Evening star., 1948-12-30
A Reossurinq Defense Report


report by Defense Secretary Forrestal
covering the first fifteen months OF unfit
cation is reassuring to those who have
been disturbed by persistent evidences OF
dissension in the National Military Estab-
lishment. Mr. Forrestal freely admits that
all is not yet sweetness and light at the
Pentagon, but his review of developments
since passage of the merger law shows
clearly that good progress has been made
toward building a formidable, smooth
running military machine.
Mr., ForreStal has taken stock OF his
consolidated but still sprawling organiza-
ton and found 1t to be basically sound,
despite weaknesses in men and materials.
In his own estimate of the state of national
security he is convinced that the policies
and functions of the departments and
agencies concerned are being integrated
and co-ordinated; that the unification OF
the Army, Navy and Air Force into an
effective combat team is proceeding as
rapidly as could be reasonably expected;
that all three services are in a better
position to perform their missions than
they were before the National Security Act
became law; and that this Nation, there
fore, is able to a greater extent to
implement its policies, If need should arise,
with military power"
The report does not attempt to hide
what everybody has learned through press
and radio, namely, that all of this has
been accomplished only after much inter-
service sauabblng and jockeying for posi-
80 nofo
Secretary refers candidly to the dispute
between the Air Force and the Navy over
such issues as strategic bombing and super
aircraft carriers-a dispute which he
considers to be the natural result of
budgetary limitations that restrict the
spending of both branches. Mr.. Forrestal
reiterates what he told both services at
the Key West conferenee-that AF bombers
and Navy carriers both are essential to
victory in any war in the foreseeable
future, and that the utmost resources and
energies of all three armed services must
be pooled for combat. %.
But Mr.. ForreStal asserts that greater
progress could have been made If the
language of the National Security Act of
1947 had not limited his authority over
the three members of the defense team
This limitation recently was criticized also
by Hoover Commission task force, which
recommended that the Defense Secretary
be given much wider powers than he now
has to enforce full compliance with unfit
cation policies. There is no doubt that
he has been handicapped by ambiguous
wording in parts Of the merger law. The
statute gives him general authority of
an overall nature, which has been
interpreted as restraining him in digging
to the roots of service differences. Mr.
Forrestal wants-and should be given
more than general authority as a
mediator.
He also suggests that he be given the
services of an Undersecretary of Defense,
to relieve him of much of the detail of
direction, authority and control" and
that the Joint Chiefs of Staff be given
head" either through election of chair
man or appointment of another officer to
that post. These and other recommended
tions of Mr.. Forrestal and of the Hoover
Commission presumably will bring about
a revision Of the law that should promote
better integration of the services and
better teamwork. Since this Is matter
Of national security, Congress should put
this revision program high on its priority
list for the new session.