President Seeks Military Review

Press, Volume C, Issue 29563, 12 July 1961, Page 10

President Seeks Military Review

(N.Z.P. A.-Reuter—Copyricht) WASHINGTON, July 10. President Kennedy has called for a review and appraisal of America’s military capabilities as a result of the Berlin crisis, the Deputy Secretary of Defence (Mr Roswell Gilpatric) told the Senate appropriations subcommittee yesterday.

He also disclosed that another factor behind the President’s order was the Soviet air display in Moscow on Sunday. Mr Gilpatric stated that the United States bad adequate fighting power, to meet its requirements throughout the 1960’s on the basis of present estimates. British United Press reported that Mr Gilpatric said that if the review led to the conclusion that military spending should be increased, revised budget requests would be submitted to Confrere. Questioning of Mr Gilpatric disclosed that some Senators were wondering whether the White House and the Department of Defence were moving fast enough to meet the Russian threats to Berlin, Mr Kennedy flew back to Washington yesterday after a week-end at Hyannis Port, his summer home in Itfessachusetts. Defence Programme

The American Secretary of Defence (Mr Robert McNamara) also disclosed yesterday that the United States was re-examining its defence programme, Reuter said.

He made this statement in referring to the announcement by Mr Khrushchev that the Soviet Union had suspended plans to reduce Soviet armed forces by more than a million men in view of the world situation. Mr McNamara said that “the simplest precaution calls for still another examination of our defence posture,” he added, according to the Associated Press. “Currently we are as strong —if not stronger—than any potential aggressor. “But in the face of the inescapable realities that confront us, such as threats to dispossess us of our rightful preen,ce in Berlin, we can do no less than re-exam-ine our needs. This we are doing.” Mr McNamara’s statement gave no indication of what new steps the Kennedy Administration might take to bolster defences. Air Display Mr Gilpatric said the Moscow air display confirmed what the Defence Department had believed—that the Soviet Union viewed the manned bomber as an essential part of its aerial strength. Mr Gilpatric confirmed tor the first time that the United States programme at present

called for a force of 700 B-52 jet bombers, with Hound Dog and Skybolt missiles “sufficient to give us adequate bomber strength in the 1960’5.” The U.S. Government also released yesterday statements on the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces in Europe given by the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe (General Ijauris Norstad) to a House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee last month. General Norstad said that any serious Soviet move against Berlin would face the might of the entire Western world. N.A.T.O. forces, even as constituted at present, would “render a very good account of themselves’ for a limited time and the general said he w<as sure they were a factor in Soviet thinking about Berlin.