Evening star., 1948-04-11

machinery.
Universal military service is essen
tial in countries like Russia, wher,
the armed forces have to train tn,
backward nationalities which exis
1 in the Soviet Union. It is also essen
tial in Western European countries
where people are less mechanical,
inclined than in the United States
The next military effort will b,
almost exclusively mechanical
Tanks, planes and mechanizee
forces require a mechanical mental.
Iity. Countries where the automo.
bile is still luxury must special,
train tank crews to make minol
repairs in the field without waitinl
for a mechanic to come along
The young American also has 2
sufficiently high 10 to learn the jol
OF soldering much more quickly
than the youths of other nations
Their quality of leadership-becaust
we are a highly individualistic ma.
tion-also is higher than that of thu
soldiers Of many other countries.
The DANGERS of Conflict
The reluctance of men at the tor
to dot the rs and cross the rs Is
chiefly responsible for the muddlec
thinking in regard 70 this measure
The facts, as seen by many military
experts, are as follows:
We are confronted today by a real
danger of a military conflict with,
the u. S: S. R., the last remaining
expansionist military power in the
world. BY a process of elimination
all the other military powers in
Europe and the Far East have dis
appeared. Germany, the most war
like nation in the world, is down
and out.
Unless the former Reich disap-
pears behind the iron curtain and
is militarized once more by Moscow
leaders, she will not recover from
the blows she has received for at
least so years. France ceased to
be real military power after World
War I. Italy has never been a mill.
tary power.
Britain has partitioned her en-
pire and it will take many years
before her economy will be
sufficiently improved to permit her
to think in military terms. In any
event, Britain has never been mill
taristic and maintained only a
small regular force for the purpose
OF policing the empire, which now
has shrunk substantially.
Russia alone did not lay down her
arms after VI day. Instead she
increased enormously her standing
armies, not only by careful reor-
ganization of the ITS divisions, to
which must be added 20 active ar
tillery divisions, and rs MvD di-
visions. but also by organizing the
forces of her satellites.
Russia Did Not Disarm
Military instruction in the
U. S. S. r. and in other countries
behind the Iron Curtain begins at
l6 and continues. after two or three
years OF service in the regulars
until the age of so, when the men
are removed from the armed forces
rolls. Women remain in the aux
lliary services until the age of AZ.
The situation as it presents itself
today is that we will either have a
war with the only remaining mill
taristic imperialist nation, or the
kremlin will decide to avoid finish
fight with the United States. In
the latter case the selective service
bill with suffice to show Moscow
that we are preparing to fight. UNIT
would not impress the Russians.
But If we do have to fight Russia,
the Nations manpower and indus
trial and economic potential must
be modified. The war may last
longer than is anticipated in some
quarters. Every one knows how it
will end; the chances of victory are
overwhelmingly in our favor. In
spite of our apparent unprepared-
ness, there are plenty of surprises
in store for our antagonists. These
surprises are known to only a very
few in this country and, it is as
sumed, by no one outside the United
States.
Hitler Fate Awaits
In the event that the Kremlin
dictators decide to engage in a
suicidal war, they are capable of in
f1icting deep wounds on the rest of
the world. They will, however, end
in the same way as Hitler and his
cohorts.
Once the last militarists who rule
over some 10000, 900 persons-with-
out counting the satellites-have
been removed, there is every reason
to expect longer period OF peace
in the world than history has ever
witnessed.
The war with Russia-if it occurs
will require a general mobilization
of all Americans, but will make
UNIT superauous. Proponents OF
the measure contend that once the
emergency is over, the UNIT act can
be removed from the statute books
It's opponents say that if the emer-
gency is likely to lead to war, why
place it on the statute books at all?
The $4,000 100000 annually which il
would cost could be better used fol
other defense purposes.
Experienced military men main.
tain that the present emergency car
be met. before shooting war starts
with selective service and, If furthe,
manpower is needed, with the Ma