OCR Text |
Show I New Army Plans Call for Real Preparedness at Last H I Country Divided Into Corps Areas and Old Departments Idea Abolished By J MOSS IVES, Major fl. R C. U. S. A. NJi June 4, I 20. till Ooncrcss. for tt 1 1 first time in the history of the na-ion. na-ion. passed a law which can be called a definite and comprehensive plan of national defence making for a real prepared-ress. prepared-ress. It has taken us over a century and quarter to heed the advice of Washington, wh" told us that "to he prepared for war Is one or tho most effective means of preserving preserv-ing peace.' Washington's successor in (he Presidency John Adams, in a message to Congress, said: "An efficient preparation for war can alrr.o secure peace.'' All the.se years we have persistently Os-jegarded Os-jegarded the advlcr- o: these Fathers of the Republic. We have entered every "var In our history wholly unprepared and with, ul any well defined military policy. W have grne to war first and determine! our polli y afterward. This has cost us dearly cnnuii, but that It has not resulted more die1 trously Is due to our great good fortune I . that, as Major-Gen Wood ha Raid "Ws have never yet wacod wai j-lnsle handed .'lth a first class nation prepared for war" There are many who firmly believe thi Germany's unrestricted submarine war far and our consequent entry Into the WOrid war were a direct result of our unprepared ness. So great an authority us Gen Peyton C. March, the Chief of Staff of the arm. la his report for the e;r i!Mfi said: " Had such a force nnri surh a system of training a. la above outlined beeti In existence ex-istence In this country at the outbreak of Iffl gy 11,0 " 19 Probnble that Germany would HI not have dared, t the violation of the i right" of this country under lnt i HH law. to have brought the United States Into HR Some llRht ou tills very question Is given Map of the- United States showing how the old army departments have been abolished and the new corps areas created The shadrd outlines indicate how the nine corps form themselves into three lull armies. The corps headquarters arc plainly indicated by the for'.s located withu. live several areas This is the first publication of the ne-v army map. ALASKA A, " . V MONTANA : DAKOTA I ,T y? "A M'Mi$gfFW's (S i4KX r 4L Ww v x y 1 1; I c- 40i?W f ' I r niTll x . Hladi- a sA.-rTTr-f Oklahoma J 7 -jl- s caJv b4i- I - p im TO ft COWPt" AREA x L ' I 1 AMD TACTICAI, CONTROL "w." ' ' tXAS , j or ORDER PA.TRGL Rfcf I !A yS rp- T'V- . sf CORPS AREA HEADQUARTERS hqusU S .WM ARMY AREA BOUNDARY f ) e CORPS AREA BOUNDARY W I ,JfI) WA: pjrFJ & CCBP5 jcus irr irrr?2D niT: Source of lufomUom Census Bureau n Office of The .lutaat nral. 1G-45 I r.;.-Dicll7 ?er cent of population Por;latlon rerlatcred fit of Coroo Area Cor; a 'a 1S.EQ for lrft effectives !.,.,.", be "!..ru To. 5 7,331,8:9 I 1,847,946 1,373,749 EB5HBSBS3R4Cia525KEEIZIZ!3 'J no,6 1,74,159 ,034,5f.O 2,404,51.'. afjnBt VJgigMaam1. Ko.3 12,913,701 2,930,696 2,309.445 BHaHH&i3S?!an7ZZI3 ?3 NO. 6 B,S21,46T 1,818,333 1,469,636 IHHHHHHEE a. Incluiea AlarKi.poculat Ion of 64,964, a3 sho ni ty Ooverrr-cat "c'lnate for 1918. b. Includes Porto .".lco, r.opul&t on of 1,297.772. fus In the recent pu&llujuion oj' Mothlat Brn berjer'e "EExperlaUoaa In Lhc V'rkt v.ir." In n debnle in the Reichstag, he tvlls us how Tlrpltz's BUOCeaaor, 'nn C;ipol rr-clared rr-clared that if Ameilca did enter the Wrtr aa a result Of unf-st rleted L'-I'oat uai f u -her contribution would he "equal la icro Sceptical ICi-zberger i-rlod out in obloction to this, but Von Capollc repeated more vehemently: ve-hemently: "Equal to zero to zero1' TJie German war lords to be sure reckoned "without their host," for we did end a wonderful army of l 000,000 men overseas and nearly as many more on this si le Were ready to so. but. while we were orgnn being trnlnlns and equipping these mm. our alllet flghtln? with their hacks to the wall wire keeping the enemy from us while we prepared pre-pared This not likely to happen again Japan's Atuludc Indicate Thi.. Preparedness Often Se tire Deace Over tn Japan the other day a ma:, meet-lng meet-lng of atudr-nts waft debating whether .lapan should SO to war with Amcrh a because of the recent legislation In California. According Accord-ing to an Associated Press despatch from Tokln. It ftc-emed to be the consensus of opinion or these young debaters thai while the. legislation furnished sufficient provocation provoca-tion for hostilities, yet as America was now tetter prepared for war than was Japan it would not be advisable for the latter to start hostilities The leaders of both nation" n ' trying and no doubt will lUCceed In bring ng -bout a satisfactory and peaceful nolution of the question at Ifisne. Now I the lngOa and hotheads of Japan can be kept within proper restraints by the realization of America's Amer-ica's present preparedness, and force no precipitate pre-cipitate and Ill-advised action, while dlpl. malic means of settling the controversy arc being employed It can be said thai pre-parcdneas pre-parcdneas Is really a factor for peace ahd that "peace through preparedness" Im no Idle cream At a session of the League cf Notions at Geneva, h few weeks ago. Senator Henri La Fontaine one of the Peltrlnn atlegatet, made tho declaration that the world was net jret readv for disarmament. "It Is necessary to Py frankly to t r people." he said, "that the time for disarmament has not yet come.-' I J ' Before the world could disarm, ha added. "entirely different Ideas from those that t'i r- valled before the war must be inculcated and applied." Holds Lack of Preparedness Is Equivalent to Disarmament The world has had enough of war and would be glad to reel that war was over for all time. But It docs not feel so. and how can It in view of present clay conditions? On the Kast war, although on a reduced scale, is atlll In progress, and conditions are such that it may spread at any moment to alarming alarm-ing proportions 1 the West. r,y r :n Japan mass meetings have been held which seriously seri-ously debate the question of "War with America." Surely in the face of this altuatlon no -me man can advocate disarmament for this country, and lack of adequate preparedness prepared-ness in these- days would be equivalent to disarmament. In theac uncertain day 1 preparedness pre-paredness makes for peace and not for war. and Washington, after all, waj right. The most important provision in the Act of June 4 Is the first aection Immediately following the preamble, which provide): "That the Arm the (Jjplted Suites shall consist of the Regular Army, the National Guard; while in the service f the United Suites and tin- Organized Reserve. Includ; ; . : the Officers' Ileser vo Corps and the Kri-lis'.ed Kri-lis'.ed Reserve Corvs." This act Is an nendment to the Act rf June 3. 1916. which Is Known as the "National "Na-tional Defence Act.'" At that time O'ligres" came very neur hitting the mark, but Just ni .-.--il A 'comparison between the first sections of the twi acts will show !-.iw far the Act of June a. if:'0. 1- in advance f the Act of June 3 I91C. Slid BOW It makes for a definite military plan, whlrh the Act of June 3, 1 ft 1 G. lacked The first section of the National Defence Act reads as follows "That tbe Army of the United Stat -s shall consist of the Regular Army, the Volunteer Army, the Officers Reserve Corps, the Enlisted En-listed Reserve "orp. the National Guard while In the service of the Unl ed States and tUCh nlltrr Innrl lorcrs (is are HOf cr turfy l.r hereafter authorized inn ." The words in Italics show Jusl Wherein tlu provision failed to establish a definite plan of military organization, for it leaves the whole mtll'ary extsbliphmcnt open to future legislation Such other forces "as ma hereafter he authorised by law" may mean anything U is Just this leaving the composition of the army Open to future action and future p llcles. to be determined after the arising of emergencies calling; for ni Increase In the army that has found Ul u .prepared for every war we have ever entered. en-tered. Wc have never known just what our amy was to be and of what It should be composed, how raised and how organized until after war has bee. declared. United Stat' Peace Time Armies Never Adequate to Meet Emergency We h.ive never had a complete army organization or-ganization In time nf peace that was capable of expansion in lime "f war. In each recurring recur-ring occasion of war we have had to practically prac-tically create a new army In the civil war wo relied at first upon the various Slate militia forces then lirpe volunteer force and linally conscription was resorted to In the war with Spain the first thing we did was to call for volunteers, and the National Guard organizations which came Into the Federal service came In as United States volunteers the Government then having no lower to draft the National Guard Into Federal Fed-eral service. These volunteer forces were temporary expedients and not part of any regularly or permane-tiy organised military establishment. Therefore much time and money were expended in placing the i-onntrv on a war footing We entered the world war not knowing Just what our army was to be, whether It was to t-c created by voluntary volun-tary enlistment alot-.e or bv voluntary enlistment enlist-ment and the draft. Neither was It known definitely Just what part the National Guard was to take In the war; whether It was to be a part of the expeditionary or first line forces or not. and the National Guard iiad to be practically reorganized before it could be made a part of the expeditionary forces. Congress wisely declared Itself In favor 'f the onl Just und democratic method of raising an army In time of war, that of compulsory military service or the aelectivo draft. So satisfactory were the results and so . i renml la now the feeling that the selective1 draft Is the only Just and equitable method of raisins an army In time of war that it can be said that the countrj is to-day committed com-mitted t.. the policy of th" selective draft. Compulsory Military Service Now One of Our Unwritten L ws This fjci entered into the present plan if national defence and while Congress unfortunately unfor-tunately failed at the eleventh hour b enact a law prosldiiuc that Immediately upon a declaration of war selective conacrJptlou should become operative, yet It Is apparent that this method will be followed in expanding ex-panding the present army to ar strength at '. completing the Initial mobilisation con-templated con-templated by the act of June a. 1930. Indeed It is not golns too far t eay that "com pulatrry military service In time of war" is now one of the unwritten laws f our lant and necessarily enters lnt all plans and policies having to do with the defence of ihe nation In section 3 of the a-'l of June 4 Ik another Important prov ision for in t is section Con-grcas Con-grcas has provided that the orgajilzed peace eatahllshnicnt of the army x-hall include all of those divisions and other military organizations organ-izations "necceearj 10 form the basis for a complete and Immediate mobilisation for the national defence in the event of a national ( merger. cy declared bv Corujrre'aa" Here Is another forward tep. a distinct advance toward .1 f'.etinite military policy. At last we are gettiut; away from expediency to n Comprehensive and settled plan of organization organiza-tion Here we have at J?st a framework of n xomplet army organization capable of expansion 111 lime of war t an effective fihtine fOrcs The tnsk of perfecting the organisation of the new in my of the Jnlted States has devolved de-volved upon the Wat Department General Starr. ;t is until only comparatively recently re-cently that WS have had n General Staff Here again for over n century we failed to Ke the advice of Washington, for he said that a General Starr wos "all important to the well )elng of an army and essential consequently con-sequently to its Commander in Chief." it as not until 1003 upon recommendation of Sei retsry of War Bllpu RMt. that the General Gen-eral Staft' Corps was created The Country Has Been Divided Into Nine Corps Areas to Function as r War One ot the duties devolving upon the General Staff by the act of June IM0 wafti the prep.iratlon of plans "for ttu mobilization of the manhood of the nation" in ihe event of an emerdency. The plai -of the General ;taff contemplate the nlobt'i-ration nlobt'i-ration of a force that will meet the requirement re-quirement of the approved "mon power curve" ut the end of sixty days In a war Involving maximum effort. This force will permit of the organization of field armies with necessary auxiliary and special troop and leplaccment In a war of any magnitude magni-tude addition echelons similarly organized W ill ho dev eloped For purposes of administration, iratnin and tactical control liie continental area of the United States has been divided Into nine corps areas, as shown by the imp These corps areaa 11 ie to be organized to function :i.n such in time of war as well as In time of peace, r.nch corps area will contain normally all elements of one or moro army corps complete in all details and in certain Cases army troops and troops for special services. ser-vices. Each corps area will maintain a training train-ing centre which shall Include organizations and personnel sufficient to provide all elements ele-ments ncesary to procure and train recruit re-cruit and replacement, to establish and maintain all training camps and to carry on such other activities as t lie corps area commander may direct. There hos always btcn more or less complaint com-plaint about an alleged overabundance of red tape at Washington and It can readily he seen how much of this so-called red tape or paper work nt tho War Department can he eliminated by the establishment of these varloys corps areas and having them function func-tion as administrative units. For purposes of inspection, of manoeuvres and of plans of war the nine corps areas are grouped Into three army areas, which ore also shown on the map When considered deahable army area commanders and .staffs may be assigned to these nrruy areas. For tho requited initial mobilization It Is planned to have in each corps area one Infantry division of the Regular Army, two i v- Major-Gen. W G Haan. U. S. A., who has had in important part in working out the new army plans. dlvlions of the Notional Guard and three divisions ot the Organised Reserve, together with the nSOeSSary number of corps troop and balanced percentages of tlcld army and general headquarters rsssrvS Hoops. The new tables of organisation have reduced the peaco strength of an infantry division to about 11,000 enlisted men. The total war enlisted strength will be about 18.000. The new tables of organization bring to tin surface many of the lessons of the vsmld war Noteworthy among the changes in organization or-ganization is the change in the regtmi p Infantry frcm twalVi rifle companies to nine rifle companies and three machine ;Un companies com-panies In eacli regiment of infantry Is a 3"mm. howitzer company The war strength ot a rifle company will now be five officers and two hundred enlisted men. while the peace strength of the same units will be three officers and one hundred enlisted men These now tables afford a subject for Inter-etlng Inter-etlng discussion which cannot be gone Into here. The General Staff has proceeded upon the JilBUfleA assumption that the military pottcy rontemplatcd by Congress Involved the organization or-ganization of our military forces into "one h.'.rmonlous and effective army, the Army of the. United States," composed of three component com-ponent and well balanced parts, the Regular Army the National Guard and the Organized Reserves Regular Army of 180.000 to Function As Nucleus of a Larger Army A has always been true of our military organization In tlmo of peace and in time of war. our efficient regular army Is tho first line force and the nucleus of the larger army organization In the new Army of the United States the mission of the Regular Army will be to provide adequate garrisons for our overseas possessions and the coast defences of the United States; to provide adequate personnel nr the development and training of the National Guard und Organized Organ-ized Reserves and for the overhead of the army ,' ate to ttri"i u . ...ti peditlonery force available for emergences and which will serve as a model for the organisation or-ganisation discipline and training of the Vatini 1 1 Guard and Orftnntzed Resi n 1 s The need of maintaining complete division of the Regular Army as a model tactical unit and school of practice for officers. ha long been apparent. lut has never before been possible The Second Division Of the Regular Army, p,,w In Texas, is to be re-cTUityh re-cTUityh m .u.i strengin in oroer to become niqdel division and this sreat need In our army organization and tralnlnc will be met. 1 ne peace strength of the R irUlar Arm'. Is to be 18.000 officers and 280.000 enUateO men larger than It has ever been before but yet so small In proportion to our physical!) physi-cal!) nr military population as to completely calm the fears f the most ardent pacifist. a regular army of this size Will i-ar no resemblance to a large standlmr army, so much feared by the pacifist, and wli not savor In the slightest degree of militarism. National Guard's Future 4sr ed With Praire for Its Fine Past pecord The National Guard by Its record In the world war fuuy Justified Its continued ex latejice and earned a place for Itself In any well considered .plan of national defence. Iii the world war the National Guard furnished fur-nished seventeen combat divisions, nearly (101. cum officer and men Of the first five divisions sent to France In 1917 three were tfatlonal Guard: of the twerity-fpur American Ameri-can divisions engaged In the ArgOIHia offensive offen-sive or participating in British and French operations al the time eleven were National luard. Another departure from ceir past lullltaty policy was the provision In the act of June t 1020. that nil policies and regulations affect, af-fect, nr the organization distribution and training of the National Guard should be prepared and determined by " General Staff comm)ttee, composed of an equal number of Regular and National Guard officers, the latter being made uddltiotuif members of the Qeneral Staff for the time being. For two months these committers have been diligently nt work on the task allotted tO them by law twelve officers from the operations 'and War TMans divisions of the War Department General Staff, working with twelve Natinnnl Guard offleen holding Reserve commissions and representing the States of New York. Connecticut. Pennsylvania, Pennsyl-vania, Maryland. Ohio. Michigan. Mlnnesot.i. Colorado, Missouri. Oregon. Alabama and Texas These officers have been placed on the s.ime footing as the Regular Army officer, anl not only am they participating to the full In the solution or everv question and problem prob-lem which arrets directly or Indirectly the policy of the War Department with relation to the National Guard and Organised Reserve Re-serve forces, but they have been authorised I y the War Department to Initiate, as members mem-bers of the War Department General Staff, questions of policy affecting Ihe tactlent Strength as well as the general administration administra-tion of the soml -active components of the army. Rut beyond nil this has been the c.oordl-natlnt c.oordl-natlnt Influence of actual contact with representative orTWr. of the army The gtvSt influence of this experience which thev will carry hick to the States from which they come tOWSrd coordination of the army and the National Guard will be the greatest result of this far seeing policy written Into the act- It has been deemed advisable by the War Department to begin the reorganization of the National Guard Immediately and B table of tentative allotments has been prepared ahowlng the number of troops to be organ -I:.' In each Stale. The national defence act requires a proportion of 200 men for each Senator and Representative In Con-cif, Con-cif, and a number to be determined by the President for each Territory and the District of Columbia, with a proportionate annual Increase until BOO men per Senator and Representative Rep-resentative has been reached, whlc'i minimum mini-mum la required by Juno no. 19SI if the provisions of this law are fulfilled, a total enlisted strength of approximately -127. "00 men wil be provided n- the peace organization organiza-tion of the National Guard Whetbor this ambitious plan can be en; ried out will depend a great clii not only on the response to the call for National Guard recruits by Ihe young men of the Trained Nucleus Cn- I pable of Immense t Expansion at Mo- ment's Notice ' land but on the future policies of the H various state Legislatures The Federal ' H Government has cartaldly done its part to- H the proposed reorganisation of the H In offering 10 furnish the necessary H ipmcnl and ordnance for tho units of a -B ln and well balanced army, in glvinc pay to the officers and enlisted teen for at- I tendance upon drill, In furnlrshlnp Regular ( Arm officers .ts instructors and In placing I gH National Guard officers on the General Staff I H purpose of determining National f policies about all -hnt the Btatss I are asked to do to furnish adequate I fgggggggl Third Line of Our New Army Will Cons. st of Organiz--i R'seres (lie new plan of organization the Reg J- I H 1. 11 Army will be the first, line Increment. the National Guard the second line and th l H Organised Reserves the third line. As con- ( H StltUted, the Organized Reserves will be I H somponent While the Regu- I H lar Armv and N'ationai Guard will be or- A gantsed as completely s possible lo peace K H time, recruiting their units to full Strength H H In time of war. the units of the Organized llH , Reserves w ill be maintained SS c adres only. I gggga in ca ii cadre the officer personnel will n - nr complete practicable and the enlisted K tgggS pi rsonnel will he maintained at a strengt:i gVaggggl Which will be sufllcient to develop the re- fPH iuh ecl of non-. omm!s-ind offl.-et a ! H There, are about 70.000 officers of the Re- H eerve Corps in tlie army to-day and with the 1 addition of reserve officers who served in the ll world war who can be apnointed in the lg Present Statqa of Wn with Military Training j Orgsvnized 7orce j ii.vj, i 437,300 jm Unorganized I Ifgg L 3,139700 Total - 3,577,000 I eat grade held oj theru during the war. ggga but who have not yet accepted reserve com- ! J missions, and the graduates of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps, maintained In the I H various schools aud colleges under the provi- H slons of th national defence act. It I j- JH pected that a sufficient number of reser.-e H officers will be available for all the reserve units which it is planned to organize, leaving H eni number 1 ted who i'l be ivallable foi Special duty in the various staff H depirtments j H Three akelotonlaed Infantry, division of H Organised Reserves will be organized in each flH ,.r.- area and reserve officers will be as- jH . gncd to .1 unit In the loealltj of their place I nee In time ol war each reaerve ntn, - whom to re - H port for duty and to whal organization he aS Is assigned. This will greatly facilitate n H affective moblliaatton. In time of war th 1 Its of ihe Organised Reserve will be raised M t r, wa. strength by the draft. II orz.it. itMtion of :he ' -Ti. er Res-rv I .,,rris. ihe enlisted Reserve Corps, the pro- 1 Igga ,l establishment of training camps and J t'.e Reserve fticcrs' Training Corps afford m"h a subject for Inierestlns study. Regulations h H governing the Organised Reserve are now j, I icing prepared b. committee of the Gen- III B pih) Staff, composed of an co."! number of K rczvilor and reserve officers IB Peace Time Otgam ation Capable of Ratud Expansion The salient feature of the new- Army of HC H the bolted Stcitee Is this "A peace time or- R BH ganjsstlon capable in major emergency of 19 H quick ami orderly expansion to the strength gBskal required for the Initial mobilisation for war. h it without the addition of a single tactical H The framework of n new and expanding H army has now bean erected, it remains for Congress and for the Governors, i.egisia- H Snd loyal citizens of all the States o H the Union in- proper action and cooperatloa H iq get behind this new plan of national de- H fence and make It the established policy of a tin- nation for while there are "wars and 'tkafl rumors of wars" we will do well to remem- IgB her the words of "Llghl Horse Marry'' Lett IgKgs tbii! i ; trnment iini. doss not ink -H fr.n.ei i i i vi-.-i foi war "lhc murdi ei o( Ita own eitl fl |