Page 28 - Le Operazioni Interforze e Multinazionali nella Storia Militare - ACTA Tomo I

28 XXXIX Congresso della CommIssIone InternazIonale dI storIa mIlItare • CIHm

When Churchill stated that the Navy was not prepared to place its ships under the com-
mand of a General and remarked: «What could an Army officer know about handling a
ship?», Marshall exploded, saying: «And what these naval officers know about handling
tanks?». The purpose is to get a unified control of the Armed Forces, not to enlist sailors
and set the drivers.
The minutes of that meeting where taken by General Dwight D. Eisenhower, a man
who later in his career was to make his marks on the concepts of joint and combined op-
erations.
The theme of this year’s Congress provides plenty of food for thought. Anyone famil-
iar with recent international operations will also be aware of the challenges facing military
commanders and their superiors in seats of government in ensuring military effectiveness.
What should the shape of command looks like? How do you make maximum use of all
available intelligence? How this national logistics support relates to multinational require-
ments and what influence do national caveats have on military decision-making industry?
The theme is therefore not just interesting from an historical point of view, but also rel-
evant to the Armed Forces of today and tomorrow and I look forward to the presentations,
I look forward to the discussions and I wish you all an interesting and pleasant Congress.
Thank you very much.