Evening star., 1959-11-22
BY L. EDGAR PRINA
Star star Writer

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A new push by advocates of a
single military chief and a ma
tional general staff promises an
other in series Of bitter postwar
battles over defense organization
afer the return of Congress in
January.
Seizing on public unhappiness
over apparent Soviet superiority in
space and rocketry and the built
in bureaucratic penchant for re-
organizing when things go wrong,
they believe it Is time to take the
remaining steps toward full con-
centration of military authority.
Several bills are ready or are
being prepared for introduction
early in the next congressional
session.
They range from the single
chief-armed forces merger plans
of Senator Engle of California
and Representative Kowalsh of
Connecticut, both Democrats, to
a House subcommittee proposal to
remerge the Army and Air Force
and another scheme to divest the
Joint Chiefs of Staff of their
service functions. Additional bills
pointing in the same general di-
rection are expected.
The single chief-general staff
proponents include influential
voices in and out of Congress
Republican Gov. Nelson A. Rookie
feller of New York and Democratic
Senator Stuart Symington of Mis-
souri,, both 1860 presidential hope
tuls, among others.
Air Force Generals
Among the stauncheSt advo-
Gates, however, are top-ranking
Air Force generals and the we'll
heeled Air Force Association,
which has demonstrated real wiz
ardry in getting political and in
dustrial backing for its campaigns.
The aircraft industry, the Ma
tion's biggest, it may be noted, is
80 per cent dependent on Gov
ernment contracts.
Although Gen. Lyman L. Lem
nitzer, Army Chief of Staff, is said
to believe the jos system is work
ing well as presently set up, many
leading Army planners, even be-
fore Gen. Lawton Collins came out
with his merger plan of 1946, IA
vored creation of a national gen.
eral staff.
Ranged in opposition to the
above forces are men in Congress
who share the Founding Fathers
fear of too much concentration of
military authority.
In this group are the chairmen
of the congressional armed serv-
ices committees, Representative
Vinson and Senator Russell,
Georgia Democrats: Senator
Bridges, conservative New Hamp-
shire Republican, and three lib
eral Democratic Senators, Hum
phrey Of Minnesota, Douglas of
Illinois and Mansfield of Mon
tana.
At the Pentagon the opposition
is led by the Navy and Marine
Corps. The Navy fears that sin
gle chief would produce a single
concept, single-weapon strategy
that would undercut the role of
seapower. The Marine Corps
frankly feels it would be reduced
to a ceremonial force or even
eliminated.
Effect Of Sputnik
The 1858 Pentagon reorganiza-
ton battle found the anti" forces
compelled to give considerable
ground. The shock of the first
Soviet Sputnik and President
Eisenhower personal crusade
built a tremendous pressure for
some kind of change. When the
smoke had cleared, the stage was
set for a future move aimed at a
single service headed by a single
chief.
Under last years law, the jos
chairman was upgraded. He was
given more authority over an
expanded Joint (working) Staff
and its director. On the other
hand, the chiefs of the Army,
Navy and Air Force were barred
from command of combat forces
of their own services.
The Joint Staff was nearly
doubled in officer strength, re-
shuf1ed and integrated along gen.
eral staff lines. The truly joint
arrangement, under which the
three services had equal repre-