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PUBLIC LAW 85-599-AUG. 6, 1958

[72

STAT.

Public Law 85-599 August 6, 1958 [ H. R. 12541]

AN ACT To promote the national defense by providing for reorganization of the Department of Defense, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the jjDe^partfnent of United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may zationAct o°T958. be cited as the "Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1958". A M E N D I N G THE DECLARATION OF POLICY

63 Stat. 579.

SEC. 2. Section 2 of the National Security Act of 1947, as amended (50 U.S.C. 401), is further amended to read as follows: "SEC. 2. In enacting this legislation, it is the intent of Congress to provide a comprehensive program for the future security of the United States; to provide for the establishment of integrated policies and procedures for the departments, agencies, and functions of the Government relating to the national security; to provide a Department of Defense, including the three military Departments of the Army, the Navy (including naval aviation and the United States Marine Corps), and the Air Force under the direction, authority, and control of the Secretary of Defense; to provide that each military department shall be separately organized under its own Secretary and shall function under the direction, authority, and control of the Secretary of Defense; to provide for their unified direction under civilian control of the Secretary of Defense but not to merge these departments or services; to provide for the establishment of unified or specified combatant commands, and a clear and direct line of command to such commands; to eliminate unnecessary duplication in the Department of Defense, and particularly in the field of research and engineering by vesting its overall direction and control in the Secretary of Defense; to provide more effective, efficient, and economical administration in the Department of Defense; to provide for the unified strategic direction of the combatant forces, for their operation under unified command, and for their integration into an elficient team of land, naval, and air forces but not to establish a single Chief of Staff over the armed forces nor an overall armed forces general staff." S T R E N G THE N I N G THE D I R E C T I O N, AUTHORITY, A N D CONTROL OF THE SECRETARY OF D E F E N S E

63 Stat. 580. Transfer of functions, etc.

SEC. 3. (a) Section 202(c) of the National Security Act of 1947, as ^imended (5 U.S.C. 171a (c)), is amended to read as follows: "(c)(1) Within the policy enunciated in section 2, the Secretary of Defense shall take appropriate steps (including the transfer, reassignment, abolition, and consolidation of functions) to provide in the Department of Defense for more effective, efficient, and economical administration and operation and to eliminate duplication. However, except as otherwise provided in this subsection, no function which has been established by law to be performed by the Department of Defense, or any officer or agency thereof, shall be substantially transferred, reassigned, abolished, or consolidated until the expiration of the first period of thirty calendar days of continuous session of the Congress following the date on which the Secretary of Defense reports the pertinent details of the action to be taken to the Armed Services Committees of the Senate and of the House of Representatives. If during such period a resolution is reported by either of the said committees stating that the proposed action with respect to the transfer, reassignment, abolition, or consolidation of any function should be

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