Evening star., 1944-05-11
Army, Navy Merger
Held Impractical Now
Writer Points to Possible Pitfalls
In Rush to Consolidate
BY Das;id Laurence

Some one spread the story in the last
couple of days that Admiral King had
issued directive ordering his subordi-
mates to prepare for consolidation OF
the armed services. This Just isn't true.
Admiral King has issued no directives
and, Of course. the Joint Chiefs of Staffs
have no authority to issue directives as
to what the Navy Department or the
War Department should do about con-
solidations.
1t Is true that for several months the
Joint Chiefs of Staff have been study
ing the problem and various memoranda
have been written. The broad idea that
there are some units now in the War
and Navy Departments which can be
combined, such as procurement or con-
tract handling, is accepted by most
everybody. But this is something for
the Secretary of the Navy and the Sec
retary of War to determine and recon-
mend to the President for submission to
Congress, where the necessary legisla-
tion would have to be considered.
Navy Stands Together.
The stories spread recently, too, have
somehow confused the position of Ad-
miral King and James Forrestal, the
newly nominated Secretary of the Navy.
Actually there is no difference of opinion
between them. Indeed, the whole Navy
thinks alike on the issue and believes
| that the original approach adopted by
the Joint Chiefs of Staff Is the correct
one. This approach was designed to
make thorough study of war expert
ence and then to recommend legislation
and not to ask for a law now in the
midst of war before commanders in the
field could testify frankly concerning the
mistakes that had been made or the
defects in the liaison between the vari-.
Gus branches of the armed services.
The House Committee on Postwar
Policy wants it understood that it is
merely surveying the situation and try
ing to explore the various issues in
volved but that it has no intention of
upsetting the applicant by insisting on
legislation at once. This is a very sensi-
BILE view to take. Certainly before the
war emergency has ended some plan
should be devised to prevent the Army
and Navy from going their separate
ways when hostilities are over. The uni
fication of command should be retained.
| But this is a step which the President
as commander in chief can take He can
maintain the Joint Chiefs of Staff as a
continuous entity and no change need
| be made in its operational functions.
In fact. the chances are that the Joint
! Chiefs of staff will some day have the
sanction of law as a part of the plan for
| merging certain units of the War and
Navy Departments.
A Separate Air Force?
| The only unfortunate aspect of the
matter is that the War Department has
appeared to be rushing things. This has
led to belief in Navy circles that the
proponents of a separate air force are
anxious to strengthen their position by
securing immediate adoption of the
| three-Service idea-land, sea and air.
| The Navy view, on the other hand, is
that the military aspects of the merger
cannot now be decided and that 1t would
upset the morale of the Navy and Ma
rine Corps, If not certain Army units, to
try to put into effect during war a new
oSAiCAlC VI Ju1LSulCtlOu.
The noncombat activities of the War
and Navy Departments can in certain
instances be consolidated, but it remains
to be seen whether the American peo-
| pie will sanction the vesting of all mill
tary power over all three branches in
one commander who reports only to the
Commander in Chief. 1t remains to be
seen also whether the efficiency of the
individual units in the armed services
can be retained if a civilian secretary
no longer is assigned to the Navy De-
partment as such and civilian secre-
tary to the War Department to sit in the
Presidents cabinet.
So long as the issues involved are kept
in the study and survey stage and no
precipitate plan to launch legislation is
forced into the situation, it is possible
that considerable progress toward the
evolution of practical plan can be
| made. But those who rushed in with
the demand that legislation be passed at
once merging the armed services in a
single department or that a statement
of policy to that effect be adopted by
Congress without working out the de-
tails did not advance the cause of con-
solidation. Happily the House commit
tee has seen the pitfalls and is Begin
ming to explore the situation first before
recommending legislation.
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