The sun., 1901-11-23
FOR AN ARMY WAR COLLEGE.
SECRETARY ROOT WILL RECON-
MEND 1T ~ HIS REPORT.
He Outlines to the President and Cabinet
Ills Plan for a Broad and Compre-
hensive System Of Military Education

WASHINGTON. Nov 22-Secretary Root
to-day explained TO the President and the
Cabinet the recommendations which he
will make to Congress for the establish
ment OF an army war college in Washing
ton which shall be similar in scope to the
Naval War College at Newport. Inc
plan outlined by Secretary Root contem-
plates a broad and comprehensive system
of military education. lie explained the
necessity for military schools, apart from
the Wcst Point Academy, by stating that
a very small number of the recently APP
pointed officers of the army came from
West Point and that IL was highly essential
that n course of military training be gwen
them 10 qualify them for military career.
II Is his purpose TO use the schools at rort
Leavenworth and Fort Riley, have them
greatly enlarged and each year assign
a certain number of officers 10 take courses
of instructor at those places.
The war college proper Is to be located
in Washington. The officers detailed TO
II for instruction will have no regular In
structors and to a certain extent they VIII
be their own instructors. Regular lectures
on military subjects will be delivered by
high officers OF the army, but the special
training Of the student officers will be
secured by giving them from time TO time
military problems to work out for the
benefit of the army. In this way they viii
be stimulated to take up the great mill
tary questions and make exhaustive re-
ports upon them for the information OF
the Secretary Of War.
In close connection with an army war
college, II Is Secretary Roots deterlnn alton
To secure "A new general staff. his report
will show that tne German staff system
cannot be adapted TO our army and that II
the British system Is 20 be accepted II VIII
have to be considerably modified. 1t Is
from the army war college that Secretary
Root expects TO get the officers Tor the gem
eral staif. He believes that the men who
have had a course in the war college and
have taken part in the military discussions
Of the college will be best fitted 70 make
up a general staff. Secretary Root pro-
poses TO recommend that the general stan
be an advisory body and not have before
them the minor questions OF supply, which
properly belongs TO the present stan de-
partments of the army. he therefore pro-
poses 10 separ ate the general stan from
the ST af bureaus OF the army and Will recon-
mend that 1t consist OF officers OF high rank
and wide experience in military matters;
One of the principal duties Of the stan will
be 70 prepare plans for war. work out
emergent questions, compile data with
reference to the condition OF foreign armies.
and in general be prepared at a moment's
notice to set the military machinery IN
motion for actual conflict with any nation.
The war college will act as a training
school for the general staff and men who
have had experience at Leayenworth,
Fort Riley and West Point will form a
greater part Of the student body. The
theories propounde at West Point are TO
be worked out by officers at Fort Riley
and Fort Leaven worth and the artillery
school at Fort Monroe. Having taken part
in a practical demonstr alton Of their ideas
in the great training camps TO be estab-
lished in different parts of the United States.
they will then be fitted to come to WASH
in gton and become part Of the army war
college. which will finally fit them for work
on the general stan.
Another feature Of the war college and
the general stan will be its archives OF mill
tary data. consisting Of copies OF the essays
and papers prepared by the students IN the
war college and the information gathered
by the gen eral staf ON the work Of other
nations. These archives will be kept IN
Washin gton and be readily accessible
to the officers of the army. In this way
there will be no subject upon which the
War Department will not be fully prepared
With the officers Of the war college working
out intricate military problems OF the art
of war and fling away the result OF their
labors, and then graduating To the general
staf where they will become advisers
To the Secretary Of War, the United States,
il IL believed will have the most complet"
military system Of any country III the world.