Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-02-02


ments of the Army, air force and
Navy, each headed by a secretary
having direct access to the Presi-
dent. The British counterparts are
the Secretaries of State for War and
for Air, and the First Lord of the
Admiralty.
The American plan provides that
each of the three services retain its
own military chief, corresponding to
present Army Chief of Staff Eisen-
hover, Chief of Naval Operations
Nimitz and Air Force Commander
Spaatz. British opposites are Field
Marshal Montgomery, Admiral Cum
ningham and Air Marshal Tedder.
Our secretary of national defense
would head, with power of deci-
sion," a war council composed of
Secretaries of the Army, Navy and
air force, the military chiefs of the
three services, and the chief of staff
to the President if that Office exists.
The British Defense Minister pre-
sides over a somewhat similar coun-
ell, called the Defense Committee.
Seeks Economy, Efficiency.
A major objective of unified con-
troll is to increase economy and eff
cheney. Congress may provide for a
single agency under the secretary
of defense to procure common sup
plies for the three services. The
British Defense Minister apportions
available resources between the
army, navy and air force and ties
together production programs. He
settles questions of general admin
istration on which common policy
for the three services is desired.
The British are studying the
advisability of forming combined
organization for certain ordnance
functions. They also are consider
ing combining the military medical
services. A unified Medical Corps
is a possibility in the American set
up, but no official recommendations
have been made for such a merger.
The Russian unified command is
simpler than the British or Amer
lean plan. Premier Stain himself
is the defense boss, directly in over
all command of the military chiefs
of the army, navy and air force.
There are no civilian secretaries at
the heads of the three services.@
During the war Stain had COM
mand of the army and air forces.
The navy technically remained I'M
der Admiral of the Fleet Nikolai
Kuznetzov, although he was subject
to orders Of the Defense Committee,
of which Stain was the active head.
In the reorganization last year the
navy commissariat was incorporated
into the unified defense commits
sariat.
German System "Topheavy."
The German unified command was
"topheavy," according to the Brit
ish. At the top was the Fuhrer
with absolute authority and close.
contact with the military. Then
came the Oberkommando der Wehr-
macht (OKW), Nazi-dominated
board of military braintrusters
which co-ordinated the strategy of
the army, navy and air force. At
the head of this board was Gen.
Keitel, Hitler's chief of staff.
When the British announced
their unified command plan, they
emphasized the Importance of the
chiefs of staff of the three services
in preparing strategic plans. They
said the German system failed be-
cause the planning staff of the
Oberkommando was not drawn from
headquarters of the operating
ground, air and navy forces.
The British hold that the plans
produced by the German OKW and
handed to the operating headquar-
tiers often were found to be imprac-
tical.
The American plan recognizes the
Importance of air power by giving
the air force for the first time an
equal status with the Army and the
Navy. The Royal Air Force of
Britain has been a separate organi-
zation since 1918. The British say
there were errors of coordination
between the three services in the
recent war, and they hope to remedy
these by Capitalization of the whole
defense organization.
The secretary of national defense
will have the responsibility of di-
recting preparations for push
button" warfare. However, the de-
tense will have to be built with
views to the possibility that war
might come tomorrow, five years
from tomorrow or 10 years hence.
Thus the ctangeover to push-button
plans will have to come gradually,
with certain parts of present mill
Itary organizations retained until a
push button substitute for them is
lfound-if 1t ever is.
distributed hy the Associated PrssA,