| Show ECONOMIC highlights in the light of current events it is quit interesting to look back about a year to the time when the headlines were largely occupied with the debate over the kind of weapons we needed and how the next war would have to be faught the star of the air force was then in its ascendancy and its more extreme partisans were arguing passionately that the air plane and especially jet fighters and the huge intercontinental bombers could do practically all of the job the navy the argument ran would in the future be only a minor auxiliary service eel vice and should be deprived of most possibly all of its own planes and carriers the tank was obsolete or nearly so because new weapons had made it practically as vulnerable to fire az as a jeep and the role of the foot soldier always paramount in past wars would be a relatively minor one next time this is what prompted U S news and world report in an article on military planning and strategy to say war in korea is putting military ideas new weapons and strategy plans to the tes t of experience on the basis of the record to date the report card on the first performance can be marked flunked for our experience experienc e in korea has certainly proven that in this particular kind of small war at least the new weapons and new ideas have not worked the expected wonders in this war the largest bombers bombe rs have not been used nor are they likely to be used to any extent they illey are adapted to global all out war in which they would carry A bombs to vital enemy targets thousands of miles away from their bases the air force has performed splendidly in korea and has inflicted heavy damage on red alave ilave forces but reports from the front chave said time and again that the jet planes in this type oi of campaign have been a disappoint ment valuable as they are in air ail combat they are too fast and too limited in the time they can stay aloft to operate as well in close support of troops as piston en dined planes navy air once written off as an obsolete weapon has proved enormous enormously ay vital the carrier planes operate in duport of the ground troops and are a major defense against amphibious landings A traditional navy domi the sea lanes and harbors the most dramatic example of the worth of an old weapon is is found in the tank it was the greatest single factor in making possible the north korean drive the russian tanks which troops used were apparently superior to ours in fire power and armor finally the role of the foot soldier has been all important de spite all the new and revolutionary concepts yet uttered the poor blind infantry has been the queen of batles in korea it may be that in the future in another kind of war if it comes those new concepts may find some justification they have not so far and it is evident that it would be a disastrous folly to accept them at theoretical theire value |
