Show bal D ME by PAUL MA MALLONy 17 released by western New newspaper union ARMY NAVY unification SHOULD START AT ONCE washington mr truman made the proper move to get his bis army navy unification bill through congress the navy had performed an all out lobbying job against the program it was in charge of 0 navy assistant secretary H hen sel acl who worked through the navy league promoting speeches and articles by admirals and arousing naval affairs committeemen in both houses if mr truman succeeds in stopping navy agitation he will get his bill through because there is no other opposition except that which may be continued by the naval committeemen who fear ear they may lose their seniority standing in their committee jobs but the bill is not on the program for or this session the calendar of 0 both houses is already crowded for or the next several months and the leaders are planning a summer recess to ae let the legislators go ho home me and mend their broken fences ances in preparation or their reelection election re campaigns the navy never had much of 0 a case no one can oppose unification as a theory appalling duplications 0 of army and navy services filled the committee record of 0 hearings army and navy competed with each other in bidding for or such things as clothing for or example in that line one service might have a surplus of 0 some items while the other had a deficiency in negotiating their separate contracts they were actively competing against each other then again on small islands like guam there would be a naval hospital constructed and maintained a mile away from an army hospital it was shown also that in armament the navy and army encountered needless conflict furthermore the building of 0 separate airports around the world caused duplication waste in many instances NAVAL DELAYING ACTION in the face ace 0 of such overwhelming evidence the navy centered its c campaign a largely upon delaying action by congress its basic fear ear and claim was that the navy was to be put under the army by unification which simply is not true the thomas subcommittee has reported now a j bill which proposes to set up the unification this way A single secretary of 0 common defense in the cabinet with three secretaries under der him one each for or army air and navy then an overall over all chief chie ol of staff with a recommendation that the he president rotate this office between the three services giving it to army for or a year then to air and then to navy three assistant secretaries ret aries representing each branch of 0 the service and finally legalization of 0 the joint chies chiefs of 0 staff set up during the war to provide provid e cooperation in strategy between the services this setup preserves the navy as just as much an independent unit as the army or the air forces arces it does not put the navy under the army but it is true the a army y numerically Is stronger and may wield a greater influence in the e combined department than the admirals or air arm despite the legal equality of 0 each branch delay in enacting the program until next year will greatly impede efficiency in national defense even if the legislation could be enacted today at least a year or more would be required to work out and effect the vast details of reorganization while the soviet ov iet seems to be leisurely withdrawing its military army from iran it is leavin leaving g behind a political army which has an excellent chance of 0 absorbing the country as britain and the U S have no armies on the ground ri military ill or political next possible russian move may be to cut the nearest slice of 0 turkey already defined in the official moscow journals this is a thin slice running about miles westward in length along the black sea with a depth of 0 75 to miles inland the turks could not stop uch buch a move without naval assistance from the british or U S their frontier ren tier armies could easily be bypassed by passed by russian amphibious landings in their rear A late grapevine report to trustworthy authorities here indicates russia is in no condition to try this or any other major venture her casualty list from rom the war has not yet been published and no one knows how many she lost dussias Rus sias manpower shortage has been made acute by critical short of 0 farm arm tractors locomotives locomotive and trucks to an extent where she sh cannot hope to supply her people with food and necessities economists noted goa doali 1 for or the fourth five year pla plan n tc C end in 1950 were lower than his goals in pig iron steel oil locomotives freight cars paper leathea and some other phases in short his figures suggest he will fail all short of 0 prewar production ater after foul oui more years if figures can be trust ed cd |