Memorandum to the Secretary of Defense on the Need for Effective Use of Military Personnel

Memorandum for the Honorable Robert S. McNamara, Secretary of Defense

The need for deployment of additional military personnel to Vietnam, for the general augmentation of our active duty military strength, and for the increased readiness of our Reserve forces makes it imperative that all military personnel are assigned to duties for which there is a direct military requirement. To this end, I ask that you once again review the functions now being performed by military personnel with a view to eliminating unnecessary functions, or where functions are necessary but do not have to be performed by military personnel, accomplishing them in other ways. At this time I want you to be absolutely certain that there is no waste or misapplication of America's manpower in the Department of Defense.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON