MISCELLANEOUS BILLS THURSDAY, JULY 13, 1961 COMMITTEE OF ARMED SERVICES, U.S. SENATE, Washington, D.C. The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m., in room 212, Senate Office Building. Present: Senators Russell (presiding), Byrd of Virginia, Stennis, Symington, Jackson, Ervin, Thurmond, Engle, Bartlett, Cannon, Byrd of West Virginia, Saltonstall, Bridges, Smith of Maine, Case of S. Dak., Bush, and Beall. Also present: Harry L. Wingate, Jr., chief clerk; Herbert S. Atkinson, assistant chief clerk; William H. Darden, T. Edward Braswell, and Gordon A. Nease of the committee staff. H.R. 4328 Chairman RUSSELL. The first bill on our agenda to be considered this morning is H.R. 4328, a legislative proposal of the Department of Defense that proposes to eliminate the supply-duty-only officer category in the Marine Corps. The Department witness on this bill is the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. David M. Shoup. (The bill referred to is as follows:) [H.R. 4328, 87th Cong., 1st sess.] AN ACT To reassign officers designated for supply duty as officers not restricted in the performance of duty in the Marine Corps Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That officers on the active list of the Marine Corps designated for supply duty, except the officer serving as Quartermaster General on the date of enactment of this Act, are hereby reassigned as officers not restricted in the performance of duty. All provisions of law relating to officers on the active list of the Marine Corps not restricted in the performance of duty apply to officers reassigned by this Act, except as otherwise specifically provided herein. SEC. 2. The numbers of officers authorized to serve in grades above captain in the Marine Corps as set forth in the table in subsection (a) of section 5443 of title 10, United States Code, are readjusted to the extent necessary to include the numbers of officers authorized for those grades by subsections (g) and (h) of that section as those subsections read before the enactment of this Act. SEC. 3. (a) Each officer serving in the grade of brigadier general or colonel who is reassigned as an officer not restricted in the performance of duty by this Act, and who is senior to the senior officer in the first promotion zone established for his grade after the enactment of this Act, shall be considered for all purposes to be in that promotion zone. (b) Within the number of officers not restricted in the performance of duty that may be recommended for promotion to a grade below brigadier general, 1 as determined under section 5756 of title 10, United States Code, the Secretary of the Navy shall allocate a portion thereof for officers on the active list of the Marine Corps who were formerly designated for supply duty and who were reassigned as officers not restricted in the performance of duty by this Act. The portion allocated shall afford at least the same opportunity for promotion to such officers as is afforded other officers not restricted in the performance of duty. These provisions apply only when there is an eligible officer in the promotion zone. For the purpose of the above provisions, "eligible officer" means an officer who is serving in a grade below colonel, who has been reassigned as an officer not restricted in the performance of duty by this Act, and who has not previously been in a promotion zone established for any grade after the enactment of this Act. Reassigned officers in a zone of consideration established for the grade of major shall also be allocated a portion of the number of officers who may be recommended for promotion from within that zone, so as to afford them at least the same promotion opportunity as is afforded other officers not restricted in the performance of duty. SEC. 4. This Act does not terminate or reduce the four-year term of the officer who is serving as Quartermaster General of the Marine Corps on the date of enactment of this Act or deprive him of the rank, pay, allowances, or retirement privileges to which he became entitled under sections 5204 and 5205 of title 10, United States Code. However, he shall be counted as a major general for the purposes of sections 5443 and 5448 of that title, as amended by this Act. His date of rank as a major general is July 1, 1954. When he ceases to serve as Quartermaster General, he shall be reassigned as an officer not restricted in the performance of duty and he may be reappointed by the President alone to the permanent grade of major general to rank from July 1, 1954. SEC. 5. Subtitle C of title 10, United States Code, is amended as follows: (1) Section 5001 (a) (8) is amended by striking out the words "supply duty or". (2) Section 5204 is amended to read as follows: “§ 5204. Quartermaster General: detail "The Quartermaster General of the Marine Corps shall be detailed by the Commandant from officers of the Marine Corps on active duty." (3) Section 5205 is repealed. (4) The analysis of chapter 515 is amended by striking out the following items: "5204. Quartermaster General: appointment; term, pay and allowances. "5205. Heads of Staff Departments: retirement." and inserting the following item in place thereof: "5204. Quartermaster General detail." (5) Section 5409 (c) is amended by striking out the words ", excluding officers designated for supply duty," (6) Section 5443 is amended (A) by striking out the words ", excluding officers carried as additional numbers in grade," wherever they occur in subsections (a), (b), (c), and (f); and (B) by striking out subsections (g) and (h) and redesignating subsections (i) and (j) as subsections “(g)” and “(h)”. (7) Section 5448 is amended (A) by striking out the words “, excluding officers carried as additional numbers in grade," wherever they occur in subsections (a), (b), and (c); and (B) by substituting the number "36" for the number "32" in the last sentence of subsection (a); and (C) by striking out subsections (f) and (g) and redesignating subsections (h) and (i) as subsections “(f)” and “(g)”. (8) Section 5588 is repealed. (9) The analysis of chapter 539 is amended by striking out the following item: "5588. Regular Marine Corps officers designated for supply duty." (10) Section 5589 (e) (3) is amended by striking out the words "be designated for supply duty or". (11) Section 5703 is amended (A) by striking out clause (1) in subsection (a) and renumbering clauses (2), (3), (4), and (5) as clauses "(1)", "(2)", "(3)”, and “(4)”, and (B) by striking out subsection (d) and redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as subsections "(d)” and “(e)". (12) Section 5706 is amended (A) by striking out the words ", the number of officers of the Marine Corps designated for supply duty," in clause (3); (B) by striking out clause (8) and renumbering clauses (9), (10), (11), and (12) as clauses "(8)", "(9)”, “(10)” and “(11)"; and (C) by striking out the words "or colonels in the Marine Corps" in clause (9) as so renumbered. (13) Section 5707 is amended (A) by striking out the words "supply duty or" in subsection (d); and (B) by inserting the words "supply duty," before the words "or duty in any technical specialty" in subsection (f). (14) Section 5709 is amended (A) by amending the catchline to read as follows; "§ 5709. Navy and Marine Corps: retention of rear admirals and major generals on the active list"; and (B) by striking out subsection (c) and redesignating subsection (d) as subsection "(c)”. (15) The analysis of chapter 543 is amended by striking out the following item: "5709. Navy and Marine Corps: retention of rear admirals, major generals, and brigadier generals on the active list." and inserting the following item in place thereof. "5709. Navy and Marine Corps: retention of rear admirals and major generals on the active list." (16) Section 5751 (a) is amended by striking out the words "not restricted in the performance of duty”. (17) Section 5759 is repealed. (18) The analysis of chapter 545 is amended by striking out the following item: "5759. Regular Marine Corps; male officers designated for supply duty: numbers that may be recommended." (19) Section 5765 is amended (A) by striking out the words "not restricted in the performance of duty" in subsection (a); and (B) by striking out subsection (c) and redesignating subsection (d) as subsection "(c)". (20) Section 5769 (b) is amended (A) by striking out clauses (4) and (6) and renumbering clause (5) as clause "(4)"; and (B) by striking out the following words in the last sentence: “; and an officer in the grade of captain in the Marine Corps designated for supply duty is not eligible for promotion to the grade of major until there is a vacancy for him among officers of his designation in the combined grades of colonel, lieutenant colonel, and major". (21) Section 5775 is amended (A) by striking out clauses (7) and (8) in subsection (a) and renumbering clauses (9), (10), and (11) as clauses "(7)", (8)", and "(9)"; and (B) by striking out the words "and each male officer of the Marine Corps designated for supply duty" in subsection (b). (22) Section 5776(b) is amended 66 (A) by striking out the words or a male officer of the Marine Corps restricted in the performance of duty serving in the grade of colonel," in the first sentence; and (B) by striking out the words "or brigadier general" in the second sentence. (23) Section 6020 is repealed. (24) The analysis of chapter 555 is amended by striking out the following item: "6020. Marine Corps officers: detail to duty in Supply Department." (25) Section 6374 is amended by striking out the words "not restricted in performance of duty" in the catchline and the words "not restricted in the performance of duty" in the text. (26) Section 6375 is repealed. (27) Section 6376 is amended by striking out the words "not restricted in performance of duty" after the word "colonels" in the catchline and the words “not restricted in the performance of duty" in the first sentence of the text before the words "serving in the grade of colonel". (28) Section 6377 is amended (A) by striking out the words "; Regular Marine Corps, colonels designated for supply duty" in the catchline; (B) by striking out the words "and each officer designated for supply duty serving in the grade of colonel on the active list of the Marine Corps" in subsection (a); and (C) by striking out, in subsection (e), the words "or colonel in the Marine Corps" in the first and second sentences and the words "or colonel" in the second sentence. (29) Section 6378 is amended (A) by striking out the words "; Regular Marine Corps, colonels designated for supply duty" in the catchline; (B) by inserting the word "and" after the words "in any staff corps," in the first sentence of subsection (a) and by striking out the words “, and each officer designated for supply duty serving in the grade of colonel on the active list of the Marine Corps" in that sentence; (C) by striking out the word ", colonel," in the last sentence of subsection (a); and (D) by striking out clause (8) in subsection (b). (30) The analysis of chapter 573 is amended by striking out the following items: "6374. Regular Marine Corps; brigadier generals not restricted in performance of duty: retirement for failures of selection for promotion.. "6375. Regular Marine Corps; brigadier generals designated for supply duty retention on active list: retirement. "6376. Regular Navy, line captains not restricted in performance of duty; Regular Marine Corps, colonels not restricted in performance of duty retirement for length of service. "6377. Regular Navy, line captains restricted in performance of duty, staff corps captains, and Nurse Corps commanders; Regular Marine Corps, colonels designated for supply duty retirement for length of service or for age. "6378. Regular Navy, line captains restricted in performance of duty, staff corps captains, and Nurse Corps commanders; Regular Marine Corps, colonels designated for supply duty continuation on active list; retirement." and inserting the following items in place thereof: "6374. Regular Marine Corps; brigadier generals: retirement for failures of selection for promotion. "6376. Regular Navy, line captains not restricted in performance of duty; Regular Marine Corps, colonels: retirement for length of service. "6377. Regular Navy, line captains restricted in performance of duty, staff corps captains, and Nurse Corps commanders: retirement for length of service or for age. "6378. Regular Navy, line captains restricted in performance of duty, staff corps captains, and Nurse Corps commanders: continuation on active list; retirement." Passed the House of Representatives May 15, 1961. RALPH R. ROBERTS, Clerk. Chairman RUSSELL. General Shoup, we are glad to have you before the committee. You may proceed with your statement. STATEMENT OF GEN. DAVID M. SHOUP, COMMANDANT, U.S. MARINE CORPS General SHOUP. Mr. Chairman, members of the committee; the single purpose of H.R. 4328 is to improve the effectiveness of the Marine Corps. It will do so by removing the restricted supply duty officer designation which now applies to about 400 of our officers. The supply duty officer concept is one which has outlived its usefulness in the Marine Corps. We have moved beyond the point where a small group of officers restricted in numbers and range of assignments can adequately meet the needs of the corps in supply matters. It is a situation which has come to pass in the Marine Corps because supply matters cannot be isolated and set apart in a neat little compartment sufficient unto themselves. Instead, we are right in the middle of an era when the related fields of sound fiscal management and logistics planning and operations have become so merged with this thing called supply that the restrictive supply duty designation has become unrealistic and artificial. The ever-increasing responsibilities we place upon our commanding officers, at all levels, for sound fiscal, supply, and logistics performance provide one practical illustration of how outdated our present arrangement has become. The obsolescence of our SDO system has been hastened during the past 7 or 8 years by our procedure of placing personal responsibility upon the commander for strict management of his command's fiscal affairs. To successfully meet this requirement, he must be knowledgeable and competent in both supply and fiscal matters, for neither can be dealt with separate and apart from the other. I have had the opportunity in recent years as Fiscal Director of the Marine Corps, a division commander in the United States and Far East, and commander of one of our major bases, to watch the effect which the restrictive nature of our present SDÓ system has on our efforts to increase the peacetime efficiency and combat effectiveness of our total service support field-supply management, fiscal management, logistic functioning. The importance of these matters is so great in the successful accomplishment of the missions of the corps that we must broaden the base of our competence in dealing with them. In consonance with the provisions of present supply duty officer legislation, approximately 400 officers are designated for duty with the supply field, which contains some 1,340 billets. Thus, only about 30 percent of the supply billets are filled by supply duty officers. These officers are also denied the experience and training in command billets considered necessary for maximum effectiveness throughout their Marine Corps careers. an already small officer corps, these restrictions seriously limit our endeavor to achieve the broad, overall level of competence we must have in the service support functions. The bill before you contains provisions to protect the career opportunities of those officers below the rank of colonel now serving under the SDO legislation. The promotion opportunities of SDO colonels and general grade officers remain substantially unchanged. Existing law provides that the Secretary of the Navy may direct selection boards to select officers with specific qualifications for promotion to general officer grades. This feature will be used to select former SDO colonels and general grade officers for promotion to meet the needs of the Marine Corps. The proposed bill also provides that the officer presently serving as Quartermaster General under a Presidential appointment of January 1, 1960, will serve out his present appointment. I will be glad to discuss these provisions fully should you have questions concerning them. Enactment of this proposed bill will have no effect on the budgetary requirements of the Marine Corps. |