Evening star., 1952-05-31
DANGEROUS Air Gamble

Congress should pay serious attention to
the testimony submitted to the Senate Prepared
ness subcommittee during the past 48 hours
by Air Force Secretary Finletter and Bernard
Baruch.
Their mutual point of view, in effect, is that
ECONOMY" translated into major showdown OF
our military aircraft production is a dangerous
blow to the countrys security, that it already has
been wasteful in terms Of dollars and that it can
be even more wasteful in terms of safety.
Mr. Finletter presented to the committee
some clear facts, dealing both with the utiliza-
tion of existing aircraft and with the task OF
building our air power to point where it Is as
suredly equal to the tasks which may face it. The
planning and creation of an air force, volatile
mechanism in which every refinement of engi-
neering progress has direct bearing upon per-
formance qualifications, is not Short-term
proposition. The planning of what we have today
and of what we hope to have tomorrow has been
done against three potential requirements
defense mission a strategic mission and a tacti-
cal mission. The purpose has been to create q
force which would deter aggression, or would be
capable of striking back effectively 1t such ag-
gression occurred. The orientation OF this PLAN
ming has been primarily toward protection OF the
NATO region-North America, western europe
and the obvious approaches.
fhe Korean war has introduced distortion
to this planning in the sense that 1t has forced
a diversion of large portion of the air strength
in being, particularly of tactical wings Even the
126-wing combat strength, originally projected
for mid-1954 contained little or no margin
for allowing o substantial element to be pinned
down in what Mr.. Finletter describes as local
war" BY an administration decision, the target
date for this strength was set back by an added
y months, to mid-1955. The budget cuts recently
voted by the House, along with restrictions on
actual disbursements in the coming fiscal year,
now threaten to delay our reaching the opJectiVe
before January, 1857. The loss In aircraft De-
tween January 1853, and the original target date
of June. 1854 Mr.. Finletter estimates at S,OoO
planes. -,
Both witnesses dealt convincingly with the
lack of logic in such shortSighted economy
Soviet Russia holds what MIR. Barucn, ana otners'
have described as terrifying edge" IN mn1ary
readiness Our own aircraft industry ana our
operational training structure have been prougns
to a point where they are capable OF prooucMs
the actual air weapons needed lnoeeo, IN Mr
Baruch's opinion, there has been an overempna-
sis on expansion Of capacity as against actual
production of many types OF armament In the
past two years A further and deliberate slowing
of this production, while Soviet Russia nears itS
own preparedness peak, would leave our de1enses
weak and our vaunted capacity vulnerable
Mr. Finletter and Mr.. Baruch are neither
warmongers nor empire-building bureaucrats
Their interest in the country's rearmament anc
in air power particularly, is merely reflection
Of their interest In the Nations security We nave
been allowed much time already In the cold war
But time not,lully used is waste OF more tnan