Evening star., 1960-04-17
BY RICHARD FRYKLUND
>. star stan Writer

sT star StAu WIlteI
"A plan to put many civilian
airline workers under military
discipline during an emergency
is being worked out by the PEN
tagon for presentation to Con-
gress in the next few days.
This is part of a new solu-
ton to the old airlift problem
that has created a long run
ming dispute among the ser7-
ices, civilian airlines and Con-
gressmen. The problem has
been to insure an adequate
troop and military cargo air
lift during a war or emergency
without cutting into airline
business and without costing
too much. !
The Military Air Transport
Service, a three-service organi-
cation run by the Air Force.
has argued in the past that the
civilians cannot be depended
upon to handle q very large
share Of the airlift. Congress
men such as Chairman Rivers,
Democrat of South Carolina,
Of the House Armed Services
Subcommittee on Airlift,
have said present airlift ''is Sc
rfously Inadequate" But how
Y expand it?
Military Control Provided
The new Air Force plan
would concede q bigger role to
civil airlines but would give
the military full control over
civilians needed for an emer-
gency airlift. The Air Force
also wants more and faster
planes, more peacetime train
ing, and, Of course, more
money.
The Rivers subcommittee will
start q series of hearings We'd
nesday with a joint Army-Air
Force critique of last months
practice airlift to Puerto Rico.
The contents of the critique
have been kept secret until the
Congressman can see it, but 1t
is known that the two services
and Deputy Secretary Of De-,
Tense Douglas agree that the
broad lessons to be learned
from the exercise are:
Existing MATS equipment
can be used efficiently enough
to meet most minimum war
time requirements.
But a more modern airfieet
Is needed to carry more men
and cargo farther and faster
In addition, the Army feels
the exercise showed MATS
cannot carry one division Of
troops, ready to fight, to any
spot in the world in 10 days.
the minimum Army require
ment, according to Army Chief
Of Staff Lyman Lemnitzer.
Will Have "Reed Report"
The subcommittee also will
have before it the new Reed
Report" on MATS. This report,
prepared at the request Of Air
Force Secretary Sharpe by
Gordon w. Reed, chairman Of
the board Of the Texas Gulf
Producing Co., and other busi-
nessmen offers a broad new
solution to the airlift problem.
The Air Force, in general, goes
along with the Reed recon-
mendation.
The Reed committee said
that the airlines should be
given more military airlift busi-
ness at a higher rate Of pay on
terms that will ensure that the
civilians cannot back out Of
their commitments in time of
shooting. It recommends that
MATS and the Army do more
Joint training, that MATS fly
at a high peacetime rate (de-
spite some civilian airline OBJ
jections) and that new turbo-
jet cargo aircraft be bought by
MATS and civil airlines.
Cost of all this is not esti-
mated, but the Reed committee
says airlines will be encouraged
to buy modern cargo planes
and can then cut their charges
for military airlift in half. In
the long run, the report says.
a better airlift program will pay
for itself.
Perhaps the most controver-
sial recommendation is that the
military have tight control over
civilians taking part in the air.
lift during emergencies. The
Reed report sets this goal and
says that Sufficient crews" in
the civilian airlift be in the
military reserve and callable
In time of emergency.
The military leaders 60 a lot
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