Evening star., 1949-10-14
Defense Department
Itself Has Frustrated
Unification Of Forces
Admiral DenfeId Cove
Facts on Elimination
Of Naval Air Power
Bv David Lawrence

6OulS T.. bGIl6lQ, Cnlel O1 1ldVdl
operations, in his testimony be-
fore the House Armed Services
Committee.
Unless the document is read
through from beginning to the
end, members of Congress and
observers generally will not be
able to understand the surprising
statement that "uniflcation" has
been frustrated in the Office OF
the Department of Defense itself
the very agency created to
bring about uniflcation.
Hitherto there have been ru-
mors and reports. but now the
country is given facts which estab-
lish that there has been a delib-
crate effort to eliminate airpower
from naval operations, along with
an effort to reduce the Navy's op-
portunity to maintain effective
control of the seas.
Likewise, despite the pointed
warnings from Congress, there
has been an effort in the Depart
ment of Defense to eliminate
naval aviation and deprive the
Marine Corps of its opportunity
to maintain an effective service
for amphibious operations.
Navy Not Consulted.
Most important of all is the
disclosure that the head of the
Navy was not consulted on i'm
portant matters of policy and
budgets affecting the scope and
size of the Navy or its weapons.
What is most surprising of all
IS that the B-36 was ordered in
quantity before it has been eval-
uated by the very machinery set
up inside the Defense Department
to obtain such a scientific ap-
praisal
Significant. too, is the revela-
ton that civilians do not run
the Department of Defense and
that decisions are being made
without adequate representation
of the Navy. Admiral Denfeld
calls for full partnership" in
the defense setup for the Navy,
and says Congress didn't intend
to merge services or reduce their
effectiveness below minimum re-
quirements. He adds it is not
merely that morale" has been
adversely affected but that the
security of the United States
has been vitally impaired.
If any other admirals or cap
tains had said these things, their
comments might have been re-
garded as personal expressions
But when the Chief of Naval Oper-
ations says them. he speaks by
the book. as a member of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff. He gives
facts as well as opinions, to which
the Nation is entitled. He argues
that, while it is regrettable to
have such an airing of views, it
would have been much worse to
allow these facts not to have been
revealed. For now the public can
know them and decide upon cor
rective measures.
Points to Okinawa. -
Admiral Denfeld afflrms the
value of strategic bombing if it
is done with precision and selec-
tivity and not by just dumping
bombs in vast areas without re-
gard to military targets. He in
sists that the size of our Navy is
not related to the size of an
enemy navy, but that naval air
power is as much part of the
national air power in invading the
enemy's strongholds as any other
form of air power. He says, in
effect, that without the Navy's
air power at Okinawa-long after
the japanese fleet had been an
nihilated-the ground action there
wouldn't have been successful.
Il maintain he testified, that
the initial air offensive is not
solely a function of the United
States Air Force. This country's
total military air power is the
combined strength of the Air
Force, the Navy and the Marine
Corps"
But the most depressing fact
in the admiral's testimony that
"uniffcation" has not been lived
up to in the Office of the Depart
ment of Defense is contained in
this excerpt:
Even though plans to effect
this reduction in forces in 1850
are under way, the Navy was re-
Gently directed further to reduce
the obligation authority for fiscal
year 1850 by about $350,000, 900
I understand this action was
recommended by the Management
Committee under the Secretary
of Defense. The Navy was not
asked the implications which
would be involved by a reduction
in funds of this magnitude. I can
only assume. therefore, that this
action was largely arbitrary. For
all practical purposes, this re-
duction was firm on Septem-
ber 9Th"
The plain meaning of this is
that, despite the testimony in
the present hearings and before
the present appropriation bill
even has become law, the Navy's
aviation has been cut in half and
anti-submarine patrols and other
vital services have been seriously
cut back by order of Secretary of
Defense Johnson-and it is doubt
full if the damage done can be
repaired before Congress meets
again in January. if then.
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