Evening star., 1952-07-07
Senators Attack WASTE
0ihiIiiary ManpoWer
nCost|y Chair Corps
By the Associated Pres.

BY fhe Associated Press
The Senate Preparedness Sub
committee pictures the United
States armed forces today as over
loaded with a huge and costly
''chair corps" of fighting men.
.Brusquely. the group told the
Pentagon that the Russians do
better job of mastering firepower
from their men. It demanded
that the United States services /
quit playing "the old Army game |
of using five men to do the work
of one" ii
Chairman Johnson, Democrat, l
of Texas, and Senator O'Mahoney, 1
Democrat. of Wyoming, who heads |
an appropriations subcommittee, /
announced they have sent joint l
request to the Pentagon to set up |
an advisory committee of "compe- \
tent and distinguished Americans \
:. to make searching examina-
ton of manpower utilization in all |
branches of the armed services" l
and propose economies. They said /
the advisors should have the help |
Of experts from private industry.
Official Report Issued.
''Victory has usually gone not
to the largest army but to the |
best organized army" Senator
Johnson's group lectured the De-
tense Department in an official
report of it's studies. Military
superiority has been measured not
by the number Of guns but by the
destructive power of the guns that
can be brought to bear.
Were this not the fact, our
cause would be hopeless. We face
an enemy who numbers his man. II
power as the grains of sand on
the beach,"
The answer, it said, must lie
partially in better use of man
power, and economies to protect
the American economy. And it
protested that waste ''is binding
the hard muscle of military
strength this country would need
if war comes.
Comparing the fire power Of a
United States and a Russian di-
vision the subcommittee said: A
Soviet division had only 60 per
cent of the manpower available
to the American division COM
mander Q1,000 men in a Soviet
division, 1887 in a United States
Army division). Then the report
asserted:
And yet. with so per cent of
the manpower, the Soviet divi-
sion has 10 per cent more fire
power than the American divi-
sion.
In other words, on a man-for-
man basis. the Soviet division has
10 per cent more fire power than
the American. division"
Army Answers Charges.
This goaded the Army into
reply. The Army statement said
that if fire power alone is used
as criterion:
The larger United States in
fantry division would have an
overall fire power of at least
one and one-half times that of a
Soviet rifle division, on a division
versus division basis.
THE proof rests in Korea,
where troops equivalent in num-
berS to Is United States divisions
have fought to a standstill 81
Communist divisions which are
organized and equipped in con-
sonance with the Soviet organ
iza afional concept"
Reviewing its months of study,
the subcommittee said fatty:
In the field of manpower
we have found a high degree of
waste-inexcusable waste-and an
unconscionable amount of in
efficiency"
Claims Credit for Savings.
The report claimed credit for
economies in manpower assign
ments by the Army and Air Force
it estimated will save $40 million
year. with the Navy yet to re-
port on how it has pulled in its
belt.
Significant as this saving may
be, we are convinced that it is
not enough" the report said. "It
neither meets the pressing urg-
ency of the Nation for true econ
only nor the limits of what can
be achieved through conservation |
of manpower."
Without recommending such
step, the report said 10 per cent
cut in spending for personnel by
assigning fewer men to do a job,
could save $500 million a year.
The report demanded to know
why the Air Force needs % men
per plane to operate a 75-jet air
craft wing, with only 76 of the
men being pilots.
1t asked why Navy oiler needs
282 men to man it, when a tanker
operated by private enterprise is
manned by only 43. It said the
oilers only extra duties compared
with a tanker's are to refuel ships
at sea.
1t wanted to know why Navy
training centerS are assigned one
trained man for every two and a
half men in training,