The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-10-07
JAPANESE STAFF COLLEGE.
Where Officers Are Trained for the
Imperia! Army.

Where Officers Are Trained for the
Imperial Army.
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 n of the
greatest Of all the great improvements
effected by the present secretary of
|
In this Connection it is interesting
to note that Japan, in spite of the
fact that she entered the international
arena 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 af-
ter it's organization the great German
authority on tactics, Major (now ma
jor generaD Mackel came in that
capacity and remained for four years,
during which .4me he placed the in
stitution on a firm foundation and
introduced the Krlegsspiel and gen
raj staff rides of instruction, besides
recognizing the entire Japanese ar
my. He was followed by the two
German officers who afterward rose
to the rank of major. general.
Its directors have also been promi-
nent men in the Japanese army;
among them the present minister of
war and governor general of For
mosa, the late chief of the general
staff, Kawakami; the present COM
manders of the Eighth and Ninth di-
visions, and the present assistant
chief Of the general staff. The course
is three years, and originally only
fifteen lieutenants were 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 stu
dents to line duty. This course Of
each year begins on Dec. /, and ends
early in June, but from August till
the end of October the students are
sent to the various arms of the SER
to learn the duties of branches
other than their own and to take part
in the full maneuvers, besides doing
duty at Notifications and artillery
target practice and on battle ships.
At the end of the three years course
all the students take part in the gen
eral 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 homer. Even
the military instructors are ordered
to serve for a time with the various
arms Of the service After a years
service with troops the best of the
graduates are ordered to duty in the
general staff, and after n or two
years are permanently assigned to
the general staff OF the corps.
The objects Of study are tactics
(including naval ~tactics), military
history, general staff duty (organiza-
ton, maneuvers, mobilization, supply
of armies, transportation of troops,
etc.), military geography, artillery
and small arms, Notifications, attack
and defense Of f~ortifications, admin
istration, military hygiene, law, rid
languages, general history, gene
raj topography and sketching. The
general staff rides cover forty or fifty
miles.
The interest taken in this school
is evidenced by the fact that, al
though only officers of at least two
years service with their regiments
are eligible, and then only upon the
recommendation OF their immediate
.superiors, at least 100 come up annual
ly for the entrance examinations, al
only fifteen can enter. The
success of this institution is of par
interest to us just now, as
our cwn staff college is being organ
lied, and the good elements should
be adapted for IL own school.-Chi-
cago Inter Ocean.
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