Evening star., 1952-08-28
Senate Unit AssaiIs
Tagging Air Bui|dup,
Calls for New Start
By John A. Giles

A Senate committee charged to-
day "the history of our air buildupI
is saga of bad programming :,
neglected warnings, lack of CO.
ordination, misuse and disuse of
power"
It demanded Defense Secretary
Lovett name a committee to re-
assess the Nations air strategy, e.,
re-examine research and develop
ment procedures and re-evaluate
design procedures.
The Senate Preparedness Sub
committee. headed by Senator
Lyndon johnson, Democrat, of
Texas reported it found the Joint
Chiefs of Staff had not retreated
from their opinion that 1854 would
be "the most dangerous" for the
Nations security.
Maximum Strength Delayed.
The administration has decided
to stretch out the military buildup
over a longer period of years,
bringing the maximum planned
strength, including 143 air groups,
in 1855 or early 1856.
The johnson group said, not
only will this plan bring '1ess
security than we need at a later
date than we need it," but it will
cost more.
1T will increase the unit cost
of aircraft by 21a to 8 per cent,
just as buying an article on the
installment plan. :" said the
report. 1T may well cost more
in the future than the SO billion
it is saving in fiscal 1883"
But the Senators also found
the Air Force has a tendency
to over-equip planes and that it
will not freeze designs and go into
production on models but keeps
changing them.
Sees Effectiveness Cut.
"a tendency toward 'gim-
mickerie' has loaded some of our
planes with gadgets to a point
where their effectiveness has been
decreased" the report declared.
Military authorities have ham,
pered production because of their
fears that a freeze in designs will
leave them with obsolescent
planes on their hands. They
have belabored this point un-
necessarily in the face Of &C
celerated production by a prospec-
tive enemy.
Aircraft production has been
hampered by the lack of a top
side authority with power to put
an end to the endless research
and development and order con-
centration on volume production
of that which has been developed
already.
"As of March 81. although our
percentage of jet aircraft had in
creased, we had fewer planes in
the Air Force than at the start
of the Korean war. OF those
planes, greater proportion of
them was second line than before
Korea"
The Senators also asserted the
military and civilian planners
have failed miserably" In estab-
fishing realistic production tar
gets.
Production Gar Urged.
Everybody has a different
story" the report said. mo one
jibes with the other. Each bu-
reaucratic finger points to him."
The subcommittee asked the
Defense Department to submit
legislation to vest strong specific
responsibilities for control of mil
itary production and procurement.
But pending that action. it ad-
vocated the appointment of al
"full-time production czar with
power to determine priorities, toI
freeze designs to the necessary
extent and order quantity pro-
duction initiated so that our min
imum air requirements are met
as quickly as possible"
The demand for production
cZar has been voiced frequently
on Capitol HILL. Recently MIR.
Lovett vested in Munitions Board
Chairman John D. Small a great
deal of authority over military
procurement matters but the or
der did not go so far as that
advocated by the Johnson group.