The Washington times., 1935-01-31

BACKING Of RFC
URGED; SERVICE
CLASHES HIT

War, Navy and Commerce De
partments to bring aviation to
the front rank.
Give aviation the benefit Of
RFC financing wherever pos
sible.
Expand every possible oppor-
tunity for experiment.
The immediate objective of air
force development for the Army
and Navy, the report declares,
should be the filfillment of the
programs recently presented by
the War and Navy Departments
calling for a total of 1920 planes
for the Army and 1910 for the
Navy.
Number Criticized
Although this number of planes
has been criticized severely by
many experts as being far below
the needs of future warfare in
light of the development of air
craft abroad, it would be an 80
per cent increase in total strength
above the present inadequate
level.
Because the present airplane
program appears to lag the Fed
eral Aviation Commission seeks
first to get the present program
going Immediately before taking
up the question of additional
planes.
Both Army and Navy are slap
ped severely for the old jealousies
which have prevented proper CO.
ordination between the two
branches of the nations armed
forces. What is looked for, by the
report, is a superlative air force in
which all the aviation knowledge
of the nation is centered in a
single intelligent control.
The report make no comment
on the present plan to organize a
General Headquarters Air Force,
remarking simply that such a
plan is to be considered expert.
mental and should be allowed to
have fair trial. But the COM
mission believes in placing the
proper value on the airship as q
weapon.
No Longer Auxiliary
The report states:
"There is ample reason to be-
Heve that aircraft have now
passed far beyond their former
position as useful auxiliaries;
and must in the future be con-
sidered and utilized as an i'm.
pOrtant means of exerting di-
rectly the will of the COM
mander-in-chief.
IAN adequate striking force
for use against ObjectiveS both
near and remote is a necessity
for modern army and the pro.
jected General Headquarters
Air Force must be judged with
reference to its effectiveness in
this respect.
eve "have no doubt that
there will be progressive
greater measure of Independent
action of aircraft in military
operation as the capacities of
aircraft increase"
The report urges that both
Army and Navy use every oppor
tunity to develop an effective air
strategy and suggests very
strongly that the time soon may
arrive when there may be further
organization changes. This is
taken to mean that sooner OF
later the air fleet may be under
an entirely separate and indie
pendent command, superceding
both land and water forces, and
under separate control.
Stress independence
Independence of action is
stressed through the military sec
tions of the report. stepping heav
lily on the toes of moss-back naval
Officers who have not yet learned
that the battleship is considered
obsolete by forward looking STRAIT
egists. Along this line the re
port states:
"The present naval Organiza~
tiOn appears to be sufficiently
flexible to develop its air forces
for as much independence
OF action against naval objec.
tiveS as may be feasible.
Bombing and torpedo at
tacks from aircraft carriers al
ready have become a common
feature of naval maneuvers. We
assume they will be extended as
rapidly as the capacities of ex-
listing equipment and the accu.
mutation of experience permit"
Long range flying boats, with
bases on shore, should be devel
oped, the report states, recon
mending flying boats on a large
scale, especially where there Il
sheltered water.
The air forces of the world are
rapidly expanding, the report re
minds Congress. and are being
reorganized and reequipped.
Program Slapped
Says the report, on this score
slapping the antequated program
OF the U. S. A.:
"a program made in 1925 is
no longer adequate either to
the present appreciation of the
military importance Of aircraft
or to the maintenance of the
standing of the United States in
air power"
The commission expresses tht
opinion that while the United
States is not trailing the world il
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