Editing National Security Act of 1947 (section)

=== Joint Operations in World War 2 ===
During World War 2, interservice cooperation remained voluntary, requiring complex interchanges of liaisons for planning and operations. Additionally, the Army and Navy often competed for resources, for example industrial production and new recruits. Enabling operations under these conditions had required the creation of numerous joint agencies and interdepartmental committees.

World War 2 had also given the US military two case studies of joint operations between Europe and the Pacific. In the Pacific, the Army and Navy had experienced constant friction from command and logistics problems. In Europe, the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS)]], created based on the [[Chiefs_of_Staff_Committee|British Chiefs of Staff Committee]], had smoothed over these coordination problems and became President Roosevelt's principal military advisors.<ref name="OSDHistVol1" />

The JCS became a key source of advocacy for creating a single unified military department after the war. Following studies by the JCS Joint Strategic Survey Committee on ways to resolve joint roles and missions problems, George Marshall published a memo in support of postwar unification on November 2, 1942. Marshall's memo called for the following:<ref name="OSDHistVol1" />

* Reorganizing the Navy and War Departments into a single department led by a civilian secretary
* Creating an independent air force under the new department
* Creating an independent supply service under the new department
* Placing each of the four services under a civilian secretary and a military chief of staff
* Creating a "United States General Staff" made up of the four service chiefs plus a chief of staff to the President.