Polishing the Brass

The state of siege under which the U.S. defense community finds itself is no passing thing. Important segments of Congress and the public are increasingly vocal in their criticism of the size, influence and performance of the military and its industrial suppliers (TIME cover, April 11). Last week the tarnish on Pentagon brass spread even further with the disclosure that the Air Force had falsified reports about the price of the C-5A transport plane under production by the Lockheed Aircraft Corp.

Testifying before a congressional subcommittee, Air Force Colonel Kenneth N. Beckman, the officer in charge of the C-5A contract, said that in mid-1968 it became clear that Lockheed's original cost estimate of $2.9 billion for 120 C-5As was too low. The Air Force raised the estimate to $3.1 billion, then raised it again to $3.4 billion to reflect a change in specifications. The actual cost has been nearly $1 billion more than the highest estimate. Yet Colonel Beckman said two of his civilian superiors in the Pentagon approved a juggling of the cost reports to protect the price of Lockheed's common stock. (One of the civilians resigned last year; the other is scheduled to leave Government service when his replacement is confirmed in the Senate.)

Self-Study. The day after Beckman's appearance, Defense Secretary Melvin Laird issued an apologetic statement in which he said: "I am determined to ensure that full and accurate information on C-5A procurement, and all other procurement matters, is given to the Congress and to the public promptly. I am also determined to ensure that past mistakes in procurement of this transport aircraft will not be repeated."

The Defense Department is trying other measures in an effort to recapture national esteem. Laird and Deputy Defense Secretary David Packard last weekend led a contingent of Pentagon officials (and their wives) to Airlie House in Virginia. The purpose of the self-study was to seek ways of cutting the $80 billion defense budget and work out new procedures for keeping future spending in check. Strategists are also considering the possibility of shrinking the armed forces' size by about 1,000,000 men over the next three years. There are now 3,400,000 in uniform.

Laird is expected soon to appoint an unprecedented official commission, including people from outside the Pentagon, to review the strategic priorities for the next few decades. To forestall any doubts about the commission's findings, the chairmanship will probably go to a prominent outsider, perhaps a journalist. Any new Administration could be expected to take at least a perfunctory reappraisal of the nation's military posture. Under attack, Nixon's men seem to be taking seriously the need for a genuine and comprehensive review.

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