Evening star., 1949-03-06
lx tho Asseeiatsd Rrsas

By the Asseeiotsd Prsss
FOLLOWING is the tert OF Prest-
dent Trumnn's message to Con-
gress yesterday on reDiSio,l OF the
Armed Seruices Unifcdtion Act:
The maintenance Of adequate
armed forces has been one OF the
principal functions Of the Federal
Government since the establish
ment of this Nation. Today We
maintain our armed forces in sup
port Of our primary desire for
world peace. They are evidence
of our determination to devote our
utmost efforts toward achieving that
all-important goal.
Throughout our history, the steady
advance of science and technology
has resulted in constant changes in
the means of warfare and the
characted' Of our armed forces. In
the few years since the cessation
of hostilities in World War II, tre-
mendous developments in technology
have been made. The speed OF air
craft has doubled, the means Of
undersea warfare have been rev.
olutionized, the range and accuracy
Of guided missiles have increased,
the potentialities Of the atom have
been more fully revealed.
The development of mans ability
to shrink space and time and to
control natural forces makes i'm
perative a corresponding develop
ment of the means for directing
and controlling these new powers
The effective and workable organ
ization of our Government, and es-
pecialy of our armed forces, Is
essential in the modern world.
The recent reports Of the Com
mission of Organization Of the Ex-
ecutive Branch of the Government
have focused attention on the i'm
portance OF the sound organization
OF the Federal Government. The
commission has stated that the hrst
essential to the achievement OF
better government is a general clari-
location of the lines Of authority and
responsibility within the Executive
Branch. In its report entitled Ma
tional Security Organization" the
commission has specifically applied
this principle to the organization
of our armed forces.
Civilian Control Inadequate.
The report states that We now
lack ADEQUATE civilian authority and
control over the military forces, that
maximum ethciency and economy is
not being realized in defense ex-
penditures, and that interservice
relationships must be improved to
achieve the most effective defense.
The recommendations Of the COM
mission which would strengthen the
National Military Establishment and
the position of the Secretary OF De-
fense have great merit and present
an objective toward which I believe
we must continue to move.
have long been aware OF the
necessity for keeping our national
security organization abreast OF our
security requirements. To this end,
T recommend unification OF the
armed forces to the Congress In
December ls45. My desire was to
improve our defense organization
while the lessons Of World War II
were still fresh in the minds OF all.
We must not forget these lessons
in evaluating our security position
today.
A ereat deal was learned from
those four years of war. We learned,
among other things, that the Or
ganization of our War and Navy
Departments, prescribed by detailed
statutes, was far too rigid and in
flexible sfor the actual conduct OF
war. We learned that modern war
required the combined use OF air,
naval and land forces welded to-
pether under unified commands
overseas, and under the strategic
direction of the Joint Chiefs OF
Staff.
Other lessons were also learned.
We learned that widely diverse sup
plv policies OF the separate services
were costly, and hampered the total
effectiveness of military operations.
We learned that there were great
differences in training and combat
doctrine among the services and
that these differences often pro-
voked sharp conflicts in our thea
tiers of operation.
Plan Had Double Purpose.
NV message to the Congress OF
December 1945 had . double pur-
pose. 1t was intended to take ad-
vantage of our wartime experience
and to prevent a return to the out
moded forms of organization which
existed at the outbreak OF the war.
Following that message. the sub
ject of the proper organization OF
our armed forces was debated
throughout the Nation. After the
most careful consideration, the Ma
tional Security Act was enacted by
the Congress in July 1947.
This act has provided q practical
and workable basis for beginning the
unifcation of the military services
and for co-ordinating military pol
lev with foreign and economic pol
lev. A few examples of the progress
achieved in the period since the act
became effective are evidence Of its
value.
The efficiency of military purchas-
ing has steadily increased until to-
dav more than IS per cent of the
materiel of the armed services is
procured under co-ordinated pur-
chasing arrangements.
A number of joint training and
ed,,cation nropramS have been in