Evening star., 1948-03-10
Our Military Weakness

1t Is good thing that the public hear
ings planned by the Senate Armed Services
Committee apparently will deal with more
than the single question of the need for
universal military training. For in the
present state OF the world we ought to be
thinking very seriously about great deal
more than this one controversial matter.
To say that the subject of UNIT is con-
troversial is not to imply belief that
there is any merit to most of the objec-
tions raised against it. On the contrary,
most of the objections, in the light of the
world as it is today, are downright silly.
There is some substance to the objection
Or perhaps one might better say the
fear-that the cost of UNIT would be taken
out of the funds needed by other military
arms. Senator Taft is one of those who
has said that UNIT, If adopted, will be
financed on this basis. And if that is true
If it is necessary that the Army, Navy
or Air Force, already short of funds, be
cut back still further, to pay for UNIT
then it is probable that, from the stand
point of our overall defensive strength,
adoption of UNIT would do more harm
than good. But this, of course, is neither
necessary nor true. If Senator Taft can
not see the threat to our security that is
building up in the world, If he wants to
treat the budget as our greatest problem,
that is his privilege. But the Congress
does not have to follow him down that
disastrous blind alley. And if Congress
adopts UNIT program it can and should
insist that it be paid for without any
further weakening of the other branches
of our military establishment.
OF even greater weight however, is the
strong probability that UNIT, whatever
hope 1t may once have offered, would fall
far short today Of meeting our minimum
requirements for national security.
In the light Of political considerations,
1t may be that it is futile to ask for more
than UNIT program. 1t ought to be
made perfectly clear, however, that in the
immediate future, at least, there is no
security for the United States in UNIT.
There is danger that adoption of UNIT
would lull the people into believing that
the country is safe. That Is not true, and
we should guard against any such false
psychology
The danger today is the danger of war
with Russia. And If war should come
soon 1t would find us tragically weak. We
are short of men in the armed services.
For the Army, Congress authorized $4,000
men, the budget provided funds for $50, 900,
and the actual strength Is $4,000. The
comparable figures for the Air Force are
$4,000 authorized, 100000 budgeted, and
346,000 actually enrolled For the Navy it
Is 664,00O authorized, $4,000 budgeted, and
476,0O0 enrolled
All of this means that the volunteer
system has fallen down. and this deficiency
in manpower cannot be made good through
UNIT since it does not extend to active
service. In word, our available men are
spread around the world We are strong
nowhere and weak everywhere. That is
dangerous, very dangerous situation
for country facing the risk of war with
a nation possessing the actual, as dis
tinguished from potential military power
of the Soviet Union
When Senator Gurney's committee be-
gins its hearings these are aspects of our
problem which ought to be explored as
fully as possible. If this Government-and
that includes the Congress- the military
establishment and the administration
really wants the people of this country to
support adequate military preparedness it
ought to put the facts before them.