THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 1941 A MILITARY ADVISER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23970, 21 May 1941, Page 8

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 1941 A MILITARY ADVISER

Welcome news is provided in the announcement that a highly-placed officer of the British Army, Lieuten-ant-General Sir Guy Williams, is on his way to the Dominion "to advise the Government on problems relating to the organisation and training of the New Zealand military forces." His arrival will virtually coincide with the retirement of Major-General Sir John Ehiigan from the position of Chief of the General Staff, and it is no reflection on the work of either MajorGeneral Duigan or any member of his staff if the hope is expressed ■ that General Williams will fill, temporarily at any rate, the vacancy thus arising. Possibly because New 1 Zealand-is a small country, with an inadequate conception in peace time of its military responsibilities, the Army organisation has been sub- [ jected too much to political in- • fluences. The fault is not in the ■ officers themselves, but in a system which prevents them from exer- ; cising their proper functions as mili- . tary advisers and which, in the main, denies them the opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of changes in military methods and in the science of war. Indeed, the rigidity of the system has been such that there has been a disposition to regard the Army merely as a branch of the Civil Service—a position which is manifestly impossible in . time of war. The need for new methods, directed by a mind free from the restricting influences of political considerations, has long been apparent, and thus the visit of General Williams can be regarded as most timely and most opportune. Quite apart from the question of inherent weaknesses in the Dominion's military system, it is essential under existing conditions that the Government should be advised by a man fully competent to speak of the Army's needs in the light of the most recent events. In this respect it is fortunate that we are obtaining the services of an officer who until recently has held the important post of Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Command and who must therefore have played no small part in perfecting the defences of Britain against the menace of invasion. In his former command. General Williams was responsible for guarding an area exposed to possible invasion thrusts from several quarters. Like all his fellowcommanders in the British Home Forces, he must have found himself a year ago, after Dunkirk, in a position calling for a supreme effort in military organisation and efficiency. The British Expeditionary Force was back in England, but disorganised and bereft of its equipment ; units still in Britain were neither fully trained nor fully provided with modern weapons ; at any moment the enemy might decide to deliver a crushing blow. With a speed and energy which has since amazed the world, all these difficulties were overcome. Training methods were revised and training itself expedited; equipment was improvised until new production was available; the whole problem of defence was tackled with resource, ingenuity and courage. Who can say that similar methods are not required to-day in the organisation of the defence of New Zealand ? Within the limitations of our existing system, much useful work has already been done, partly based on the recommendations made to the Government by Major-Gencral Mackesy a few months before the outbreak of war. New difficulties, however, have since arisen. The Dominion is maintaining an Expeditionary Force and the demands thus made on manpower and equipment have a direct bearing on home defence. Future training methods which General Williams may recommend will depend to some extent on the equipment available, or likely to - be made available as a result ofj missions to the United States and Australia, but in the meantime the Government's new adviser will be able to discuss local industrial organisation for war purposes along the lines so successfully followed in Britain. In the sphere of home defence, General Williams will be called upon to study the establishment and efficiency of the Territorial Force; the value of the Home Guard and its possible reorganisation for the selection of that nuin- j ber of men which can best be , trained and equipped for active work > in the field ; and the co-ordination j of all defence plans, embracing. both military and civilian organi-; sat ions. The. task is one of supreme j importance and New Zealand is for-: tunate in obtaining the services of a . man whose whole record speaks of , his ability to discharge it with purpose and vigour.