The Washington times., 1923-04-04
BY ADMIRAL MARK KERR,


G. B., M. VvO.
written for international News Service.
LONDON, April 4.-Most people
will continue to consider that STRAIT.
egy Is 4 complicated science. one
has to go on repeating to oneself
that strategy 10 common sense ap-
piled to imagination, and the same
fundamental laws govern strategy
Of the air, strategy Of football.
strategy Of the sea. strategy of
cricket, stretegy Of the land. and
the strategy Of card playing.
SO there IL no excuse for people
negiecting to look out for their own
safety In an understanding way. Il
there any child who cannot be
taught that an airplane can leave
q foreign country 500 miles away
and arrive with e bomb over q
London factory in five hours. trav.
cling at the rate OF 100 miles an
hour; ana Is there any child who
cannot understand that an army
cannot come to that factory from
the foreign country In anything
like the same time, or that all the
land TO this objective?
Tell the child these things, and
he win at once understand who Is
wartime. It will then be apparent
to him, without any further ex.
PLANTATION, that the air force can
destroy factories long before the
army and navy together can hope
to do 30. That win be his first
Points In Reasoning.
Next explain to him that ships,
arms. munitions. tanks. airplanes
and all other necessities Of war are
made in factories, and It viii again
Jump to his intelligence that to de-
stroy factories and communications
Is the first object Of an enemy.
And 20 his next idea win be cor
rect and viii occur to him without
prompting: IF the air force Of
the enemy can knock US out before
the navy or army comes in, the
first money we should spend should
be on the air"
There Is nothing abstrnse in the
above reasoning, and It is tncontro-
verubIe. You have only to imagine
what Is the most unpleasant thing
the enemy can do to you and then
do 1t to him instead, or render IL
impossible for him to do 1t to you.
II am always trying to think what
the other fellow Is doing on the
other side Of the hill" was what
the great Duke OF WELLINGTON said.
a. an example Of what imagination
should do in relation to strategy.
Must Save DrasticaIIy.
Great Britain has got to econo-
mtze, and yet we have got to be
safe. How can this best be done?
different managers, each working
on his own plan. without co-ordina.
tion7 Yet that Is what we are try
ing to do with our fighting services.
In the late war we never began to
win until we reduced the number Of
different commanders. and in prepa-
ration for war as well as during il.
q single command IL necessary for
efficiency and economy.
I am sure that a single minister
Of war or minister of defense, which
ever title 10 preferred, IL the most
economical -and efficient In both
peace and war.
There should be one ministry d.
recting the whole campaign. IL II is
going to succeed. Imagine a Rugby
football team hoping to win with
one captain directing the forwards,
another directing the halves and q
third In charge Of the backs! And
yet that IL how we propose going to
war and practicfnR for IL In oexca
People Should Be Told.
Our duty is cIear-to teach the
people so that they will insist ON a
national insurance Of safety from
attack being kept up.
That a ministry OF war or de.
tense should be established, 30 that
money should not be wasted on one
arm and over.economized on another,
and that single command In wartime
and single direction in peace time
should instantly become the prin-
pciple Of our combined fighting ser
vices.
And, lastly, that the hopeless state
Of our air services, both military
and commercial, should be held UP
continually to the eyes of the people
so that they may insist on the en-
pire and the country being put IA a
proper state Of defense from the
peril which is imminent, until such
time that our weaknesses are no
longer apparent to the whole world.