Evening star., 1955-07-17
|Pentogon Split Apparent
As Army SuIks Over Cuts

that victory can be achieved
with one Weapon-the nuclear
weapon.
I'VE happen to think II there
is a war. big or little. the foot
soldier win be needed just as
badly as he has been in past
wars. although we certainly don't
intend to try to match the Com
munists on a lnan-for-man basis
With the cuts, We believe We
are losing, our own mobility.
Another Army argument d
that by cutting back the Army,
the United States is giving its
allies an impression that we
won't stand beside them and
light with troops to repeI agrees
sion.
On the other side, the Arny,s
arguments have been opposed
by Secretary Of Defense wilson,
Admiral Arthur Radford, chair
man Of the Joint Chiefs Of Staff.
and retiring Secretary Of the
Army Robert T. Stevens, These
men have been backed by the
military prestige Of President
Eisenhower.
Mr.. Wilson and Admiral Rad
ford told Congress the armed
forces were being shaped for g
readiness which this country
could afford to maintain for an
indefinite period Of time. The
admiral said this span may be
10 years or it may be So"
500 More Firepower
Both men agreed more reli-I
ance is being placed on nuc1ear
and other modern weapons and
less on manpower. But even so,
they argued. the strength Of the
armed forces has increased tre-
mendously with the Army having
80 per cent more firepower than
it had in World War II with con-
ventional weapons.
Secretary Stevens gave the
Army no support. He said the
pullback of American troops
from Korea, increased Army
firepower and greater military
strength in the free nations "do
not make it necessary to change
this program at, the present (to
avoid the cutback in Army
strength) !"
And Charles Finucane, Under
secretary Of the Army. said the
Army at its present strength
has twice as many men In It
as 1t had at the outbreak of
the Korean war; the Army today
has more materiel and is better
equipped to fight, and has q
higher degree Of training than
ever before in peacetime."
In addition, he said the Army
was ready and willing" to take
care of any brushflre war. This
was the question Gen. Ridgeway
raised.
The cleavage in military think
ing isn't so astonishing as 1t
might seem, considering the inn
pact of nuclear weapons on war
plans. Wit hthis new and terri
BILE power available in case of
war. some old concepts become
distorted and some military
terms lose their old meaning.
For example. there has been
considerable talk Of nuclear
bombs being used as tactical
weapons.9 In World War II and
even in the Korean War, teeth
cal weapons were conventional
bombs UP to 1000 pounds. artil-
lery. rockets. mortars. etc.
"As the power of the H-bomb
increases. |" one expert said, "We
tend to think OF the Hiroshima-
size bomb as q small weapon In
our planning. It's all relative.
We once regarded the bullet and
artillery shell as the weapons
Of discrimination Now we are
talking Of small atom bombs
being discriminating weapons,
But don't forget that even q
small atom bomb can wipe out
a good part Of a city. We can
give it to you light, medium or
brown.
Sure, a small atomic bomb is
a precision weapon when COM
pared with q super A-bomb or
the hydrogen bomb. But don't
ever think these weapons win
pinpoint a target with the pre-
cision Of an artillery shell or a
conventional bomb. It just isn't
So"
The Army is crying that in
fantrymen win carry the drudg-
cry Of ground fighting in any
future war Just as they have
done in the past. But the cries
have been mued from above in
the drive for air and atomic SUI
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