Interservice cooperation in acquisition: The case of the C-17

Since passage of the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act, the armed services are expected to conduct themselves in a 'joint' fashion. Although many studies have examined jointness in military operations, few have examined it in acquisition. This thesis fills that gap by evaluating interservice cooperation in the C-17 aircraft program, which is intended to satisfy a joint requirement. The hypothesis that the services have not conducted the C-17 program jointly was tested by examining congressional testimony, letters, and other primary documents, and through confidential interviews with current and former participants in the C-17 program effort. The findings clearly demonstrated that the Army and Air Force have cooperated effectively throughout the program, even though they were not expressly required to do so. Although the C-17 program has been imperfect, it has been sufficiently joint to satisfy both services and the stated requirements.