Evening star., 1960-10-05

the rising cost of new weapons
would permit ground officers
to build a good, small Army.
But they would still be left
with the unanswered question:
What shall we do with it?
While the Navy and Air Force
have carved out roles for future
wars of various sizes. the Army
still is debating with itself about
its big war responsibilities and
looking for workable approach
to limited wars.
No Early Improvement
Army officers don't expect to
see things improve during the
coming administration. The
weapons for the troops during
the new administration already
are on order and even a crash"
modernization program would
change the picture little until
the mid Cos.
So for the first half Of the
decade. most Army officers will
remain convinced that their
weapons are too old and inef-
fective in comparison with new
Russian arms, their divisions
are too few in number and their
anticipated transportation so
slim and slow that they will
probably arrive too late in any
real war to do much good.
The two elements in the un-
solved problem Of the Army Of
the SOS are modernization and
doctrine.
Amy officers like to talk
about modernization. From the
Chief Of Staff on down, officers
have asked publicly many times
for more money for more
equipment. Secretary Of the
Army Brucker has pointed out
that while the larger Russian
army has changed almost all
its equipment at least once since
World War II, the American
Army is still making do largely
with weapons of 1945 or earlier
vintage.
The Eisenhower administra-
ton and Congress have given
the Army increasingly large
amounts for procurement each
year, but the Soviet army has
done even better.
Blame Army Itself
Some Pentagon officials say
the Army itself is partly to
blame for its old equipment.
Prior to last year-when Gen.
Lyman L. Lemnitzer was made
Chief of Staff (now he's chair
man of the Joint Chiefs the
Army. could not seem to make
up its mind on what it wanted.
It played with long-range
rockets and talked excitedly
about airborne foxholes for
every soldier, but didn't use
available money to buy the
tanks and guns really needed,
according to Army critics.
Now the Army is more
realistic, but the needed arms
won't come rolling in for a
few years. And the budget
squeeze has made sure the
Army won't get the quantities
1t wants.
Budget officials in the Pen
tagon, however. say that even
with substantial growth of the
American economy. present tax
rates won't bring in enough to
pay for future plans of the
Army, much less all three SER
vices. The hard fact Is, Defense
Department Controller Frank
lin B. Lincoln, jr., says, defense
budgets probably will be as
tight in the SOS as they were
in the '50s-no matter which
party controls the White House
and Congress.
Seen Falling Short
If this is true, the Army will
not be able to do what it wants
by 1870: Put all its divisions on
wheels or wings, give them fex-
ible, protected, computer- con-
trolled weapons and have them
ready to meet any military
situation this country might
face.
Army men believe they must
be able to face Soviet divisions
in Europe and stop them-or
meet the Red Chinese in Korea
or the North Wet Namese in
Laos or give aid to the Con-
goleSe with quick success.
AS the American Army stands
now, ground officers say frank
ly, it would be clobbered by an
all-out Soviet attack in Europe
it would have to retreat in
Korea and it probably would