Show Puts New Face Fac on Old Army Universal Training Program Called Modern Democratic By BAUKHAGE N News ws Analyst an and Commentator Why should universal l military training b be necessary at all How Flow does docs Ih the present rn lI filan Ilan li Jer from the draft This ft it th the second in a series o of 0 articles onset f es on 0 this iMs pertinent erl WASHINGTON What WASHINGTON What is universal military training The more I learn about it the more I am convinced that most lof lof of the people people both both supporters and opponents opponents have have very little dittle idea of what it really is Im I'm most interested in the people who oppose because I think i they are doing themselves and their children a great injustice by allowing allowing allow- allow i ing their thinking to remain out of locus focus Id I'd be willing to bet that nine- nine tenths of the general public who discuss discuss discuss dis dis- cuss the question are looking past the object of dist dis- dis t t c u s s i ion o n their i ideas focused on something which no ono longer exists 1 They have not examined what is actually in front of the them m and therefore are arguing arguing arguing ar ar- guing from a completely wrong w. w hypothesis Old ideas stick In other words Baukhage many people do donot donot donot not realize what is NOT It is NOT anything like the military service service service ice conscription which some of us knew from personal contact in the past and others knew from hearsay as proposed in the national security training act is totally different different different dif dif- dif dif- ferent in many essential principles from the draft under the selective service system First why is it necessary Let me quote the reasons given by bythe bythe bythe the house of representatives armed services committee as digested in the November issue of the Army Information Digest which article should be read in its entirety for Cor a real grasp of the subject The United States has traditionally traditionally tradition- tradition 1 IThe 1 ally depended heavily upon the civilian reserve components In every every every ev ev- ev- ev ery major war the regular forces have constituted less than 10 per percent percent percent cent of the total strength These wars have been fought by citizen soldiers directed and organized by bya a small nucleus of professionals 2 In the past geographical isolation isolation isolation isola- isola tion has provided adequate time for training and equipping large numbers of Americans Americans- fresh from civil life and unskilled in inthe inthe inthe the art of war before it was necessary necessary necessary essary to send them into battle In any future emergency however no such cushion of time can be expect expect- ed There must be sufficient trained forces in being on any future emergency emergency emergency emer emer- gency day 3 The regular forces today constitute constitute constitute tute no more than the traditional tradition tradition- al nucleus of professional military skills Furthermore they are spread thinly over a large area of the world engaged in occupation duties In Inthe Inthe Inthe the circumstances the size and degree degree degree de de- de- de gree of readiness of the reserve components components components com com- become matters of the most vital concern For if these reserve components are not adequate the overall military strength of the United States is a hollow shell 4 The reserve components are far farbelow farbelow farbelow below their authorized strengths and are without hope of filling their quotas by voluntary means alone These authorized strengths represent represent represent sent the barest minimum estimate of ot manpower requirements 5 The national guard is at approximately approximately approximately 16 per cent of its authorized authorized authorized author author- strength the organized units of the organized reserve corps at 14 per cent and the unassigned reserve pool at 35 per cent summer of 1947 The members of the unassigned reserve pool are merely names on paper untrained and un un- un- un organized 6 would build up the reserve components to their authorized strengths and would achieve a stability stability stability sta- sta and an increased sed efficiency of our ready forces that do not now obtain The alternative would be a regular army of about I 7 Consideration was given the claim that future warfare would I be of the pushbutton variety requiring requiring requiring ing only a handful of scientists This claim is a dangerous illusion If there is another war it will be bemore bemore bemore more total than the last and will involve a greater number of human be beings without any hope of distinguishing distinguishing distin distin- I I the combatant from the noncombatant The war in all probability probability probability ability will come into the cities and the homes of the people of the United States In such event the survival or recovery of the nation might well depend on the presence of well-disciplined well and bodied able-bodied men in every community The foregoing then were some of the reasons which guided the armed services committee cora com of the house to vote out a r I national security training act The Thc act would set up four agencies agencies agencies agen agen- cies NATIONAL SECURITY TRAINING TRAINING TRAINING TRAIN- TRAIN ING CORPS consisting of all young men to be trained Although these young men legally would have military status they would not be members of the armed forces would be subject to no duty other than training and would become members of the military establishment establishment establishment establish establish- ment only in a national emergency NATIONAL SECURITY TRAINING TRAINING TRAINING TRAIN TRAIN- ING COMMISSION which would set the policies standards substance substance substance sub sub- stance and character of the training training training train train- ing program The commission would consist of three paid members appointed appointed appointed ap ap- ap- ap pointed by the President two members including the chairman to be civilians and one to be from the armed forces GENERAL ADVISORY BOARD OARD which would provide the commission commission commission commis commis- sion with the best technical advice on the moral religious and educational educational educational phases of the tile program The board of 10 to 25 members would be composed largely of civilians serving part time with pay but would include at least three members members members mem mem- bers of the armed forces It would have no policy making authority SELECTIVE TRAINING SYSTEM SYSTEM SySTEM TEM similar to the selective service service service ice system of World War II which would register examine classify assign defer deliver and maintain records of men registered under As you note although military training in the modern sense which is more than ever training in many valuable civilian skills is the basis of the national security corps corps it itis itis itis is devoid of many factors which have made universal service in the past traditionally objectionable to the American people In these days any military training training training train train- ing insofar as it involves killing is objectionable to the balanced per per- But since we have not Some of the teenagers teenagers teen teen- agers from all states who are trying a six six- month experiment s 4 ment at Fort Knox Knorr f tx I eliminated the predatory forces in inthe inthe inthe the world have not even isolated them certain measures of self pro like are necessary What are arc the features of military military military mili mili- tary training which stick in the craw of the average free ree American Ameri Ameri- can Probably the first the thing that used to overwhelm me at certain moments in my early months in the army is the lack of freedom No longer was I a free man whose liberty liberty liberty lib lib- lib lib- erty could be curtailed only after a jury trial and the judgment of my peers Suddenly I was confronted by the Articles of War the court martial system and in some cases although I personally never suffered suf suf- Sl suffered much from it even in wartime wartime wartime war war- time the petty tyranny of a superior superior superior supe supe- in rank But the trainee under the proposed proposed pro pro- proposed posed national security training act actis actis actis is not subject to the Articles of War at all during the first phase of his training and only conditionally during during during dur dur- ing the additional six months of service depending on which option he may elect |