Reform Time

House members are expected to unveil legislation this week aimed at tackling the perennial issue of interagency reform. While most officials would agree the U.S. government must do a better job working in concert to solve today’s national security problems, they'd likely also concede there's been little progress toward that goal. Members of the Project on National Security Reform, who have been developing solutions since 2006, thought a breakthrough was afoot when newly elected President Obama picked Jim Jones and other experts affiliated with the group to serve in top national-security related slots. But with two wars going on and an economic crisis ravaging the country, interagency reform was unable to rise to the top of the new administration's agenda.

The effort could get a new boost this week, as House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) and Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY) are slated on Thursday to unveil a bill to "overhaul interagency national security coordination," according to an statement from Skelton's office. The lawmakers view the legislation as "the largest reform since the 2004 reorganization of the intelligence community," the statement reads.