Chiefs of Staff and, by extension, the Vice Chairman. Under his direction, the JROC's scope broadened to include programming; the commanders in chief of the unified commands (CINCs) became direct participants in the JROC process; and that process was integrated into the Defense Department's planning, programming, and budgeting system (PPBS). Owens also sought congressional support for his initiatives. As a result, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996 amended the Goldwater-Nichols Act to give statutory authority to the JROC and designated the JCS Chairman as its chairman, allowing him to delegate the position only to the Vice Chairman.

Admiral Owens chose to retire at the end of one term as Vice Chairman. His tenure had greatly increased both the authority and the visibility of the Vice Chairman's position and expanded the military's role in defense programming. His ideas, especially his advocacy

of greater reliance on high technology, were controversial and inspired considerable debate, which continued beyond his tenure as Vice Chairman.

After his retirement on 29 February 1996 Owens became vice chairman of the board and then president of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), the nation's largest employee-owned high-technology company. In late 1998 he was named vice chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Teledesic Holdings, Ltd., part of a new firm founded by corporate leaders in the hightechnology field to deploy a network of satellites to provide a range of telecommunications services worldwide. He became co-chief executive officer of the parent company, Teledesic, in April 1999. Owens also wrote a second book, Lifting the Fog of War, presenting his ideas on the role of advanced technology in future warfare.