"In this book a retired US Army colonel and military historian takes a fresh look at Dwight D. Eisenhower's lasting military legacy, in light of his evolving approach to the concept of unified command. 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."--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.