Evening star., 1952-10-11
Reorganization Of Top
U. 5. Military Planning
Urged by Dr.. Bush
SpeeioI oisputeh 70 The Ster

Speeio Dispo,eh 10 The Stor 's
MEDFORD. Mass, Oct. 11.-Dr
Vannevar Bush today caIlet
for the reorganization of militar,
planning at top level to meet tn,
peril of a world split into twt
armed camps"
The distinguished scientist anc
authority on new weapons told q
Tufts College audience the Ma
ton cannot rely upon "push-but-
ton devices in the dangerous
years ahead. Rejecting any easy
Or quick solutions. he suggested
the reorganization begin with the
Joint Chiefs of Staff.
! Vast economic as well as mill
tary pressureS demand the re-
vamping Of the jos setup, DR..
Bush said. He added that the
present command function exer-
cised by the staff ''is utterly for
eign to its duty as our top military
planning agency, advisory to the
chief civilian authority. .
ut fails to bring we'll considered
resolution to our most serious
military problems. DR.. Bush said.
''It dissipates it's energies on the
inconsequential. It's members are
0verburdened and have little time
for the deep continuous thought
which is essential to wise plan
ming"
Junior Officers Decide.
AS a result, DR.. Bush said, "de-
cisions often are made by junior
officers without the benefit of hard
thinking by more mature men.
Good or bad, these decisions are
sometimes implemented directly
by the jos, the speaker pointed
out. and at other times by recon-
mendation to the Secretary of
Defense.
There are thus two lines of
command, and the civilian au-
thority is. to some extent, circum-
vented" declared DR.. Bush, who
became head Of the Carnegie In
=stitution after distinguished serv-
ice to the military establishment
in the last war.
Moreover, DR.. Bush declared,
the chairman of the jos should
have full authority to resolve dis
agreements 80 that there may be
clear-cut recommendations to the
Commander in Chief and not di-
vided counsels, continued bicker-
ing or end runs" (
The jos chairman, in DR.. I
Bush's opinion. should not be a
supreme military commander.
running the forces in the field
from a desk in Washington. To
place the jos in the line of COM !
mand is to invite military COM
mand by committee, than which l
there is nothing worse! 1t should I
as body issue no orders, in peace
or war"
Thorough Planning Held Duty. :
The true function of the jos, +
according to DR.. Bush, is to plan i
with thoroughneSs and care for +
the development and employment t
OF new Weapons and tactics. It
should recommend the appoint r
ment of theater commanders, and :
outline their military missions. a
Yet our senior planning body 3
Is now made up Of the command :,
ing officers of the services, DR.. a
Bush pointed out. This involves a
several disadvantages. The indi- :;
viduals are overburdened and do :,
not have time for constructive =
thought on the highest order. It %
is difficult for them to keep their
staff and command functions >,
separate in their minds, in fact y y
they have confused them severely. :.
The members of our senior mill -"
tary planning body must rise y
above narrow service interests, if :. =
we are to have modern unitary " y
military program, instead of a con- - =
fused mixture of three partial in "
complete programs, and it is .
difficult for service commanders to q
acquire this point of view. It -
would be better if jos were Sepa- IL
rated from command in the serv-
Ices" u
Hits Reporting Methods. g e,
: In addition, DR.. Bush declared, a.
a field commander directing all
services in his theater should by "
no means report to the command n
ing officer of his service in WASH
lngton. for to do so would be to c,
lose sight entirely of his more o
general responsibility" %
Addressing the centennial cele- q,
bration at Tufts, DR.. Bush said
the jos is undermined for its r
task of preparing advice for the =
Of Defense. Worse still,
he said. many officers Of the stairs F
supporting bodies are chosen for te
their skill in protecting service lie
q;