Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-13
ARMY SPLIT seen
OVER AIR DEFENSE
Airmen Favor Separate Or
ganization, While General
Staff Opposes.
ARGUMENTS ADVANCED
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Serious differences of opinion which
| affect very vitality the future defense
of the United States have arisen be-
| the general staff of the Army on the
one hand and on the other the ma
jority Of the men now on this side
Of the ocean who helped win the war
by aerial combat in France. With
the airmen stand no less authorities
| than Marshal Foch, Gen. Pershing.
| Admiral Beatty. Sir Douglas Haig.
| Winston Churchill and the chiefs OF
air service in France, Italy and Great
Britain.
Most Of the men who have had ex-
perience overseas believe the lessons
| of Ave years of mistakes in aviation
require the setting up of an indie
pendent air service which shall CO.
operate with the land or naval forces
| in time of war, as required, but wnlcn
shall be trained separately. Assistant
Secretary of War Crowell, who has
just returned from Europe. after in
| terviews with the leading generals
admirals and statesmen abroad, pre-
scented unanimous report on benal1
of himself and his colleagues advo-
eating such a step. But Secretary
Baker, Influenced strongly by views OF
the general staff of the Army. has
| turned it down. Senator New. repub-
lican, has introduced q bill in line with
1t would appear that the natural
| line Of cleavage would be fer the re.
| publican Congress OF take the SIDE OF
men like Gen. Pershing and the air
pilots who have seen service overseas
and the views of the experts abroad
| who believe aircraft of prime lmpor-
lance to future defense.
Both Sides of Argument.
Secretary Baker turns down the
Crowell report with this observation
The mission has in my judgment
gone too far in suggesting a single
centralized air service. Military pilots
are trained to fight singly or in for
nation and to operate in co-ordlna-
| itary service. so that their training
| must be military. Their own EN-
cheney and that of the other branches
| of the service depends upon the most
intense and constant associated train
| ing, and a separation Of the air serv-
Quire coordination OF their activities
| in time of war whereas effectiveness
in military operation rests upon the
concentration and singleness OF au-
| tnOTlty, comM6nQ anu puTpooc.
To this the airmen reply that OF
course the aviation service would ope.
| rate under a single command in time
Of war just as the Navy or Marine
Corps do whenever Joint operations
are necessary, but that there is nc
more reason for keeping the Army
\ and the air seSvice-the weapons OF
| the land and the air-combined an6
| associated than there is to keep LAND
and sea instrumentalities together
] They argue, moreover, that with the
infantry, artillery and other importan!
branches OF military operation on land
| to take care of. the air service would
! again be lost sight Of as it was in the
\ recent war and that America will
4 be left far behind other nations which
are concentrating on aerial warfare
| Indeed, the airmen argue that the
| dominate the air will be able to over
come armies and naviee, too, by bonn
| bardment from above.