ment, headed by a Secretary of War, was organized to conduct the Nation's military affairs. In time, a Navy Department was created, also headed by a Secretary, to deal with naval matters. Cooperation between these Departments was an important aspect of national defense in the wars in which the country engaged.

During World War II the need for coordination and strategic direction of the Armed Forces from Washington, the seat of government and over-all strategy, became recognized as urgent. So an organization called the Joint Chiefs of Staff was created to coordinate the land, naval, and air operations of our Armed Forces on a world-wide basis.

The idea was not new in the United States. Various plans for such an organization had been recommended by different civilian and military experts for many years. There had been strong opposition to the proposals.

But by World War II, advancement in the sciences involved in warfare had brought about many changes, and led many people to revise their thinking about. the need for unification. New methods of communication and transportation made it possible to use the combined weight of all the armed forces of a nation. against a single objective or in coordinated action over a wide area. In each theater of operations, a

single commander was given command responsibility over all the armed forces in his area.

Unification Act Passed. After extensive study by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and by congressional and other committees, the National Security Act of 1947, known as the "Unification Act," was drawn up and passed by Congress. From September 1947 until poor health forced him to resign in March 1949, James V. Forrestal, the first Secretary of Defense, grappled with the mammoth task of laying the foundations of the National Military Establishment. Evidence of his accomplishments and his recommendations for desirable changes can be seen in the Department of Defense as it exists today.

At conferences of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at Key West, Florida, in March 1948, and at Newport, Rhode Island, in August 1948, agreements were reached on the roles and missions of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and the newly formed Air Force.1

Amendments Recommended. A number of committees studied and reported on the problem of defense organization. Then, in 1949, the Hoover Commission's Committee on the National Security Organization (the Eberstadt Committee) made a searching study of the workings of our National Military Establishment. The

1 All functions, powers, and duties of the Air Force, not previously transferred, were passed from the Army to the Air Force on 22 July 1949.

Third: We must develop the best possible military plans. These plans must be sound guides to action in case of war. They must be based upon the best thinking from every point of view-military, scientific, industrial, and economic.

Major Changes Brought About by Reorganization Efforts. The major changes now under way in connection with the reorganization of the Department of Defense provide for (1) clarifying lines of authority within the Department so as to strengthen civilian responsibility; (2) increasing the ability of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to serve as the top strategic planning and military advisory group; and (3) abolishing certain specialized agencies that have become too unwieldy and rigid, and assigning their functions to Assistant Secretaries on the staff of the Secretary of Defense.2

administered by their respective Secretaries under the direction, authority, and control of the Secretary of Defense. The Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense are assisted in the performance of their functions. by nine Assistant Secretaries, a General Counsel, and an Assistant to the Secretary of Defense. The Secretary may designate Special Assistants when required. In addition, he meets with the Armed Forces Policy Council, and the Joint Secretaries, and has the advice of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (See chart on page 6.) Let's examine some of the functions of these officials and groups.

The Secretary of Defense is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. He is the President's principal assistant in all matters relating to the Department of Defense. He is a member of the President's Cabinet and the National Security Council; and the Department that he heads is on the same level as the Departments of State, Treasury, Interior, Commerce, and other executive departments. No person who has within 10 years been on active duty as a commissioned officer in a Regular component of the Armed Services is eligible for appointment to the post.3

The Deputy Secretary is responsible for the supervision and coordination of the activities of the Department of Defense as directed by the Secretary. He also acts for and exercises the powers of the Secretary