Evening star., 1953-09-20
Wilson Ready 10 Prod
Military on Overdue
New Look al Needs
BY John A. Giles

Secretary of Defense Wilson
was reported last night about
ready to give a firm deadline to
the Joint Chiefs of Staff for. the
completion of their long overdue
''new look" at the size and shape
of the armed forces.
The Administrations whole
fiscal program, including possible
tax reviSionS, is contingent on
the study, since roughly two
thirds of the national budget
goes to the military. Budget Di-
rector Joseph M. Dodge has been
pressing the Pentagon to COM
plete its program.
The review was first promised
by President Eisenhower and Mr..
Wilson last spring. Last July 10,
MIR. Dodge set September Is as
the date on which the military
budget-Which will be predicated.
on the chiefs Study-Should be
laid on his desk.
Two weeks later Mr.. Wilson
wrote: 1T is hoped that we will
have recommendations as to the
military forces and readiness to
be maintained during fiscal year
1855 and subsequent years at an
early date. AS a sound military
budget can only be constructed
on the basis of an approved mil
itary plan, it is not feasible to
issue instructions for the presen-
tation of the budget before we
are in a position to recommend
a basic military program :. :"
Snagged on AirpOwer.
Now, top Pentagon officials
hope to hear from the chiefs by
October l. But they reluctantly
admit Mr.. Wilson eventually
will have to prod the top military
planners.
The new look" which the jos
Is turning on the military picture
includes all aspects of national
defense alternate strategic
plans to meet all foreseeable war
situations; the size and compo-
sition of forces and the missions
they perform; weapons, both con-
ventional and atomic-age; stock
piles of raw materials and fin
iShed equipment, and estimates
Of production capacity.
One snag holds up the study, |
according to informed sources,
is that the chiefs haven't yet
agreed on how best to measure
airpoWer.
The Air Force for years has
used the yardstick of wings" of
aircraft instead of total number
of planes available-which the
Navy uses.
But now two of the four jos |
memberS-Admiral Arthur w. |
Radford, the chairman, and Ad- |
mlral Robert B. Carney, Chief |
OF Naval Operations-are de-
Scribed as favoring abandoning
the wing measurement of
strength in favor of counting
power in numbers of aircraft,
Gen. Nathan F. TWining. Air
Force Chief of Staff, holds for
the wing yardstick, informed
sources said, while Gen. Mat
thew B. Ridgway, Army Chief of
Staff, has not yet expressed an
opinion.
UnrealiStic Definition.
Mr.. Wilson has publicly ex-
pressed himself in favor of using
numbers of aircraft instead of
numbers of wings. The wing
definition is unrealiStic, he has
SAID. A wing consists of from
80 to Is planes, depending on
type.
The Air Force, under the Tru-
man administration, was to have
oeen built up to 143 wings by
1898. Mr.. Wilson has set an
interim target of 12O wings.
pending completion of . the
Chiefs study.
meanwhile, the Secretary has
forwarded to Mr.. Dodge such
non-controversial budget items
as appropriations for claims, con-
tlngencieS and rifle practice; but
none OF the items that matter
can even be considered-until
the chiefs decide just how much
armed strength this Nation must
have to protect itself.