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Show gg set up Immediately and that J 11 "V" I q yi T the tocal Red Cross unit I A T would meet prepared to do Its jft 3l'W V taJuLl VVJl Jtftr y H 11 XV, Kr founded on the principle o rjj, Ammmtf j''" , U pi tne lca' organization. The S) M l J E-V system follows the chain of " f C 11 (lL i military responsibility until JIaAYjuGC II fT m fi I 1 1 'Xf f&rfTV?rna the commander of each com- I frpA$ "ktvTvVAV MM J S. 1 I' f liM x4 f pany Is given his share In the mlWiL h oiuiVNfvw N V V I I H II taaiaW:- J task. His plan of action must j 111 jtSpjlhJ rili"l"llX iiL. V k. A. I 2 w ;t take Into consideration the 1 M kN. r-j i""" S b!W neighborhood facilities for re- lATiVy - S. VWk Sj;;:jT crultments, assembly, shelter, I fl Ur -r' '.v-- " SOjRiJL Wj,. equipment and training of hia iily xrVi v,v,s. wBlnK r rP""' u- VK mUt He ls In direct contact I "J-1V" -4 X -V, J with his home people whose I 1 v' X I'JSSkLb &l3 n I itf f Interest and spirit are ln- 11 kK- fWMMZT voked in his aid." IV 1 ''-'i ' fMKfVg-&1 'fTfp' s ' General Pershing says fur- W 'kV Wi$MTt ( ' wr&mdt ther, "we have never before U I . V ffwKTOr'A M i 1A ' f , undertaken such a step in In- I "VT" " " WlpR'k Ijf I r ' ' 1 struction and in the last I " . MX3fj B V i J, 1 i . '3 emergency we found our- 8 wV I i2S&l'-3 F W7 fV'"' "if" ,s,l selves in a very serious dilem- i&v. " j "A' Jk J-Jj yNAD 'l TT T T ASHIJfGTON. Friday, September I 1 (B s . , ' J W- II i I 12, will be "National Defense Test 1 tf-1! i HH Day" throughout the land. The vAfMMmMJ tl XJT I I ST. II "defense test" will demonstrate K L,-. . . . , . v ts A fc. ( aisSS,'' Si-r" jfiJv. I Wl'i and explain what preparations ) l fj: GE7ST. l I MZ. Zjk. "Vl j il 1 f I for national defense means In (W fll C. HALE t) tiri 'f '5 MM this country. It ls to be a dav ' 'J MIM;l,Htf i,,,. . s&JZ V 'x . All 1 given to patriotic gatherings by j r"S i - R&m ii i " ' v ' "l Wr&I citizens of every community dur- M rTV" dTVXB I T y-'-. nOf ing which everyone will learn his 1 JLli 11 1 I IllSl 1 C, w4. DRUM: V . L-W J place and portion In the defense r-' kfm SC&t of his country should Its security . TPV. lit . t, i tt,M be threatened. President Coolldge I lAm Cf3TrrVn educate each Individual in a practical way so that and the members of his cabinet hope It will turn liSIllOIlS LIHLlOll When 8 TilZ IZ pota out to be a day that marks a rebirth in patriotism JJ 1 expect someone to lead him by the .hand and point ,.,,,, Hlo ,Qnr, out what he should do or perhaps even do it lor "The" plan f o "the test are not secret, as the Z - T) ivf h'm- 19 VTt k to Indite methods' of organization and the succe ss of the 11100110 eK e to e "."V fense test" will be a demonstration of the country's JL everything was confusion ; nobody aPPreclated the military organization and plans and its dependence f JllX OJ cf t8Sk and, " 'S "tUe ZZ nnfl mHnTbeforewe on the great body of citizen soldiers supported by fl W XT By JAMES P. HORN ADAY TT 7 y ASHIJfGTON. Friday, September 1 1 1 1 I 12, w111 be "National Defense Test II 1 Day" throughout the land. The I fl I "defense test" will demonstrate We-J ancl exPIala vvhat preparations till . for national defense means In W Si 1 this country. It ls to be a day J, I f Jl given to patriotic gatherings by vSJVv' citizens of every community dur- J I fflx$L T w'cn everyone will learn his LSvC;72' 'J nlao nnfl nnrtlnn 1n the defense - of his country should its security . be threatened. President Coolldge and the members of his cabinet hope it will turn out to be a day that marks a rebirth in patriotism throughout the land. The plans for the test are not secret, as the methods of organization and the success of the defense system require the co-operation of units and the voluntary action of Individuals. The "defense "de-fense test" will be a demonstration of the country's military organization and plans and its dependence on the great body of citizen soldiers supported by the patriotism' of every community. The test might well be called a demonstration In good citizenship, citi-zenship, for that is what It will be. It is not the expectation or hope of the government govern-ment that the test will arouse any military spirit It is intended that it shall be a sane patriotic showing of what citizens of the land would do In case of an emergency. The test will not be followed fol-lowed by any call or demand for an enlargement of the military program of the United States. It ls not a test that is prompted by any menace from any quarter of the world. The United States was never on better terms with the whole world than It is at present. The bonds of friendship that It made during the World war have been cemented and there is not a threatening cloud In the sky. In June, 1920, congress laid the basis for national na-tional defense in case the country should ever again be called to go to war. The legislative act of that day provided : "The organized peace establishment, including the regular, army, the National Guard and the organized or-ganized reserves, shall include all those divisions and other military organizations necessary to form the basis for a complete and immediate mobilization mobiliza-tion for the national defense in the event of a national na-tional emergency declared by congress. The army shall at all times be organized so far as practicable Into brigades, divisions and army corps, and whenever when-ever the President may deem it expedient, into urmles. For purposes of administration, training and tactical control, the continental area of the United States shall be divided on a basis of mill- . TTirtli onpno nrOO lary population into corps areas. shall contain at least one dlvlson of the National Guard, the organized reserves, and such other troops as the President may direct." The act further provided that It shall be the duty of the War department "to prepare plans for national defense and the use of the military forces for that purpose, both separately and in conjunction with the naval forces, and for the mobilization of manhood of the nation and Its material resources In an emergency. . . " Under that legislation the United States Is maintaining and will continue to maintain the smallest regular military force of any first-class government. The whole purpose of the new defense de-fense act was to put the responsibility for national defense In case of an emergency right back to the community and of course to the citizens In the community. In past emergencies the government had no plans and relying on hastily created forces suffered from the extreme confusion incident to sudden expansion. Immediately on the passage of the 1920 defense act the Eeneral staff set about devising a scheme to carry out the terms of that act. Defense test day will afford the people an opportunity to become familiar with the principles on which the new scheme for national defense is founded. "The kevnote of any military plan is organization," or-ganization," said General John J. Forshln?, chief of staff, in approving the plans for this defense test dav "This test will be a tryo.it for our small regular forces and the National Guard, but more especially will It show the preliminary slops required re-quired for prompt utilization of our la ore reserve forces of patriotic citizens." In the World war. after enormous expenditures and serious loss of time in construction and In transportation the government eventually concen trated masses of untrained Individuals in a few centers, distant from home ties and associations, where they were segregated and trained with the utmost difficulty. Profiting by these experiences the defense act of 1920 made provision for skeleton skele-ton units partially trained in defense which can be concentrated locally when necessary. In an emergency the change would necessarily have to be rapid, and, to be effective, must be without confusion con-fusion and the smoothness of the transition would be dependent on the perfection of the plans and their comprehension by the public. In practically every community In the country are now men and women who in case of a call to defend the country coun-try would have certain duties to perform. There ls the National Guard, the Red Cross, the men who have gone into the Officers' Reserve corps, and the men who would take charge of the machinery that would be used in raising a voluntary army. Units of the regular establishment and the Na-, Na-, tional Guard which have been fitted Into appropriate appropri-ate places constitute the government's first line of defense and would, In case of an emergency, be ready to take the field without delay. Their actual preparation would consist in recruiting them to full strength and In arming, equipping and completing the training of additional personnel person-nel needed for their purpose. The ability and foresight of both regular and National Guard contingents con-tingents to handle' these questions will be observed ob-served during the proposed test. Behind this first iir,o the government, under the new defense scheme, has a body of reserves which would constitute con-stitute the bulk of the armies In case of an emergency. emerg-ency. The units of this force have been allocated to sections of the country according to population popula-tion and the character or occupations of the people peo-ple in each community. Reserve officers have been assigned to local units or groups of this skeleton force and the "defense test" will be a trial of their knowledge of the duties which would automatically auto-matically devolve on them to recruit, shelter, equip, supply, train and otherwise care for their respective respec-tive organizations. The test will last one day. Perhaps the duty that will devolve on every citizen who has agreed to lend a hand in case of a national emergency can best be described by saying that on September Septem-ber 12 the government will expect him to do precisely pre-cisely what he would do should he be notified on the morning of that day that the United States has been compelled to enter on a defensive war. The War department points out that the Individuals Individu-als In each community who have obligated themselves them-selves to do ceJafa hlrgs In case of an emergency could not siwceed in carrying out their plans without with-out the help of the entire local community; and bo It comes about that the government expects everv communltv to hold a patriotic celebration en defense test day. To put it snother way. every communltv will be expected to do Just what it would do in ense an actual emergency existed. This of course, means many things. It means that where there Is the local National Guard It will assemble, perhaps pande, select a camp site, take immediate steps to recruit to full strength, etc It means that the reserve officers would im-medlatelv im-medlatelv take steps to organize reserve companies- that machinery for handling men would be set up Immediately and that the tocal Bed Cross unit would meet prepared to do ltg duty. To quote General Pershing again : "The fundamental Idea of our defensive plan ls founded on the principle of the local organization. The system follows the chain of military responsibility until the commander of each company com-pany ls given his share in the task. His plan of ac.tlon must take into consideration the neighborhood facilities for recruitments, re-cruitments, assembly, shelter, equipment and training of hia unit. He Is In direct contact with his home people whose Interest and spirit are Invoked In-voked in his aid." General Pershing says further, fur-ther, "we have never before undertaken such a step in instruction in-struction and in the last emergency we found ourselves our-selves in a very serious dilemma. dilem-ma. Now we are trying to educate each individual in a practical way so that when the time comes, if it should come, he will not expect someone to lead him by the hand and point out what he should do or perhaps even do it for him. The Idea is to suggest to the officers their respective duties and undertake to Indicate just enough to enable them to visualize the problem for themselves. When we went Into the World war everything was confusion ; nobody appreciated the task and it is little wonder that there was so much lost motion, so much backing and filling before we really got under way. With this in mind we hope to make a beginning now so that we may avoid the hopeless confusion of past efforts." The War department illustrates what a local officer would be expected to do on defense test day in this way: Captain Smith is called out on defense de-fense day. He wonders what it is all about and what he has to do. We are going to tell him that it is up to him to make a study of the problem. He will probably conclude first, that he should locate some place for his headquarters. Then he would plan for the enrollment of the men from the community, decide where they could be quartered, determine on local arrangements for feeding them, and select a suitable drill ground. He would probably call the lieutenants and noncommissioned non-commissioned officers together and discuss the or-v ganization of the company. So when an emergency really comes he will have thought It all out and have an idea of how to solve the problems efficiently. efficient-ly. Without such preliminary training, mobilization mobiliza-tion as contemplated under the law of 1320, cannot be a success. These lessons apply not only to the captain of the company but to all personnel. The battalion commander must also work out his problem and determine his duties. He must plan for training and equipment of his four companies, and determine deter-mine where he is going to assemble them for their battalion Instruction. And so on up to the regimental regi-mental commander who proceeds In the same wfty and likewise the brigade and the division commanders. com-manders. The proposition Is, then, to put John Smith and everybody else to work and have them think over their prooiems. The department has not reached final conclusions itself as to how some of these question are going to be solved, but it has made a start and believes the results will greatly aid later on. The "test," the department hopes, will have a most beneficial effect on national sentiment, through which it hopes to establish this system as a permanent policy. pol-icy. Says the department: "All of this then has for Its purpose the demonstration demon-stration to the American people that It is necessary neces-sary to have some preliminary organization in order or-der to avoid the danger of delay If war comes. We want the people to realize the expediency and the wisdom, in fact the necessity of having some sort of foresight in this matter. We expect them all to participate in this 'defense test' and In some suitable suit-able manner celebrate the day In commemoration of the victory of American arms at St. Mlhlel." Maj. Gen. John L. Hlnes, deputy chief of staff, as General Pershing's chief assistant, is supervising supervis-ing the plans for the test. Maj. Gen. Hugh A. Drum, assistant chief of staff, is In charge of the training section of the general staff and is In active charge of the plans. Brig. Gen. Harry C. Hale Is commander of the Sixth corps area of the Second army, which includes Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin; Wis-consin; his headquarters are in Chicago. The Wnr department emphasizes the point that this September 12 event will not be a "general mobilization." The test will be only a demonstration demonstra-tion of mobilization plans. John W. Weeks, secretary secre-tary of war. points out. Another point emphasized by the War department is that this department, as well as the government ns a whole, ls striving for peace, end that this test is In line with the desire of the government to promote peace- |