Evening star., 1954-08-15

out that moderniZed infantry Is
needed to exploit whatever break
throughs atomic warfare may
achieve.
They expect no miracles Of atom
weapons. This they have shown in
thei. first edition Of Atomic
Weapons in Land Combat"
But they think that for an eco
nomical expenditure In ground
forces the United States could, with
its tactical atomic advantages and
superior agility, put q stop to the
kind of Kremlin nibbling which has
been so embarrassing In Korea and
Indo-C China.
Even If H-war cannot be avoided,
the Reinhardt- Kintner team sees
advantage to more emphasis on
tactical atomic weapons. Production
Of these smaller weapons could be
dispersed enough to escape complete
destruction, in their opinion. The
big-bomb plants. presumably. would
be much more vulnerable.
importance Of Moneuver
The authors case for emphasizing
maneuverability Is rooted in basic
military concepts:
Conflicts vary in character ac-
cording to the relative weight given
to force and to maneuyer. In gen.
eral, the more maneuver the less
force required. A war emphasizing
maneuver. opening up the enemy's
defenses by combination Of adroit
stratagem and force, need not
pulverize population : industrial
centers. 1t does involve the de-
ployment of surface forces abroad.
of swift task forces to strike points
of weakness. In the process Of
achieving its aim, 1t may con-
sequently prevent enemy ground
columns from spilling over into
, friendly land areas. War Of
maneuver does not exclude the use
Of direct air assault massive
retaliation). It simply does not
limit itself to riding q single track
toward the goal Of victory"
The implication Is that the mere
existence Of such q swift-striking
force would deter q would-be
nibbling aggressor.
To achieve this maneuverability,
Coils. Reinhardt and Kintner adj
vocate small, hard-hitting task
forces. strategically placed around
the globe.
Landings Still Possible
Navy men. who aren't accustomed
to encouragement from their sister
services, may find one surprise in
the Army colonels' strategy. They
rush to the defense of amphibious
landings, assaulting current can
ard that these have been outmoded
by atomic and hydrogen bombs.
Gen. Omar Bradley may have
started this line of reasoning when
he was chairman Of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff. Coils. Reinhardt
and Kintner claim he was, misun-
derstood. What he said was:
"Invasions like that at Normandy
are impossible in the face of atomic
weapons"
Faster. lighter forces with more
punch will still be able to get ashore
close enough to their targets to
serve q commanders purpose. In the
colonies opinion. Defense of a
shoreline is still as difficult as offense
against it. they believe.
Bow to Diplomats
AS experienced military men, Coils.
Reinhardt and Kintner recognize the
Importance of diplomacy. They
write that "the best hope of peace
lies in craftsmanship which con-
,yinces the world that aggression is
doomed to failure" But they en-
phasize that such craftsmanship
needs the support of O military
establishment"
The best kind Of support, they
feel, is highly mobile striking force
equipped with tactical atom bombs
and ready to use them, no more en-
numbered by humanitarian inhibi-
tions than contemporary forces are
restrained from using napalm,
flame throwers. or dismembering
mortar shells.