Evening star., 1945-06-11
Defense Policy Council
Seen Needed by u. S.
Army and Navy Should Know
Commitments, Says Observer

Army and Navy Should Know
Commitments, Says Observer
By David Laurence
Americas participation in a world
league to maintain peace is now assured
and 1t means obligations In the realm of
defense which cannot be left to coniec-
ture from year to year. Hence the Army
and the Navy are somewhat puzzled as
to what size the military force or arma-
ment must be and how much money can
be spent hereafter for these purposes.
What are the commitments? Must the
United States maintain large enough
Army to be able to go overseas imne-
oiately On the outbreak of a major
crisis? How large must the Navy bep
These questions are of the kind that
officers OF the Army and Navy have in
the past found it difficult to answer,
Ihese commanders have had to guess at
American requirements and make as
sumptlons as to the extent of the de-
fense problem. Why should this be left
to guesswork from year to year? Why
should not the United States have a
defense policy?
There has been much talk about a
consolidation of the War and NAVY De-
partments. This doesn't begin to scratch
the surface of the problem of national
safety What really is needed is an Or
ganlzatlon composed of the United
States joint chiefs of staffs and policy
making officers from the State Depart
ment as we'll as from the civilian side
OF the War and Navy Departments.
Such council on defense policy should
be required to meet together and report
to the President of the United States
periodically. 1t should define the scope
OF our defense. requirements in the light
OF national policy
Careless Misstatements.
There has recently been tendency to
say carelessly that the United States has
had mo foreign policy" This is mis-
statement of condition of affairs
which might better be described as the
absence of a co-ordinated body of for
eign policy makers. For we have always
had foreign policy-only 1t has been
made opportunistically from year TO
year by some bright, young men in the
State Department who prepare the fun
damental memoranda based on a super
f1c1al knowledge of the foundations of
national power and too often Influenced
by congenital habit of disregarding
the advice of military men.
Yet when war clouds appear on the
horizon these same diplomatic officers
make commitments for which the mill
tary side Of our Government has not
been given an adequate opportunity to
prepare.
Should the Philippines have been
prepared for defense? Should Guam
have been fortified? Should our naval
forces have been divided as between
the Atlantic and Pacific? Should the
United States Navy have been given
enough aircraft carriers and Marines
to permit of extensive amphibious op-
erations? These are questions that
| should have been asked frequently In
| the decade prior to 1885, and answered
by defense policy council consisting
| OF the best minds of the executive and
| legislative branches of our Govern
! ment.
AS matter of fact the United States
might have prevented the entry of
Japan into this war if plans for a two
ocean Navy had not been repeatedly
brushed aside, even by some high naval
officials who mistakenly assumed that
the United States would not under
take the defense of the Philippines
and who never figured on a japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor as they con-
sented to the depletion of our Pacific
Fleet for use in the Atlantic. The very
year it was apparent that Japan would
join some day with Italy and Germany
there was need for a change in our
defense policy and an immediate en-
largement of our Navy.
Pan-American Defense.
In the so-called postwar world, ma
tional policy should be formulated q
long time in advance. We know al
! ready. for instance, that defense Of
the pan-American countries is COM
mitment. This can be accomplished pri-
marily by seapower, which includes
airpower, surface power and undersea
power as well as amphibous troops.
We know also that we must keep any
potential enemy from approaching our
shores by way Of Africa, Alaska or any
| overseas vantage point in the Atlantic
or the Pacific. But apparently the
Army and Navy today are to guess at
American commitments from a reading
OF the newspapers.
Unfortunately it has happened that
when naval officer appears before a
congressional committee and tells the
truth about the dangers that face us
he is called an alarmist or reprimanded.
1t would be a much safer plan all
around if Congress or the President
created defense policy council. Then
the American people might be prepared
to prevent or thwart any possible at
tacks on the United States, thus saving
! perhaps tens of thousands of lives, as
our unpreparedness in the Pacific al
ready has cost lis