Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-28
Defense
Continued From First Page.)

national scandal if war broke
out now.
That's his greatest under
statement since he took over his
high office-it would be a disas-
ter" Mr.. Anterior declared.
Gen. Hershey called the imple-
mentation of the universal mill
tary training service law the mo.
l need of the country" The act
specifies "a months active serv-
ice followed by six years of re-
serve duty, but provides no pen
atty for persons who refuse to
affiliate with the reserve organi-
cations. It states that the mill
tary Secretaries may" require
such reserve duty.
Gen. Hershey also took sharp
issue with persons who state
that the armed services should
spend more time teaching mill
tary personnel what they are
fighting for. He maintained such
training must be done IN the
home. #Mf
Other Military Leaders Heard.
Gen. Whites remarks were
made at an armed forces panel
session where he. was joined by
Admiral Robert B. Carney. chief
Of naval operations: Gen.
Charles Bolte, Army vice chief
OF staff, and Gen. r. Mccoy
Pate. Marine Corps assistant
commandant.
The Eisenhower new look" air
program was a significant change
from the Truman program in
that 1t increased the number of
wings allotted to continental de-
Tense to match the growing So
Wet long-range air fleet, Gen.
White said.
"They now have the ability to
wage intercontinental air war
fare with fast jet planes" he
continued. 1T will not be long
before they will have large num-
bers of them"
Commenting that the country
had not been panic stricken
by the disclosure of the growing
Russian air fleet, he cautioned
against being "lulled into COM
placency by any apparent soft
ening Of the Communists.
TO sum up our advantages
and disadvantages, the Red air
force is much larger than ours"
he continued. "This is a disad-
vantage regardless of how you
look at it.
1--WE are still ahead in long,
range, offensive striking power,
but they have closed the gap
somewhat"
He said this country had adj
vantages in quality of equip
ment, skill of crews, the recog-
milton of the necessity of placing
all land-based air forces under
central control. but that a short
age Of trained personnel was "a
distinct disadvantage"
Admiral Carney reported a
rapid buildup in the Russian
Navy.
1--WE are faced with the emer-
gence Of another power on the
seas and it's definitely unfriendly
to U.S." he declared. I'VE can't
afford to be complacent."
The United States Navy, he
said, now faces the problem of
obsolesence in its fleet and soon
will have to take steps to mod
ernize at a more rapid rate.
Personnel Ashore Cut.
The admiral said that the Navy
had made a reduction of some
ID per cent of personnel ashore
and that the manning levels on
some ships will be reduced with
the end of the shooting war in
the Far East. But efficiency, he
said, will not be affected.
He advocated the use Of "some
version Of universal military
training as the answer to the
military reserve problem.
Asked why the battleship Mis-
souri, was being laid up rather
than one Of the other two in the
active fleet. Admiral Carney said
that the Missouri's equipment
was the least modern Of the
three.
Gen. Bottle told the members.
"the Army. far from being out
NODDED. has vastly greater capa-
bilities than ever before and is
as necessary to the Nations de-
lenses as in the past.
I'VE Americans have a natural
to seek mechanical
for human effort"
he commented. "One of the
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