Better “image” sought for armed forces

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32778, 1 December 1971, Page 3

Better “image” sought for armed forces

Although the armed forces did not seem to attract as much interest that they had once done, it was too soon for him to suggest how their “image” could be improved, the Chief of Defence Staff (LieutenantGeneral R. J. H. Webb) said at Wigram yesterday.

General Webb was paying his first visit to the R.N.Z.A.F. base since his appointment in October. “I know a bit about the Amy, so now I’m concentrating on the Navy and the Air Force,” said the general, who has inspected Auckland bases and will visit Woodburn and Ohakea shortly. Commenting on the statement by Sir Leonard Thornton at the time of his retirement about the “image” of the services, General Webb said the “image” of the

armed services was having a detrimental effect on manpower. This was being felt in all three services. However, as “just a new boy” in the position of Chief of Defence Staff, he had had little time to consider what could be done or to formulate recommendations for improvements to the Minister of Defence.

Asked about the effects of the reduction in defence expenditure, he said there was a problem in that financial resources would not meet all requirements. The Government had placed an order for new training aircraft, and other equipment was being kept up to date, but the curb on expenditure was being felt in new buildings and maintenance of existing amenities, said General Webb. On unification of the armed forces to the extent of wearing a common uniform, he said he believed this would not happen in the foreseeable future.

“I see a need for us to stay as three individually identified services,” he said. “People have a greater sense of belonging in a separate service. They like to belong to a small cohesive force rather than an amorphous mass.” General Webb believed that economy could be achieved by unification of the central administration. Separate services should be maintained for effective use of resources, so long as this was not wasteful.

The position of defence staff was made in 1963, he said. Although there probably had been no great savings, there had been a gradual evolution of greater efficiency in the forces. “There is no doubt in my mind that since 1963-64 the Defence Department has been much more effective in allocating resources to carry out defence policy,” said General Webb.