Evening star., 1951-03-03
Essential to Our Safety

Displaying an excellent spirit of bipartisan
ship in field where politicking could be fatal
several Republican and Democratic Senators
notably Mr.. Cain of Washington and Mr. Johnson
OF Texas-have joined in delivering powerful
opening addresses in favor of the military man
power bill now being debated in the Senate. What
all Of them have emphasized is the imperative
need for both short-range and long-range Ameri-
can preparedness in a dangerous world that is
likely to remain dangerous for decade or more
to come.
In such world, as Mr.. Johnson has argued
the first essential of our national security is the
existence of adequate armed forces in being
actual, ready-to-go fighting power-and the
second essential is the preservation of con-
slant state of readiness" to meet any threats or
emergencies that may develop in the uncertain
years ahead. In Short stated another way
"the two things that America must have now are
men for the moment and reserves for the future"
It is these two things that the Senate BILL
as drawn up by the Armed Services Committee
is designed to supply. The immediate objective
is to cope with the present crisis by swiftly
increasing our military forces to total of
3,500,000 trained fighting men. Beyond that, in
long-term sense, the objective is to insure that
the United States will always have available a
reservoir of seasoned manpower capable Of
effectively meeting on short notice, any future
threat to the Nations security.
Accordingly, the Senate bill would lower the
Selective Service induction age to 8 and increase
the term of active duty from 81 to 26 months
Gncluding leave). In addition, it provides that
each man, after his full period of soldering,
would move into the reserve for six years.
provision aimed at retaining fighting skills and
developing strong and ever-ready force that
could be counted on in case of some sudden new
iciS ina1 lu civ o1,,oor 4
passing of present emergency conditions,
system of universal training would be established
to insure the continued maintenance of a pool
of military manpower bulwarking the safety of
the Nation on permanent basis
Although the Senate bill and the one being
considered by the House Armed Services
Committee differ in number of respects they
lend themselves to sound compromise because
they are baSically the same in their detectives
The objectives, in Mr.. Johnson's words, are
simply to expand our military manpower, in
crease our combat effectiveness, build our
reserves for future emergencies, and thus, by
bolstering our national security, ENSURE our
freedoms, our institutions and our lives"
Since the project is unprecedented in our
peacetime history, many Americans may find the
whole thing hard to swallow But though it
Is unpalatable though it can hardly fail to
upset the even tenor of many lives and many
homes, something very much like it must be
adopted. AS Mr. Cain has warned, this Nation
cannot evade the issues, nor can it sugar coat"
what it must do. For it is engaged in struggle
that may last for long time to come, and if
1t is to be safe, it must follow course that
will make it strong not merely for now but
for period of ten or more years from now
If such course is followed if we do all the
things that clearly need to be done, then we
may hope that the Kremlin will be deferred from
further acts of aggression that could start
another world war. And If the worst happens,
II the Kremlin strikes anyhow, our strength will
be such as to enable us-if we are resolute-not
simply to survive but to win complete and
freedom.