110 STAT. 400 PUBLIC LAW 104-106—FEB. 10, 1996 a number of executive branch legislative proposals and congressional initiatives over a period of years. (2) The May 1995 report of the congressionally mandated Commission on Roles and Missions of the Armed Forces included a number of recommendations relating to the Office of the Secretary of Defense. (3) The Secretary of Defense has decided to create a special Department task force and to conduct other reviews to review many of the Commission's recommendations. (4) The Secretary of Defense has decided to institute a 5 percent per year reduction of civilian personnel assigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, including the Washington Headquarters Service and the Defense Support Activities, for the period from fiscal year 1996 through fiscal year 2001. (5) Over the ten-year period from 1986 through 1995, defense spending in real dollars has been reduced by 34 percent and military end-strengths have been reduced by 28 percent. During the same period, the number of civilian employees of the Office of the Secretary of Defense has increased by 22 percent. (6) To achieve greater efficiency and to revalidate the role and mission of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, a comprehensive review of the organizations and functions of that Office and of the personnel needed to carry out those functions is required. (b) REVIEW.— The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a further review of the organizations and functions of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, including the Washington Headquarters Service and the Defense Support Activities, and the personnel needed to carry out those functions. The review shall include the following: (1) An assessment of the appropriate functions of the Office and whether the Office of the Secretary of Defense or some of its component parts should be organized along mission lines. (2) An assessment of the adequacy of the present organizational structure to efficiently and effectively support the Secretary in carrying out his responsibilities in a manner that ensures civilian authority in the Department of Defense. (3) An assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of the use of political appointees to fill the positions of the various Under Secretaries of Defense, Assistant Secretaries of Defense, and Deputy Under Secretaries of Defense. (4) An assessment of the extent of unnecessary duplication of functions between the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Staff. (5) An assessment of the extent of unnecessary duplication of functions between the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the military departments. (6) An assessment of the appropriate number of positions referred to in paragraph (3) and of Deputy Assistant Secretaries of Defense. (7) An assessment of whether some or any of the functions currently performed by the Office of Humanitarian and Refugee Affairs are more properly or effectively performed by another agency of Government or elsewhere within the Department of Defense.
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