In July 1985, the Commission was charged by President Ronald Reagan, Executive Order 12526, July 15, 1985, to conduct a defense management study of important dimension, including:

• the budget process,
• the procurement systen),
• legislative oversight, and
• the organizational and operational arrangements, both formal and informal, among the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Unified and Specified Command systems, the Military Departments, and Congress.

These are the reports of the commission.

Legal Structure of the Defense Organization. Memorandum prepared for the President's Blue Ribbon Commission on Defense Management by John Norton Moore and Robert F. Turner. January 15, 1986

Interim Report to the President. February 28, 1986

Formula for Action: A Report to the President on Defense Acquisition. April 1986

National Security Planning and Budgeting. June 1986

Conduct and Accountability: A Report to the President June 1986

Quest for Excellence: Final Report to the President June 1986 (Includes letters to President Ronald Reagan and Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger from David Packard, Chairman of the Commission)

Quest for Excellence: Appendix Final Report to the President June 1986