A reforma Goldwater-Nichols e a reetruturação militar chinesa: uma comparação dos modelos de integração e comando conjunto

Abstract

This dissertation presents a comparative analysis of the military reforms carried out by the United States, through the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986, and by China, under the leadership of Xi Jinping’s between 2015 and 2020. The research aims to understand how these reforms affected the operational capability of the armed forces of both countries, considering the growing relevance of joint warfare in high-intensity conflict scenarios. The study adopts Aaron Jackson’s theoretical model of the Four Aspects of Jointness, which offers a structured framework of evaluating progress across operational, organizational, educational and doctrinal dimensions. The findings show that while both nations aimed to enhance jointness among military branches, their approaches were markedly different: the United States adopted a decentralized and institutionally consolidated model tested in real combat, whereas China pursued a centralized reform effort that remains in a transitional phase. A comparative understanding of both models demonstrates how institutional arrangements, command structures, and organizational cultures directly influence the development of interoperability among military branches. By applying a common theoretical framework to both cases, the study identifies patterns of convergence and divergence in how each country structured its joint operational capability, considering their political, doctrinal and geostrategic particularities. This analysis contributes to a broader understanding of institutional reform in military contexts, highlighting the complexity of integration processes among individual service branches in 21st century defense structures·