Under the Brussels Treaty the Five Powers agree to collaborate in the defence field as well as in the political, economic and cultural fields.
The object of the Western Union defence organization is to provide for the co-ordination of defence between the Five Powers in the military and supply fields and for the study of the tactical problems of the defence of Western Europe; in addition, to provide a framework on which, in the event of any emergency, a command organization could be built up. It can be compared with the defence organization in the United Kingdom …
First, Government direction and control is provided by the Western Union Defence Committee which, in peacetime, is composed of the Defence Ministers of the Five Powers.
The Defence Committee are served by the Western Union’s Chiefs-of-Staff Committee and the Western Union Military Supply Board meeting regularly in London. These bodies are analogous to [the UK’s] Chiefs-of-Staff Committee and Joint War Production Staff, respectively.
The Western Union Chiefs-of-Staff Committee advise the Defence Committee on all matters affecting the defence of Western Europe, taking account of commitments in other parts of the world. Within this broad direction its special tasks are to ensure that within Western Europe questions such as:
(a) The military resources of the five countries are organized to meet the strategic requirements of the Allies.
(b) The forces of the various nations are welded into an effective fighting machine.
(c) The combined resources of the five nations are allotted in the best way.
(d) A proper balance is maintained between the conflicting requirements of internal security and home defence on the one hand, and the European battle on the other.
(e) The evaluation, preparation and distribution of the necessary resources, in particular to the Commander of the European battle, whose special task will be to make the necessary operational plans and to put them into operation.
(f) The exact area of the responsibility of the command of the European battle in war is to be defined. It will be necessary to keep this constantly under review.
Their relationship with the Combined Chiefs-of-Staff in Washington has yet to be decided.
The Military Committee organization which has been working since May and has been largely responsible for formulating the new organization, now becomes, with slight adjustment, the permanent staff serving the Western Union Chiefs-of-Staff Committee. It is organized to deal with all interservice subjects as well as subjects affecting only one of the three Services. These latter single service bodies deal direct with the respective service departments for executive action.
Representatives of the United States and Canadian Chiefs-of-Staff participate as non-members.
In parallel with this Chiefs-of-Staff organization, the establishment of a Supply Board has now been agreed, to advise the Defence Committee on all questions affecting military supplies and to make recommendations as to how the requirements of the Five Powers for Military Supplies can be met.
The Supply Board is on a high level and is composed of one representative from each country. The British representative, who is to be chairman for the first year, is also Chairman of the British Joint War Production Staff. Meetings of the Board itself will not be frequent but it will be served by a permanent Executive Committee working in London, composed of representatives from each country. The detailed organization below this has not yet been decided but it is expected that expert working parties will be formed ad hoc.
The secretariat work for all the above bodies is co-ordinated through a Five-Power Secretariat having a British Secretary-General.
The Western Union Commanders-in-Chief Committee has been set up, responsible to the Western Union Chiefs-of-Staff Committee. It is composed of:
(a) Chairman. Field Marshal Lord Montgomery.
(b) Commander-in-Chief Western Europe Land Forces. General de Lattre de Tassigny.
(c) Commander-in-Chief Western Europe Air Forces. Air Chief Marshal Sir James Robb.
(d) Flag Officer Western Europe. Vice-Admiral Jaujard.
Their immediate task is to study the tactical problems of the defence of Western Europe, that is to say, to make plans to meet a Russian armed threat in Western Europe. They will not assume executive command of any forces in peacetime, although they will be in close touch with Military Governors of the occupation zones, and it is hoped that it may be possible, to a limited extent, to adjust peacetime dispositions to meet the needs of defence.
The committee forms a nucleus command organization which, in war, would be capable of commanding all land forces and supporting air forces to meet a Russian armed threat. The Committee will not be concerned with home defence.
It is the intention at present that the Flag Officer Western Europe should advise the Commanders-in-Chief on naval matters and co-ordinate naval operations in their support. The questions of naval command in the event of an emergency and the tactical problems of naval warfare are being studied separately.
It is probable that the permanent headquarters of this organization will be on the continent of Europe, although the Chairman proposes to maintain a small echelon of his own headquarters in London, in order to keep contact with the Western Union Chiefs-of-Staff Committee and the Military Committee.