The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-10-14
WHERE OFFICERS
ARE TRAINED
JAPANESE STAFF COLLEGE FOR
TER GERMAN INSTITUTION.

The United States Staff College is
now an established part of our mill
tary educational system, and in the
opinion of the army it is one of the
greatest of all the great improvements
effected by the present Secretary Of
War.
In this connection it is interesting to
note that Japan, in spite of the fact
that she entered the international are
ma in competition with the worlds
great nations only within a decade or
two, has possessed a staff college since
1882.
1t was modelled originally after the
Prussian staff college, and has had
some prominent German officers on
duty as instructors. Three years after
its organization the great German au-
thority on tactics, Major Inow Major
GeneraD Mackel came in that capacity
and remained for four years, during
which time he placed the institution on
firm foundation and introduced
kriegsspiel and general staff rides of
instruction, besides reorganzing the
entire Japanese army. lie was follow
ed by the two German officers who af-
terWard rose to the rank of major gem
eral.
Its directors have also been promin-
among
them, the present minister of war and
governor general of Formosa, the late
chief of the general staff Kawa1ami,
the present commanders of the Sth and
Jth divisions, and the present assist
ant chief of the general staff The
course is three years, and originally
only fifteen lieutenants We're admitted
in a class, but this number has been
gradually increased, until today fifty
are admitted annually.
One of the important features is the
return of staff officers and students to
line duty. The course of each year be-
gins on December l, and ends early in
June, but students are sent to the va
rious arms of the service to learn the
duties of branches other than their
own and to take part in the full man
euvers. besides doing duty at fortifica-
tons and artillery target practice and
on battle ships. At the end of the
three years course all the students
take part in the general staff rides Of
instruction, and are then ordered back
to their own arm of the service.
The graduates receive a medal worn,
like an order, on the uniform, and the
first five or six are presented by the
emperor with a sword of honor. Even
the military instructors are ordered to
SERVE III a TIME Will TIE val lOuS dI
of the service. After "a years service
with troops the best of the graduates
are ordered to duty in the general staff
and after one or two years are perma-
nently assigned to the general staff Of
the corps.
The objects of study are tactics Cir
Guiding naval tactics), military history,
general staff duty Organization, man
euyers, mobilization, supply of armies,
transportation of troops, etc., mill
tary geography, artillery and small
arms Notifications, attack and de-
Tense of Notifications, administration,
military hygiene, law, riding, langu-
ages, general history general topogra-
ply and sketching. The general staff
rides cover forty or fifty miles,
The interest taken in this school is
evidenced by the fact that, although
only officers of at least two years SER
vice with their regiments are eligible,
and then only upon the recommended
lions of their immediate superiors, at
least 100 come up annually for the en-
trance examinations, although only fif-
ten can enter. The success of this in
stitution is of particular interest to us
just now, as our own staff college is
being organized, and the good elements
would be adopted for our own school.