Examining Eisenhower's career from his West Point years to the passage of the 1958 Defense Reorganization Act, David Jablonsky explores his efforts to implement a unified command in the US military. This key concept eventually led to the current organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and, almost three decades after Eisenhower's presidency, played a major role in defense reorganization under the Goldwater-Nichols Act. In the new century, Eisenhower's approach continues to animate reform discussion at the highest level of government in terms of the interagency process.-- from the book jacket.

Past as prologue -- Reform and education, 1903-1928 -- Reform and experience, 1929-1941 -- Beginnings of combined and joint command, December 1941-January 1942 -- Unified European Theater command, February-June 1942 -- Unity in theory : London, June-November 1942 -- Testing the theory : North Africa, November 1942-May 1943 -- Unity in practice : Sicily and Italy, May-December 1943 -- Lessons of unity applied : London, January-May 1944 -- Lessons of unity vindicated : Normandy to the Elbe, June 1944-May 1945 -- Unified command in Washington, June 1945-July 1946 -- Creation of the National Security state, July 1946-March 1950 -- Great debate, April 1950-March 1951 -- European command test, February 1951-May 1952 -- Executive reform and the new look : strategic strains on the concept of unified command, 1953 -- Strains deepen : the president and the JCS, 1954-1956 -- Impetus from space : new life for the unified command concept, January 1956-January 1958 -- Reform proposals and congressional gauntlet, January-June 1958 -- Executive-legislative reform : the 1958 Defense Reorganization Act, June-December 1958 -- Unified command legacy : Goldwater-Nichols and beyond.