Evening star., 1948-04-14
Bradley Warns
'0fRedPoteniidl,
Urges Big Army
General Tells Hearing
70 Air Groups Cannot
Be UNIT Substitute
By Robert K. Welsh

Attacking what he termed a
widespread belief" that TO
group Air Force would make
universal military training or q
draft unnecessary, Gen. Bradley,
Army Chief of Staff, today urged
that the Army be built up i'm
mediately to more than $4,000
men because Russian capabili-
ties are quite alarming"
He told the House Armed Serv-
ices Committee that Russia has a
standing Army of ITO divisions and
within 60 days could raise 800 9TH
ers Of its own plus an additional 100
from satellite countries. He added
that it is reasonable to assume"
that Russia has equipment for all
those divisions.
As minimum security steps at this
time, Gen. Bradley said, the Army
should have at least II regular
divisions and trained Reserve di-
visions whether or not the Air Force
is expanded from SIS to 10 groups.
The testimony of the Army Chief
OF Staff differed sharply with that
OF Secretary OF Air Symington who
testified in reply to committee ques-
tions yesterday that 70-group Air
Force was preferable to UNIT.
Draft Held Essential Now.
The administrations recent re-
quest for military establishment
increases was based on a 55-group
Air Force. Secretary OF Defense
Forrestal, in testifying earlier this
week before the committe, did not
advocate an increase to 10 groups.
Gen. Bradley declared that the
alternative to UNIT lis not TO
groups, ITO groups or 1000 groups"
He declared the draft is essential
now to build up the armed forces to
a reasonable" strength in view OF
present world conditions. UNIT is
essential, he said, as long range
program to assure trained reserve.
If the Air Force is increased to
70 groups, Gen. Bradley explained,
the Army will need at least another
$4,000 men for supplementary serv-
ices. If UNIT were put in operation.
the Army would need about $4,000
men to train the youths in that pro-
gram, he estimated.
Army Will Need $4,000.
Thus, he said. the Army would
require an overall total of not less
than 2,000, including the 822, 200,
as compared with the $4,000 1t
has today and $4,000 recommended
by the administration.
Gen. Bradley's reference to Russia
came in reply to committee ques-
tiof1s. He reported that the United
States had 30 divisions at the end of
the war, but today has equipment
for only 20. He explained that "a
lot of equipment had to be left
overseas because we demobilized so
fast that we couldn't even guard it. -
The Russians, on the other hand,
had about 500 army divisions during
the war, Gen. Bradley continued.
They have demobilized very slowly
and the divisions now classified as
reserves are we'll trained and
equipped, he said.
Unable to Determine Danger.
Russian capabilities are quite
alarming" the Chief of Staff de-
clared. What has us worried is
that we can't put our finger on
whether war might start tomorrow,
or next year, or years from now
or ever. But we must take certain
minimum steps, We in the Army
don't contemplate or visualize the
United States starting the war or
attacking any one first. But if
somebody jumped us, we'd certainly
want to retaliate Immediately"
Urging revival of selective serv-
ice, Gen. Bradley remarked, I'm
afraid the Army will be even smaller
than it is today if we don't get
selective service, and the Army is
too small to be effective now"
Gen. Bradley testified today as
the House prepared to consider a
$2,376, 100000 emergency money bill
reported out yesterday by the House
Appropriations Committee to enable
the Air Force and the Navy Bureau
of Aeronautics to start immediate
spending and contract negotiations
for planes and guided missiles. The
money is an advance on funds that
normally would not have become
available until the start of the fiscal
year July /.
Urges Unification Action.
Congressional advocates of TO-
group Air Force plan to press for
an amendment adding another ST.
00O, 600 900 to enable the Air Force
to start building toward 70-group
goal.
Explaining that he did not op-
pose air power expansion as such,
Gen. Bradley warned that UNIT as
we'll as selective service is essential
(See DEFENSE, Page A-6.)
Revised D. T.. Rule Bill.