Stretched Thin

IN AN AGE of instant communications and same-day TV coverage, it is easy to forget that Grenada and Lebanon are thousands of miles apart. Few would disagree that the U.S. is "a global power"; the forgotten implication is that an American presence near each country requires an enormous amount of logistical support. In short, each region has "tied down" significant fractions of America's combat-ready forces. Even apart from any consideration of right or wrong, then, the Administration must ask itself-are these actions worth it? Are they high enough on our scale of priorities to merit such involvement? And, should yet another crisis erupt elsewhere that was judged to be more vital, could we meet the challenge?

Such questions are not likely to be adequately addressed in time of crisis. And yet it is precisely because of the crisis that the Administration should be asking them. Seldom in times of peace have U.S. forces found themselves to be involved in so many places at once. Navy ships are still searching the Sea of Japan for wreckage from KAL 007. Ground, air and sea forces are still conducting exercises in Central America. Peacekeeping forces are still in the Sinai. And now the actions in both Lebanon and Grenada are requiring large commitments of available ships, planes and men.

The United States has three overriding military concerns-strategic defense of our own territory, participation in NATO's defense of Western Europe, and protection of world sea lanes. We are treaty bound to defend Europe, where more than a quarter of our army is based. Moreover, events in Europe have historically reached across the Atlantic sooner or later. It is impossible to imagine a severing of our defense commitment to NATO, although small alteration are always possible. Much of the rest, and most of the Air Force, is based in the U.S. The Navy patrols all the world's major bodies of water, including vital areas rarely in the news-such as the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf, where the major crisis could cripple the industrial world.

THE PROBLEM? Simply this-the world is a big place. With a fixed number of ready ships, planes, and men, only a fixed piece of territory or ocean can be covered at any time. American policy makers must keep the paramount considerations uppermost in their planning. If United States forces ever find themselves spread too thinly, and a truly dangerous situation develops, then a real crisis could threaten the world. This point has not yet been reached, to the Administration's credit. But this week's events show the potential danger all too clearly.

The Marines sent to Grenada were, in fact, diverted there as they were on their way to Lebanon to replace the soldiers killed so tragically. If this indicates a lack of combust-ready, mobile forces, then a real threat to our readiness concerning such areas as the Persian Gulf could soon exist. It's impossible to tell so early; but the warning is clear. The U.S. is in danger of allowing essentially secondary objectives, with sometimes doubtful plans, to cloud our true vital inter.