DEFENSE

Since our hope is peace, we owe ourselves and the world a candid explanation of the military measures we are taking to make that peace secure.

As we enter this new year, our military power continues to grow.  This power is for our own defense and to deter aggression.  We shall not be aggressors, but we and our allies have and will maintain a massive capability to strike back.

Here are some of the considerations in our defense planning: 

First, while determined to use atomic power to serve the usages of peace, we take into full account our great and growing number of nuclear weapons and the most effective means of using them against an aggressor if they are needed to preserve our freedom.  Our defense will be stronger if, under appropriate security safeguards, we share with our allies certain knowledge of the tactical use of our nuclear weapons.  I urge the Congress to provide the needed authority.

Second, the usefulness of these new weapons creates new relationships between men and materials.  These new relationships permit economies in the use of men as we build forces suited to our situation in the world today.  As will be seen from the Budget Message on January 21, the airpower of our Navy and Air Force is receiving heavy emphasis.

Third, our armed forces must regain maximum mobility of action.  Our strategic reserves must be centrally placed and readily deployable to meet sudden aggression against ourselves and our allies.

Fourth, our defense must rest on trained manpower and its most economical and mobile use.  A professional corps is the heart of any security organization.  It is necessarily the teacher and leader of those who serve temporarily in the discharge of the obligation to help defend the Republic.  Pay alone will not retain in the career service of our armed forces the necessary numbers of long-term personnel.  I strongly urge, therefore, a more generous use of other benefits important to service morale.  Among these are more adequate living quarters and family housing units and medical care for dependents.

Studies of military manpower have just been completed by the National Security Training Commission and a Committee appointed by the Director of the Office of Defense Mobilization.  Evident weaknesses exist in the state of readiness and organization of our reserve forces.  Measures to correct these weaknesses will be later submitted to the Congress.

Fifth, the ability to convert swiftly from partial to all-out mobilization is imperative to our security.  For the first time, mobilization officials know what the requirements are for 1,000 major items needed for military uses.  These data, now being related to civilian requirements and our supply potential, will show us the gaps in our mobilization base.  Thus we shall have more realistic plant-expansion and stockpiling goals.  We shall speed their attainment.  This Nation is at last to have an up-to-date mobilization base—­the foundation of a sound defense program.