Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-11-16
Eisenhower Statement on Military Merqer

n SSI1ISIS VII HuBt1
of one or more of the services in
volved. But the matter was urgent
and decisions had to be made under
the press Of circumstances
I submit that the result proved
such fears to be groundless and each
Of these services is now proud of
the part 1t played in the unified, bal
anced force which decisively de-
feated what was considered the most
formidable force We and our Allies
had ever encountered. have no
doubt that once the step is taken
here, the same result will follow.
German Unity Refuted.
At one time l was an infantry
man, but l have long since forgot
ten that fact under the responsible
ity of commanding combined arms.
I have heard it said, too, that
Nazi Germany had single military
department and that it brought her
defeat. The facts are that Germany
never had such single department
or even unity of direction except in
the Fuehrer himself. On the con-
trary, the Luftwaffe was command
ed by Reichsmarshal Goering, who
was second only to Hitler, and the
successive chiefs of the German gen.
eral staff were never able to achieve
anything approaching unity OF d.
rection of the three components OF
the Nazi fighting machine.
One of the major contributing
factors. to the Nazi defeat was the
utter lack of unified direction over
the Luftwaffe and the Wehrmacht,
both in the Mediterranean and In
Europe.
Problem Considered Carefully.
I have carefully considered this
problem, both from the basis of my
experience as chief of operations of
the War Department, and as an Al
lied commander of combined forces.
am convinced that unless we have
unity Of direction in Washington
through the years of peace that lie
ahead, we may enter another emer-
gency, in a time to come, as we did
at Pearl Harbor.
1t is in time of peace that this Ma
ton must preserve a balanced. ade-
quate measure of our land, sea and
air power lest we lost the peace we
have so dearly bought. ~ -
We have learned by hard expert
ence that the Nations security es-
tablishment Is, in fact, a single
fighting team composed of three SER
vices each supplementing the other
in proper balance. It must mean
that it Is now necessary to so organ
lie that we can obtain q we'll
rounded annual program. The
need is for efficiency. economy, 81
multaneous overall consideration of
the requirements and the maximum
pooling of talent. What is required
OF lis in war we must prepare to do
in peace.
Summarizes Argument.
In conclusion, I should like to
summarize for you the reasons
which impel me to conclude that
We must now establish single ex-
executive department to preside
over three co-equal and autonomous
fighting arms:
l. It is essential In order that
there may be a well-rounded mill
tary program which insures for us
The maximum protection for each
dollar appropriated.
2. 1t is not feasible to arrive at
the size or composition of each arm
without simultaneously considering
the others. Each arm supplements
the other and no single service can
be independently considered.
3. The national security is safe
guarded only if the security estab-
lishment is fashioned, trained anc
administered under single direction
by single department.
Atom Makes Training Vital.
4. The era of atomic weapons
pilotless missiles makes unity O
concept, indoctrination and train
ing more necessary than ever.
5. The pooling of talent In tn
field of scientific research and de
velopment is an absolute necessity
Only through single department
can co-ordinated development o
new weapons be assured.
6. There is the absolute need 10
economy in administration if we are
as a Nation, to afford an adequat
security establishment. So long a
there are two executive department
in Washington instead of one, W
will continue to be harassed with TIL
needless extravaganza of double ad
ministration, overlapping duplica
tons, differing standards and com
petitiye procurement.
Warns Of Patch Work Security.
| z. II we do not integrate the exec
utive management of the three mem
bers OF our fighting team, our post
war security establishment will be