Evening star., 1945-10-30
Army Proposes
Single Civilian
Military Head
Service Chiefs Would
Advise Secretary in
Plan Given Congress

GEN. MARSHALL urges immediate
action on strong peace force.
Page A-4
By the Associated Press
The War Department pro-
posed to Congress today that the
Army, Navy and air forces be
placed under a single civilian
secretary of the armed forces. 4"
Under the department head, who
would be advised by military chiefs
of staff and a secretariat of civilian
assistants, the Army proposed this
organization:
1.-The air forces should include
all land-based combat aircraft ex-
ept those allotted to the Army and
Navy for reconnaissance, spotting of
gunf1re, command and messenger
service. The air should retain it's
own service forces.
"The Army would include all COM
bat ground forces other than the
Marine Corps and would have its
own service forces.
1.-THE Navy would include the
United States feet with its air arm,
the Marine Corps and its service
forces"
Military to Direct Each Unit.
Each component apparently would
be directed by military rather
than civilian head, as at present.
1t. Gen. J. Lawton Collins, chief
Of staff of Army ground forces and
a veteran of European campaign
ing, presented the plan to the SEN
ate Military Affairs Committee, for
the War Department.
He asserted the Army was not
proposing to merge" the services,
but to "integrate" them with max
imum autonomy for each.
Gen. Collins statement was the
first detailed public discussion of
the plan to establish at least three
and possibly four assistant secre-
taryships.
Research Cooperation Provided.
A civilian assistant secretary
should be provided ito coordinate
the military program Of scientific
research" with the activities of any
national civilian research agency set
up later and with the great civilian
laboratories of the country, he said.
Each of the three armed forces,
however, would have its own re-
search group to solve its own special
problems. The assistant secretary
would coordinate the work of these
units with outside agencies to pre-
vent "wasteful duplication" of effort.
The Army proposed an assistant
secretary for procurement and in
dustrial mobilization. Working with
that Office. but directly under
the chief of staff of the armed forces
would be another unit, the director
of common supply and hospitaliza-
tion. That officer, said Gen. Collins,
should be responsible for procuring
items needed commonly by all serv-
ices, such as food and blankets.
Civilian to Head News Source.
Gen. Collins statement also sug-
gested civilian assistant secre-
tary to supervise legislative matters
and public information. The Army's
Bureau of Public Relations has been
directed by military personnel of
general officer rank during times of
war.
The fourth department might
handle military intelligence. Gen.
Collins said there can be no ques-
ton" about the need for co-ordina-
ton. He commented that there
probably should be some central in
telligence agency for the Govern
ment as whole, but this is prob
lem beyond the scope of the de-
partment of armed forces ITSELF
Gen. Collins said the Joint Chiefs
of Staf-A wartime agency COM
posed of the high commands of the
Army, Navy, Air Forces and the
White House military chiefs of staff
should be continued. But his
recommendation was that it have
recommending authority only on
military policy, strategy and budget
requirements.
Preparation of an integrated mil
itary budget, he remarked, would
have great advantages" over the
current method of having each serv-
ice submit its own separate budget.
Congress Would Control Funds.
The general said 1t was expected
Congress would continue to fix the
purpose of each item in the appro-
priation so that sit would not be
possible for any willful secretary or
chief of staff of the armed forces, if
either should ever be so foolish as
to pose as man on horseback. to
transfer funds from one component
to another without the express ap-
proval of the Congress.
The plan proposed a rotation sys-
TEN which it said should insure that
no one branch of the service would
dominate military thought. It pro-
vided that the chief of staff to the
President and the chief of staff
Of the armed forces should at no
time come from the same COM
ponent.
1t suggested the chief of staff to
the President serve not more than
two years, and the chief of staff for
the armed forces not more than