Evening star., 1949-06-22
Johnson's S Order Fails
To Advance Cause Of
Armed Forces Unity
Corriers' Modernizution
Called PoIpobIe Effort
To Right q Wrong
Bv Dacfd Laurence

By Dawd Laurence
While the Navy ought TO be
happy that Secretary Of Defense
johnson has authorized the mod
ernization Of existing carrier ships
so as to permit them to launch
heavier planes that can carry the
atom bomb, the cause Of unifca-
ton has not been advanced by
the way the decision was made.
Two members Of the Joint Chiefs
of. staff-General Bradley Of the
Army and General Vandenberg OF
the Air Force-were overruled by
Mr.. johnson, thus contradicting
the very policy outlined by Mr..
johnson In his speech just made
before the National War College.
After referring to the Key West
and Newport agreements In which
the Joint Chiefs of Staff unani-
mously delineated the primary
roles, missions and functions OF
each service, Mr.. johnson de-
clared:
"As Secretary Of Defense. l
subscribe to that military charter
of service roles and missions. l
gladly defer to the professional
military knowledge Of our joint
Chiefs of Staff. and I shall not
knowingly repudiate their 'judg-
ment unless convinced their views
are in conflict with other con-
siderations beyond their province:
For to exercise civilian control OF
our military institutions Is not TO
abrogate military command but
to guide 1t conscientiously in ac-
cord with the economic and polit-
teal policies of this nation"
What Were Considerations?
What were the considerations.
however, that prompted secre-
tary johnson to override the two
to-one vote in the Joint Chiefs
against the undermining OF the
carriers? Clearly there were no
such considerations except q pal
pable effort to right wrong done
the Navy by the obviously mis-
guided policy Of allowing the
heads Of two services to combine
their votes against another serv-
ice.
It 10 this procedure which is
faulty. The problem Of what
weapons each service needs to
carry out the roles and missions
designated by the Key West and
Newport agreements, should be
solved by each service after a
lump sum for its use has been
allocated through the regular
channels-the Budget Bureau. the
Secretary of Defense and the Con-
sress. But Mr.. johnson refuses to
accept that system and fatly says:
1T can no longer be claimed
that each service is entitled TO
exclusive Judgment and autono-
NOUS control of the funds allocat-
ed for It's role. Since the Joint
Chiefs are mutually responsible for
the Nations whole defense. 1t Is
their duty to consider the major
decisions Of any service"
This is . statement Of policy
which will rise to plague Secretary
johnson for q long while until 1t
is specifically reversed by Con-
sress. For it means more disunity
and more discord. IT destroys the
letter as well as the spirit OF uni
{ication.
Contradicts Himself.
The Secretary, moreover. con-
tradicts himself in his address oy
making the above pronouncement
and then declaring that the differ
ences Of opinion between the
services are really due to honest
disagreement among earnest men
formidably equipped with expert
opinion" There is, however. no
expert opinion in the Army which
permits it to Judge the technical
questions faced by the Navy and
there is none in the Navy which
can appraise expertly the needs
of the Army or the Air Force. Mr..
Johnson nevertheless observes:
ITO those who contend that
each service must be the sole ar
bitter of its own needs, I would
reply that this Nation can no
longer tolerate the autonomous
conduct Of any single service.
The unaudited conduct OF its al
fairs by a single service is an
open invitation to spendthrift de-
fense." =.
But here are two different
things-one Is the auditing OF
the money so that 1t is spent for
the purposes authorized and the
other is the conduct by each serv-
ice of its own military or naval
or aerial operations with the right
to determine how to use the funds
that are already allocated.
Nobody wants any service to be
the final arbiter of what money
It shall have to spend. That's
the function Of Congress. after
recommendation by the Secretary
of Defense. But II. once the
money is allocated. each service
cannot be permitted to spend that
money without a veto by the other
two armed services. a system OF
disunity and triplication has been
inaugurated which certainly can
never bring unification.
Reproduction Rishts Reserved