joint Force
Rediscovering the Purpose of JPME II
By Charles Davis and Frederick R. Kienle
T
he defense and military strategies
of Secretary of Defense James
Mattis and Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford
thoughtfully focus the joint force in
order to meet transregional, multidi-
mensional, and multifunctional threats
to U.S. national security. In addition
to advanced capabilities and integrat-
ing concepts, another critical enabler
for a more lethal, flexible, and resilient
joint force is greater jointness. Jointness,
which embodies trust, cooperation,
and interdependency, continues to
develop across the Armed Forces and
has proved to be integral to success on
modern battlefields. Today’s complex
security environment demands truly
joint warfighters who are capable, com-
fortable, and confident when operating
across functions, domains, and cultures.
A process for acquiring this critical
enabler already exists but is largely dis-
regarded. The Department of Defense
(DOD) must rediscover the process if
it is to succeed in building the levels of
trust and interoperability called for in
the 2018 National Defense Strategy.
1
The panel on military education led
by Congressman Ike Skelton in the late
1980s restructured joint education to
overcome Service parochialism that beset
past military operations. Reforms under
Dr. Charles Davis is an Associate Professor in the Joint Forces Staff College at the National Defense
University. Colonel Frederick R. Kienle, USA (Ret.), Ph.D., is a Professor at the Joint Forces Staff
College and was the first Director of the Joint Advanced Warfighting School. He has served on 26
Process for the Accreditation of Joint Education teams.
Airmen and Soldiers from Kadena Air Base
perform high-altitude, low-opening jump off MC-
130J Commando II above Okinawa, April 24, 2017
(U.S. Air Force/John Linzmeier)
