Word: laird
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...been apparent for years that forward deployment of large American ground forces in Asia and Europe would eventually be reduced, if not eliminated entirely. Viet Nam, North Korea's pugnacity, the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia and other bad news have deferred this realignment but not canceled it. Laird acknowledges that the American Seventh Army is in West Germany, for instance, more to meet political needs than strictly military ones. Although he places little credence in talk of detente with the Russians,* he does not rule out an eventual pullback from Europe. Technical developments in military transportation, such...
...prospect, then, is for the Army and Marines to shrink proportionally more than the Air Force and the Navy. While McNamara emphasized a balance of forces and strengthened conventional elements as well as nuclear components of the arsenal, Laird is likely to encourage at least a partial return to the approach of the Eisenhower years. The stress then was on developing strategic nuclear weapons?long-range bombers, missiles...
...simply foolhardy," says Laird, "not to make maximum use of the great talent, wisdom and experience available through the Joint Chiefs of Staff and within the services." Before his press conference last week, Laird thoroughly briefed General Earle Wheeler, J.C.S. chairman, on what was to be announced. The first thing the Secretary did after the conference was to give Wheeler a full rundown of the question-and-answer segment. Says the general: "The tenor of doing business in the Pentagon has changed, and it is a productive change...
Other alterations go far beyond tenor. Laird has put one of his oldest personal friends, Assistant Secretary for Administration Robert Froehlke, in a coordinator's role over the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency to ensure that they com- plement each other rather than work at cross purposes. He has set up a Domestic Action Council within the Pentagon to contribute to Government antipoverty efforts. He has downgraded the Office of International Security Affairs, one of McNamara's favorite shops, which acted as a little State Department within the Pentagon. Now it is more concerned with performing studies...
...renewed prestige. The office was viewed in that light because Mc-Namara gave it the responsibility for the first and most important review of goals and plans originated by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In the course of that review, Systems Analysis was often able to originate policy. Under Laird's table of organization, the three military services will get first crack at revising and refining the Joint Chiefs' plan. The new arrangement has the effect of increasing the responsibility of the three civilian service Secretaries, Stanley Resor of the Army, John Chafee of the Navy and Robert Seamans...