Show Puts New N w Face on Old Army Universal Training Program Called Modern Democratic By BAUKHAGE Newt News Analyst and It l Commentator WAY ff should shaDId universal military training b hI be necessary at 41 all Ill How does the present resent flan ti tf IID from rom the th draft draff This This is the Ih second sec J in in n a seNes series senes of 0 articles on this Pertinent I- I WASHINGTON What WASHINGTON What is universal military training train ng I IThe The more I learn about it the more I am convinced that most I lei ie ef the people people both people both supporters and opponents opponents have have very little idea of what it really is Im I'm most Interested in the people who oppose because I think they are doing themselves and their children a great injustice by allow allow- allowing allowing ing their thinking to remain out of r.- r. focus Id I'd be willing to bet that nine- nine tenths of the general public who dis dis- discuss discuss discuss cuss the question are Bre looking lo past p st 1 1 of dis dis- disc f n the ithe object w c u s s i ion o n their m J ideas focused on 1 J something which t I 80 ao longer exists They hare haTe not examined what is actually in front of ot them the m and therefore are arguing ar ar- arguing guing g ing from a completely wrong hypothesis Old 4 I ideas stick In other words Baukhage many people do doot doo o 0 ot Ilot ot realize what is NOT It is NOT anything like the military service service service ice conscription which some of us knew blew from personal contact in the past and others knew from hearsay as proposed in the national security training act is totally dif dif- different different ferent in many essential principles from the draft under the selective service system First why Is it necessary Let me ale quote the reasons given bythe by bythe the tile house of representatives armed services committee as digested in the November issue of the Army Anny Information Digest which article should be read in its entirety for a real grasp of he tile subject The United States has tradition- tradition traditionally traditionally IThe 1 L ally depended heavily upon the civilian reserve components In ev ev- every every every ery major war the regular forces have constituted less than 10 per percent percent 1 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 isola- isola isolation tion lion has provided adequate time for training and equipping i. i large numbers of Americans Americans- 5 fresh from civil life and unskilled in inthe the art of war before it was necessary necessary necessary essary to send them into battle In any future emergency however no f. f such cushion of time can be expect expect- expects s ed There must be sufficient trained forces in being on any future emer emer- emergency emergency gency ncy day 3 The regular forces today constitute constitute tute no more than the tradition tradition- traditional 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 the circumstances the size and de de- degree degree gree gr gree e of readiness of the reserve com corn components components 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 A The reserve components are far farbelow farbelow T below their authorized strengths and are without hope of filling their quotas by voluntary means alone These authorized strengths represent represent sent Lent the barest minimum estimate of manpower requirements 5 J The national guard is at approximately 16 per cent of its author author- authorized lied ked 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- organized 6 L IJ TT would build up the reserve U. U components to their authorized strengths and would achieve a sta sta- stability stability stability and an increased efficiency of our ready forces that do not hot now f obtain The alternative would be a regular army of about 7 J Consideration was given the thee e claim that future warfare would 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 beings without any hope of distin distin- distinguishing distinguishing distinguishing the combatant from the noncombatant The war in all probability probability pro 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 presen e of f well disciplined and bodied able-bodied I Imen men in every community The foregoing then were some of the reasons which guided the armed services com cOIn committee committee miU e of the house to vote out a national security training act The act would set up four agen agen- agencies agencies cies NATIONAL SECURITY TRAIN TRAIN- TRAINING TRAINING ING CORPS consisting of all I 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 establish establish- establishment establishment ment only in a national emergency NATIONAL SECURITY TRAIN TRAIN- TRAINING TRAINING TRAINING ING COMMISSION which would set the policies standards sub sub- substance substance substance stance and character of the training train train- training training ing program The commission would consist of three paid members ap ap- appointed appointed pointed by the President two members including the chairman to be civilians and one to be from the armed forces GENERAL ADVISORY BOARD which would provide the commis commis- commission commission sion with the best technical advice on the moral religious and educational educational educational phases of the 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 mem mem- members members bers of the armed forces It would have no policy-making policy authority SELECTIVE TRAINING SYSTEM SYSTEM TEM similar to the selective 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 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 train train- training training ing insofar as it involves killing is objectionable to the balanced per per- But since we have not nota a Some of the teen teen- teenagers teenagers agers from all states a l who are trying a six six- r N month experiment experiment ment at Fort Knox v Y 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 the features of mili mili- military military military tary training which stick in the craw of the average free Ameri Ameri- American can Probably the first the thing that used to overwhelm me meat at certain moments in my early months in the army is the lack of freedom No longer was I a free man whose lib lib- liberty liberty liberty erty could be curtailed only after a jury trial and the judgment of my peers Suddenly I r was confronted by the Articles of War the court martial system and in some cases although I personally never suf suf- suffered suffered much from it even in war war- wartime wartime time the petty tyranny of a supe supe- superior superior superior in rank But the trainee under the pro pro- proposed proposed posed national security training actis act actis actis is not subject to the Articles of War at all during the first phase of his training and only conditionally dur dur- during during ing the additional six months of service depending on which option he may elect |