Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-08-13

Procurement Sefup
In Defense Revised
By Wilson Directive
By John A. Giles

Secretary of Defense Wilson
today approved an order giving
a new Assistant Defense Secre-
tary broad powers over military
procurement, production, distri-
button and storage activities in
an efficiency and economy move.
The Secretary's directive is the
first in series which follow the
creation of six new assistant sec
retaries by President EiSen-
hower's defense reorganization
plan.
The fastest action goes long
way toward answering Congress
sional charges that the mill
tary wastes billion of dollars in
the supply field and demands
that positive action be taken.
procurement Gar" asked for.
Some Congressional commit
tees have demanded the crea-
ton of procurement car" as
the answer to the problem.
But Mr.. Wilson'S order does
not go that far.
Assistant Secretary Of Defense
Charles S. Thomas, who only
recently took the oath of Office,
will remain on the high policy
making level and steer away
from actual operations, leaving
that to the three military de-
partments. This is in line with
Mr.. Wilson's ideas.
Much of his authority runs
along the same lines as did that
of the now abolished Munitions
Board, which failed to follow
through properly in the eyes Of
the administration and Congress.
Authority Is BrOadened.
But Mr.. Wilson's order also
broadens that authority. Mr..
Thomas, for instance, will peri
cdically review the Army, Navy,
Air Force and Marine Corps lists
of equipment required for their
various fighting units.
He also is carged with making |
recommendations for regrouping, |
combining or diSsolving existing |
interservice agencies operating |
in the fields of procurement, pro-
duction and distribution.
Elimination of unnecessary
duplication and expenditure in |
the supply and logistics fields
also is called for. Mr.. Thomas |
also is charged with determining
relative prioritieS of the various |
segments of procurement.
Mr.. Wilson, in his testimony on |
President Eisenhower's cuts in
the tentative Truman Air Force |
budget, was extremely critical |
of procurement scheduling and |
planning.
The new order gives Mr..
Thomas authority to formulate
policies and prescribe systems
to rectify this throughout the
defense establishment and keep
close tab on production per-
formances.
Congressional committees have
been critical Of what is known
as "cross hauling" That is, a
Navy depot in New England
might ship supplies down the
coast to Florida while an Army
depot in Atlanta, stocked with
, the same kind of supplies, ships
to posts adjacent to the Navy
depot.
Mr. Thomas is given orders to
look into this field and formu-
late systems of transportation
and traffic management and
watehousing to eliminate such
practices.
The task of compiling a single
service catalog is given Mr..
Thomas. He also will review
Tile mlLGdry requirements Tor
basic materials such as copper,
steel. aluminium, etc.
Purchasing Coordination.
The purchase of some items
used by all services by one of
them has long been a matter of
discussion at the Pentagon and
on Capitol Hill. Advocates see
great savings in such arrange
ments while opponents are equal
~ vocal in saying savings will not |
result.
Mr.. Thomas is charged with |
looking over this field and max
ing recommendations to the de-
tense chief.
The new assistant secretary
also will have hand in strategic
planning by appraising their
feasibility in the terms of avail
ability of materials, end items,
components and support.