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Show Navy Strength Reaches Goal Total Armed Forces Now at Peak 11,350,000 Men; 3,650,000 Are Tars. ' WASHINGTON. The navy has reached its desired strength of 3,650,000, bringing combined armed forces strength to its scheduled peak of 11,350,000 and putting future induction in-duction calls on a replacement basis, ba-sis, it was learned here. Naval officials said that, as of June 30, the navy, marine corps and coast guard numbered 3,632,381 men and women 18,000 short of the September Sep-tember 1 goal and estimated that by now that goal has been passed. The navy itself stood at 2,987,311, the marine corps at 475,835 and the coast guard at 169,235. This tabulation tabula-tion reflected an extension since April of about 250,000 men, by far the major part of manpower inducted in-ducted since that time. The army has been on a replacement replace-ment basis for 3V4 months after reaching its scheduled strength of 7,700,000 on April 1. May Cut Quotas. Unless future military operations require sudden and increased demands de-mands for manpower, it is expected that monthly induction quotas can i be cut below 100,000. The army has required replacements in the neighborhood neigh-borhood of 70,000 men a month, and the navy ordinarily needs fewer than 10,000. Youth reaching 18 years of age number about 100,000 a month, with an average of more than 60,000 fit for general military service. It is believed they will be able to fill the great bulk of these calls. Selective service officials still expect, ex-pect, however, to find a number of men in the 18-to-25-age bracket of general service caliber who have not yet been scheduled for induction, or who will lose their deferments in coming months. The success with which men under un-der 26 fill armed forces requirements require-ments will, of course, determine the number of men 26 through 29 who will face induction this year, officials offi-cials said. May Call Older Men. Reports from some quarters indicated indi-cated that existing pools of men in the 18-to-25-age group are dwindling fast, and in such areas the call of men 26 and over is anticipated. But what will actually happen, according ac-cording to selective service, is that quotas will be readjusted in order to exhaust first the supplies of men under 26, who are preferred by the armed forces. This has been selective selec-tive service policy and will continue, officials said. Some estimates of the number of men 26 through 29 who will be inducted in-ducted this year have ranged from I 100,000 to 200,000, with the assumption assump-tion that these will be largely persons per-sons who are not in occupations considered con-sidered necessary to the national health, safety or interest. Maj. Gen. Lewis B. Hershey, selective se-lective service director, recently reaffirmed re-affirmed that draft regulations insti-' insti-' tuted in May relaxing deferment . standards for men 26 to 29 and giving giv-ing wide deferment consideration to men 30 to 37 appeared likely to continue con-tinue in force. |