Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., provided more detail Thursday on what changes he hoped to make to the military’s organizational structure this year, including examining if the current geographical combatant commands are still needed.
McCain gave some examples of what he would be looking at, including whether three services need a medical corps or whether that can be consolidated.
He also questioned the need for both a U.S. Northern Command and a U.S. Southern Command, divided along an arbitrary line.
“Why should there be an arbitrary line at the Mexico/Guatemala border?” McCain told reporters at a Defense Writers Group breakfast in Washington.
He also questioned why the headquarters of U.S. Africa Command is located in Stuttgart, Germany.
“Is that what we had in mind when we formed an AFRICOM?” he asked.
Combatant commands are regional military structures that direct troops from all services. For example, U.S. Central Command overseas joint military operations in the Middle East.
The reforms are part of a broader effort to make updates to Goldwater Nichols, the 30-year-old law that governs how the top of the military works. Both McCain and his counterpart in the House, Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, have committed to making changes to both the military’s structure and its sluggish acquisition system this year.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter also said when he rolled out the fiscal 2017 defense budget that the Pentagon is willing to work with Congress to make changes.
McCain said acquisition reform will be a priority for him in fiscal 2017 as well as he asks for at least a $17 billion increase in defense spending to reach the amount the administration expected to spend in last year’s estimate. The senator said it’s difficult to ask for more money when the Pentagon’s acquisition projects regularly experience cost over runs in the billions of dollars.
“It’s hard for me to ask for $17 billion more when we build an aircraft carrier that costs $2 billion more than it was supposed to,” he said.
