Background on SJR 22

Memo

To: Senator Tim Kelly, Senator Robin Taylor

From: Chris Nelson, (907) 465-3865

Re: the Quadrennial Review

In 1993, the new Secretary of Defense, Les Aspin, initiated a comprehensive review and evaluation of the Department of Defense's policies and operations with the goal of making them more responsive to the changing post-Cold War world. This action became known as the Bottom Up Review because it looked at every aspect of DoD activities. It considered military doctrine, force structure, weapons systems, acquisitions procedures, research and development programs, personnel issues, and every other facet of our Armed Forces. The Bottom Up Review required each of the services to address these issues and develop recommendations for improved operations based on their findings.

The results of the Bottom Up Review and the response to its findings were considered to be so positive that military planners recommended that the process be institutionalized and conducted on a regular basis. Secretary Aspin's successor, William Perry, accepted this recommendation and directed that the process be repeated every four years. Today, four years after the original Bottom Up Review, the DoD is repeating the process and calling it the Quadrennial Review. It is expected that the next "Quad" Review will be conducted in 2001 and every four years thereafter.

The Quad Review is being conducted by a committee which reports directly to the Secretary of Defense. The committee is attempting to keep its activities confidential until its final report is published in order to limit the opportunities of affect interest groups to influence its findings. Nevertheless, as the committee tasks the services to provide information, a picture of its areas of interest and emphasis is starting to emerge. It appears that the Quad Review will address base structure-force structure alignment issues and could make recommendations for further base closures.

The Quad Review's activity in the base structure issue is paralleled by another related study entitled Vision 21. This effort was begun as a one-time initiative with a much narrower in scope than the Quad Review. It is focused on site utilization, assets, and opportunities to consolidate activities such as laboratories and training programs. There has been some speculation that Vision 21's activities will be consolidated with the Quad Review.

The phrases heard most often in discussions of the Quad Review are: "Everything's one the table," and "There are no Sacred Cows." No aspect of DoD operations and activities are off-limits to the committee conducting the review. The committee is setting its own procedures and guidelines as it gathers and evaluates information. The target for publication of the committee's report and recommendations is May.