REVIEW OF PROMOTIONS OF OFFICERS IN THE ARMED SERVICES TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 1953 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES, (The subcommittee met at 10 a. m., Hon. Leslie C. Arends, chairman of the subcommittee, presiding.) Mr. ARENDS. All ready, Mr. Blandford? Mr. BLANDFORD. Yes, we will start with the generals. TESTIMONY OF MAJ. GEN. E. S. WETZEL, DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF, PERSONNEL, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE Resumed General WETZEL. I would like to say to start us off, I am here to defend the requirement for 449 Air Force general officers for the end of fiscal year 1954. You have before you the pages of a summary outlining our positions, the generals assigned, and, later on in this folder, you will find the positions not now occupied but considered by us to be a requirement. I have all the material, I am sure, that will be required to show what these generals do and why we feel they are general officer positions. Some of them are perfectly obvious. Perhaps you will want to skip those. I am at your pleasure as to how you would like to examine the generals. Mr. BLANDFORD. Some are perfectly obvious, General. I have questions on many of them. If I may proceed, Mr. Chairman, I will go right through the list. Mr. ARENDS. All right. Mr. BLANDFORD. Secretary of the Air Force. You have a Director of the Secretary of the Air Force Personnel Council and a Deputy Director, Secretary of Air Force Personnel Council. There is no comparable council in the Navy. That is the only thing at the moment I can compare it with. My question is why do you need two general officers, why do you need any general officers? The work, if there is anything comparable to it in the Navy, is performed by a Navy captain who acts as assistant to the Under Secretary for personnel matters. General WETZEL. Final decision on numerous personnel actions is reserved by law to the Secretary. Such actions include resignations, discharges, retirements, revocations of commissions, and terminations of appointments. In addition, experience dictates the reservation to the Secretary of final decision on certain other personnel actions, including elimination for cause, awards and decorations, clemency and parole matters, and certain appeals, complaints, and so on. The Secretary of the Air Force Personnel Council is an administrative activity established by the Secretary for the purpose of recommending to him an appropriate course of action or decision in these important matters. The Director, Secretary of Air Force Personnel Council, is responsible for the proper functioning of the six boards of which the Council is composed. Air Force Personnel Review Board, Air Force Board of Review, Air Force Disability Review Board, Discharge Review Board, Decorations Board, Physical Disability Appeal Board-some of these are established by law-Air Force Disability Review Board, Discharge Review Board, Board of Review. This is the final board established in Public Law 810 which requires five general officers. When the Secretary's Personnel Board acts as a board of final review, we have to detail three added general officers to meet that requirement. DIRECTOR, SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE PERSONNEL COUNCIL Final decision on numerous personnel actions is reserved by law to the Secretary. Such actions include resignations, discharges, retirements, revocations of commissions and terminations of appointments. In addition, experience dictates necessity for the reservation to the Secretary of final decision on certain other personnel actions including eliminations for cause, certain awards and decorations, clemency, parole and restoration to duty, and certain appeals, complaints, and challenges. The Air Force Personnel Council is the administrative activity established by the Secretary for the purpose of recommending to him an appropriate course of action or decision in these important matters. The Director, Secretary of the Air Force Personnel Council, is responsible for the proper functioning of the six Boards of which the Council is composed. One of these Boards, the Air Force Board of Review, performs final review of the proceedings of Boards of Inquiry, regarding the removal of Regular Air Force officers, from the active list under the provisions of Public Law 810, 80th Congress. This law requires that this Board be composed of not less than five general officers. The Director normally is the President of the Board. The Director and the Deputy Director, who assists the Director in the administration of the Council and who acts for the Director in his absence or when prior knowledge of a particular case under review necessitates his challenge, sit as members of this Board. An idea of the extent of the work accomplished by the Personnel Council may be gained from the following statistics which represent cases handled during fiscal year 1952: Separations of officers and airmen Other than for cause (relieves from active duty, resignations, retirements). 1, 898 For cause (qualified resignations, revocations, discharges). Physical disability. Special appeals and reviews. Selection for Regular Air Force commissions. 1, 889 3, 481 3, 465 945 From this obvious workload, it is apparent that both the Director and Deputy Director are essential as general officers in order to provide proper guidance of secretarial policy and afford the requisite continuity for the varied Board actions in this functional area. Mr. BLANDFORD. How often does that board meet, General? General WETZEL. Well, it is in continual operation. How many days a week are they involved with Board of Review on Public Law 810 cases? Mr. BLANDFORD. Yes. The General WETZEL. An officer who is required to show cause why his. commission should be retained, we hope there are not many, but occasionally they come up, and they meet as those cases occur. disability review board: For those cases the Board meets as often as a person is scheduled for retirement due to physical disability. We can supply statistical data as to the number of cases actually reviewed by each board. Mr. BLANDFORD. Why is it done by general officers in the Air Force and done by captains in the Navy? General WETZEL. Some of these things involve questions of substantial judgment. They involve questions of honor, questions of pay, disability pay. There is some provision involving regular officers which are required to have a board of five general officers by law. Public Law 810, of course, does prescribe general officers in the final Board of Review, five to be exact, general officers. Perhaps the Navy doesn't operate under that. Mr. BLANDFORD. They do not operate under 810. Mr. KILDAY. Does this Board handle those cases under 810 as well as other cases? General WETZEL. The whole thing. In other words, the Secretary has grouped into his personnel council Mr. KILDAY. I recall the circumstances involved very well. It was after Secretary Woodring's revitalization bill, I believe he called it. It came out of the committee with about a one vote majority and we were afraid to take it on the floor. After years of service in grade, and when total mobilization came along, General Marshall brought along this 810. Because of the experience we had had and the bitterness that had been aroused by Secretary Woodring's proposal, we very deliberately made that a board of general officers. Mr. BLANDFORD. Next is Director, Legislative and Liaison. Of course, it is always unpleasant to discuss people you come in daily contact with, but the situation is very obvious. We have a flag officer in the Office of Secretary of Defense. Previous to that there was a general officer. You have a major general in the Air Force, a major general in the Army, a captain in the Navy. I am familiar with the fact that the Navy captain who performs that work reports to the Judge Advocate Genral, but the Judge Advocate General is not the legislative and liaison man, so to speak for the Navy. Instead it is done by a captain. Just what is the justification for a major general occupying that billet? DIRECTOR, DIRECTORATE OF LEGISLATION AND LIAISON, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE General WETZEL (reading): The Director, Directorate of Legislation and Liaison, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, is a general officers' position because it is the opinion of the Secretary of the Air Force as well as the Chief of Staff that the duties and responsibilities of this office warrant the assignment of a general officer. This Directorate differs in one respect from its counterparts in the other services in that it is located in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. The Director wears two hats in that he is the principal adviser to both the Secretary and the Chief of Staff on legislation and liaison matters. I would like to read to you a position summary which will briefly indicate the scope of the duties involved in this position. The Director of Legislation and Liaison being immediately responsible to the Secretary of the Air Force, and acting in an advisory capacity to the Chief of Staff, UŠAF, is responsible for (a) The formulation, coordination, and general supervision of the Air Force legislative program, with the exception of appropriation matters; (b) Assembling, analyzing, evaluating, and reporting legislative matters pertaining to the Air Force, including dissemination of pertinent legislative information to appropriate Air Force officials and offices; (c) Preparation and coordination of reports, testimony, and related statements on legislation to the Office, Secretary of Defense, the Bureau of the Budget, and the Congress, including scheduling and other arrangements for presentation of legislative testimony before congressional committees; (d) Maintaining and conducting legislative liaison between the Air Force and the Congress, Bureau of the Budget, the departments and boards within the Department of Defense, and other executive branches of the Government; (e) Preparation, review, and monitoring of correspondence and inquiries between the Department of the Air Force and Members of the Congress, and between the Department of the Air Force and the Executive Office of the President; (f) Preparation, review, and processing of correspondence and inquiries on committee business relating to investigations, including preparation of reports, testimony, and related statements on investigations before the investigating committees of the Congress; (g) Briefing and counseling of Air Force witnesses who appear before legislative and investigative committees of the Congress; (h) The release of classified information to the Congress in accordance with instructions prescribed by the Secretary of the Air Force; () Maintaining cognizance of correspondence and inquiries reflecting criticism of Air Force policy and, where appropriate, institutes recommendations to the Chief of Staff for possible remedial action thereto; (j) Monitoring, on a continuing basis, all action pertaining to the aforesaid matters from the time the inquiry is received in the Department until the final response is actually received by the originator. Mr. BLANDFORD. Well, it is true in the Navy. The thing that is apparent is that you have a captain in the Navy who is the direct representative of the Judge Advocate General on all legislative matters. and legislative inquiries here on the Hill. If the Judge Advocate General can act as the coordinator of all of those activities with the captain, certainly the Judge Advocate General of the Navy is no busier or no less busy than the Judge Advocate General of the Air Force. Why could not the Judge Advocate General of the Air Force be the coordinator with the colonel running the shop the same as the Navy and thus save yourself a general billet, the same as the Navy has saved itself a flag billet? General WETZEL. Let me comment this way: Is it not important that the officer designated as legislative and liaison officer to the Congress be selected on his capabilities and on his personality and on his ability to handle these matters for the Secretary? Mr. BLANDFORD. Definitely. General WETZEL. Doesn't it just happen that the Judge Advocate General of the Navy is that individual? Mr. BLANDFORD. No. General WETZEL. And that next year, if some other naval officer has that position, it does not necessarily hold that he will be the legislative and liaison officer of the Navy? Mr. BLANDFORD. The Navy never has had a flag officer as the legis lative and liaison representative here on the Hill. It always has been-at one time the legislative and liaison representative worked for the Chief, Bureau of Personnel. General WETZEL. Does the Navy confine all of the responsibilities of that office to the captain? Is he the only naval officer that comes to the Hill, comes to the Halls of Congress? Mr. BLANDFORD. The only officer who comes to the Hill, comes to the Halls of Congress. He is the officer charged with the responsibility of handling all congressional inquiries. In other words, if you have a problem involving an enlisted man or an officer, you take it up with the Navy representative who comes on the Hill. If you have a problem dealing with legislation, you take it up with the captain. If you have a problem dealing with a naval base you take it up with that captain. He in turn will farm it out the same as your people do to the interested agencies or the interested departments or divisions. But he is the one who coordinates it. Through him funnels everything that goes on the Hill. I suggest to you that a Navy captain is performing the job that a major general is performing in the Army and a major general is performing in the Air Force. General WETZEL. I can't speak, as I say, with any authority on the Navy. But if I can say something off the record? (There was discussion off the record.) Mr. BLANDFORD. On the record. I do not want to get into personalities because that is not my intentions. I know that the members of the Armed Services Committee think very highly of the general officers that are over here. It is not my purpose to inquire into their activities on a personal basis in any way, shape, or manner. But again I suggest to you that it is at least a question in the minds of some people as to why it is necessary to have a flag officer in the Office of Secretary of Defense, a major general in the Air Force, a major general in the Army, and a captain in the Navy, and, in addition to that, bearing in mind that throughout World War II, with some 12 million people under arms, the Army and the Air Force were represented on the Hill by one colonel and a major general running the entire shop for the Army and the Air Force back in the Pentagon. It is something that has to be faced because it is a field that is obvious. You people know that the Secretary of Defense has made a very searching analysis of the legislative and liaison officers, and it would be remiss on our part not to look into the matter, also, and at least ask you people to justify that billet being occupied by general officers, particularly if it can be done by, say, the Judge Advocate General, which is really his field when you deal with legislation insofar as writing a law is concerned. General WETZEL. You are concerned only with writing laws? General WETZEL. Then he is qualified. Mr. BLANDFORD. You have a Director of Public Information who is a brigadier general. The Office of Secretary of Defense has a general officer, Navy has a general officer, Marine Corps has a general officer. Everybody has a general officer in public information. Again, I propose the possibility of making use of a general officer. I notice General Sory Smith, I don't know him. I notice he is 43 years old. General WETZEL. General Smith? |