When General Clark heard Fang Lang's answer, he looked at Fang Lang with a little surprise, and then thought that the other party had also participated in the Pacific War, so it was not surprising that he knew this situation.
He nodded to Fang Lang, picked up the wine glass and clinked it with Fang Lang's, then took a sip and said:
“The situation in the U.S. is not as serious as in Japan.
However, as the war ended, President Truman mentioned a topic in an article entitled "Our Armed Forces Must Be Unified" when summarizing the experiences and lessons of World War II.
That is to unify the army and navy so that all our defensive and offensive forces are under the leadership of one organization and one authoritative and responsible command.
We need to establish a unified military organization to effectively integrate the navy and the army.”
Upon hearing this, Fang Lang understood what it meant and said with a smile:
"This is what it means to establish the U.S. Department of Defense!"
General Clark was stunned by Fang Lang's words. He looked at Fang Lang in surprise and said:
...
...
"You knew about this?"
Fang Lang quickly shook his head. He couldn't tell the other party that he knew from later generations that the United States had a Secretary of Defense, but there wasn't one now!
"Aren't the navy, army and air force of many countries all under the leadership of the Ministry of National Defense?"
From this point of view, China is actually ahead of the United States, although now all the real power is concentrated in Chiang Kai-shek's head.
However, in terms of system, China is actually more advanced than the United States. After all, it is a country with an ancient history and civilization.
After hearing what Fang Lang said, General Clark understood that what he said was the actual situation and did not think much about it.
Continued:
"After the war ended, specifically in October 1945, the Army Department took the lead in submitting a bill to Congress with the main content of establishing a unified military organization.
However, the bill focuses primarily on the affiliation of the Marine Corps and Naval Aviation.
Their goal is to merge the Marine Corps into their Army and form an amphibious force of the Army.
In order to achieve this goal, they took the initiative to propose to separate the land-based aviation force that originally belonged to the army into an independent air force.
The Air Force, on the other hand, requested that the Naval Aviation be transferred under its jurisdiction.
This is equivalent to the Army wanting to divide up the Navy's "legacy" with its younger brother who had just separated from his family.
So now the relationship between the Navy Department and the War Department is very tense.”
Fang Lang obviously did not expect that the U.S. Army would be so cruel. If the Army really followed this idea, the U.S. Navy would be ruined.
Unfortunately, Fang Lang knew the history of later generations and found that the US Navy was still alive and well.
The Army's plan obviously did not succeed!
Think about your First Fleet. Aren’t you also planning to build it into a complete military force with navy, army and air force?
But if the US Army is really successful, will Brazil also learn from the Americans?
If this really happens, the navy will become a transport fleet.
Out of consideration for his own interests, Fang Lang didn't want this to happen.
Blurt out:
"Why does the Army Department have the right to do that?"
General Clark actually heard the meaning of sharing a common hatred of a common enemy in this sentence, and couldn't help but look at Fang Lang with satisfaction. It turned out that all the navies in the world were on the same side.
However, the current situation of the US Navy is not good, and he couldn't help but sigh:
"Because in this war, it is the Army and the Army Aviation that ultimately decide the victory!
Therefore, it is only natural that the Army, led by Marshall and Eisenhower, has the "right to speak" in the new round of defense institutional reform. "
The so-called final decision on victory was made by the Army and the Army's Air Force. According to Fang Lang's understanding, it was the US Army that invaded Germany.
It was the atomic bomb dropped by the U.S. Army Air Force that prompted Japan to surrender.
Therefore, for a long time after the end of World War II, the US Navy had a very difficult time. The Army and Air Force generally believed that the Navy simply did not have the ability to decide the outcome of the war.
“I see what you mean, so the situation of the US Navy is very bad right now.
The Army and the Air Force that was about to be established were both trying to find ways to weaken the power of the US Navy.
This is also the reason why our Brazilian Navy was able to obtain the aircraft carrier sold by the United States, right? "
General Clark looked at Fang Lang and shrugged helplessly. Fang Lang knew that he was right.
"Then why do you say that you can get us the best aircraft carrier in the US Navy?
You yourself were born in the navy!
Aren't you afraid that your behavior of taking advantage of others' misfortune will make you despised by your colleagues?"
General Clark said with an indifferent expression:
"Didn't you say I've retired?
If I want to work in your fleet, I have to show my worth, right?"
Fang Lang looked at Clark's expression with suspicion. He didn't believe that this old guy would really have such a big change.
As a general who had participated in the war, Fang Lang believed that General Clara must be patriotic.
Since he loves his country, it is impossible for him to harm the interests of his country.
Fang Lang was very clear about this.
Fang Lang believed that Americans treated military service as a job.
But Fang Lang didn't believe that being a soldier was just a job.
Because soldiers without a sense of honor have no fighting power at all, no matter how lax the military discipline of the U.S. military is, the education of soldiers' sense of honor will never be lacking.
More importantly, based on Fang Lang's understanding of General Clark, he is definitely not an unpatriotic general or a general without a sense of military honor.
"I understand. You want to use this incident to make the U.S. Navy show weakness to the Army and Air Force, right?
Is it right to put yourself in a vulnerable position to gain sympathy?"
After hearing Fang Lang's words, General Clark said expressionlessly:
"You think too much."
Fang Lang knew that the other party must have his own plans, but if the other party could really do what he said, Fang Lang would not care what his purpose was!
As long as you can successfully obtain the aircraft carrier you want, as for being able to obtain the aircraft carrier in the best condition, that would be icing on the cake.
Seeing the other party's expression, Fang Lang smiled and didn't want to continue to dwell on this topic. Instead, he said curiously:
"What makes your Army and Air Force feel that the Navy is redundant?
Doesn't the United States' long coastline need to be protected by the U.S. Navy at all? "
To be honest, Fang Lang really couldn't understand this kind of train of thought. If it was simply a struggle for power, it would be fine, but he couldn't understand what the considerations were for wanting to directly abolish an entire type of soldier.
Do they treat the navy like cavalry?
This only shows that Fang Lang's thinking is not yet able to replace the thoughts of Americans at this time. The victory of the Second World War has already made the American military have a general perception that they are invincible.
Especially as the only country that possesses nuclear weapons, the US military believes that nuclear weapons will become the "trump card" that determines the outcome of future wars.
Strategic nuclear bombing will also become a new combat mode with decisive significance in the future, making nuclear weapons and the newly formed Strategic Air Force (SAC) the priority targets of the US military's strategic deployment and military funding.
In other words, as long as the United States has strategic nuclear strike capability, no country will dare to challenge it.
Under this ideology, the navy becomes dispensable.
Especially since the Navy also has the Naval Aviation Force, isn't this stealing work from my Air Force?
So, the US Air Force wants to deprive the Navy of the right to have aviation.
What is even more exaggerated is that after the new Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson came to power in April 1949, the US Navy's life became even more difficult and naval spending was repeatedly cut.
Johnson even noted:
“There is no reason to keep the Navy and the Marine Corps because General Bradley told me that amphibious operations are a thing of the past and we will never do amphibious operations again, so there is no need to keep the Marine Corps.
Besides, the Air Force can do everything the Navy can do, so there is no need to keep a Navy.”
The hard times for the U.S. Navy did not begin to get any better until August 1950, when George Marshall became the new Secretary of Defense.
The period from 1946 to 1950 was the darkest period in the history of the U.S. Navy, although the U.S. Navy finally retained its naval aviation.
Although the Marine Corps is still under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Navy, it has a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, thus becoming the fourth largest branch of the military on par with the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
At this time, General Clark, who was in the situation, and Fang Lang, an outsider, had no way of knowing the series of events that would happen later.
Fang Lang knew that the U.S. Navy remained powerful, but he was not clear about the inside story at the time, so he asked such a question.
General Clark's answer was very simple:
"Of course it's the atomic bomb. With the atomic bomb in hand, they feel that the role of the navy can be ignored."
This made Fang Lang at a loss for how to respond for a moment. However, there was nothing wrong with this statement. The Americans who hold the atomic bomb in their hands can be so confident.
But it is rare that General Clark took the initiative to tell me so much about things that I had never known before.
Fang Lang felt that he had gained a lot today and no longer had any other needs.
As for General Clark's desire to serve as an advisor to his aircraft carrier fleet, Fang Lang would certainly not refuse. After all, such a thing would not do him any harm.
It just so happens that I can learn from him the knowledge of commanding an aircraft carrier battle group.
It is better to hire retired naval personnel to your own fleet to guide your own naval construction than to let your own naval fleet personnel go to the United States to be brainwashed by Americans!
Therefore, Fang Lang did not reject General Clark's idea and smiled and said:
“There’s nothing wrong with what they said.
In that case, as long as you can ensure that I can really get the best Essex-class aircraft carrier in the US Navy, I can promise to hire you to serve as an advisor to my fleet."
General Clark smiled and said:
"It seems like you have quite an appetite! You've even set your sights on the Essex class! This is the most advanced main aircraft carrier of the US Navy."
"What? Can't you handle it?"
Fang Lang looked like he was saying, "Don't let me look down on you."
General Clark smiled unchanged and said:
"Okay, you don't need to provoke me. Since I have taken the initiative to ask to serve as your aircraft carrier fleet consultant, I will do my best to help you achieve your expectations."
Obviously, Fang Lang didn't find it difficult to obtain the latest model of Essex-class aircraft carrier in service in the United States.
Fang Lang thought for a moment and said:
“I still have to remind you, though, that right now most of us in the Brazilian Navy want to get an American aircraft carrier.
However, some people also wanted to find a solution from Britain. After all, our original battleships and cruisers were ordered from Britain. In everyone's minds, Britain is still the original naval power.
So, don’t make the price too outrageous, understand?”
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