The National tribune., 1903-01-22
A GENERAL STAFF CORPS.


The following bill represents the Admin
;stration's idea as to the staff reorganiza
ton:
THAT there is hereby established Gen.
| eral Staff Corps, to be composed of Off.
.ers detailed from the Army at large, nm
der such rules as may he prescribed by the
President.
| Sec. =. That the duties of the General
| Staff Corps shall be to prepare plans for
| the National defense and for the mobiliza-
ton of the military forces in time of war:
| to investigate and report Upon all queS-
| lions affecting the efficiency of the Army
! md its state of preparation for military
| >pera tons: to render professional aid and
! assistance to the Secretary of War and to
| general officers and other superior com
| randers. and TO act as their agents in in
| forming and coordinating the action of all
| the different officers who are subject under
| the terms of this Act to the supervision of
the Chief of Staff: and to perform such
other military duties not otherwise as
signed by law as may he from time to time
prescribed by the President.
''Sec. 8. That the General Staff Corps
shall consist of one Chief of Staff and two
general officers, all to he detailed by the
President from officers of the Army at
large not below the grade of Brigadier-
General; four Colonies. six Lieutenant-COl-
onelS, and u Majors, to be detailed from
the corresponding grades in the Army at
large, under such rules for selection as the
President may prescribe; 20 Captains, to
be detailed from officers of the Army at
large of the grades of Captain OF First
Lieutenant, who while so serving shall
have the rank, pay, and allowances of
Captain mounted. All officers detailed in
the General Staff Corps shall be detailed
therein for periods of four years. unless
sooner relieved. While serving in the Cen
eral Staff Corps, officers may be Temporal
rily assigned to duty with any branch of
the Army. Upon being relieved from duty
i'll the General Staff Corps officers shall
return to the branch of the Army in which
they hold permanent commission. and no
officer except n general officer shall be eli
gible to 4 further detail in the General
Staff Corps until he shall have served two
years with the branch of the Army in
which commissioned. except in case of
emergency in time of war.
''Sec. 4. That the Chief of Staff. under
the direction of the President, shall have
supervision of all troops of the line and of
the acknowledgements. Inspector-Gen-
erals, JudgeAdvOcate's Quartermaster's
Subsistence, Medical, Pay. and Ordnance
Departments. the Corps of Engineers, and
the Signal Corps. and shall perform such
other military duties not otherwise as
signed by law as may he assigned to him
by the President. Duties now prescribed
by statute for the Commanding General of
the Army as a member of the Board of
Ordnance and Fertilization and of the
Board of Commissioners of the Soldiers
Home shall be performed by the Chief of
Staff or other officer designated by the
President Acts and parts of Acts author
izing Aids-de-Camp and Military Secreta-
rles shall not apply to general officers of
the General Staff Corps"
1t will be perceived that this abolishes
entirely the Commanding General of the
Army, and gives all his duties to the Gen
erai staff, or some other officer whom the
President may detail for that purpose. 1t
makes snug and much-coveted berths for
three Generals, four Colonies, six Lieuten-
ant-Coloncls, IL Majors, and 20 Captains,
who will be brought from the field, and
given comfortable places in Washington
But it qualities this, however, by providing
that tbev shall only hold this detail for
four yeas, unless sooner relieved, and that
none Of them, under the rank of General,
shall be eligible for further detail until he
shall have served two years with his own
corps. This is intended to obviate the
strong objection to what is called in Eng
land "Coburging," term which developed
during the Crimean War in the relatives
and friends of Prince Albert of Coburg,
Queen Victoria's husband, getting soft
berths at headquarters and remaining
there. In addition to the evil of giving the
best places to men who have not earned
them by service in the field, the ones who
should get these berths are liable to be-
come grossly ignorant of the actual needs
OF the Army and to seriously hamper its
efficiency and operations. Therefore,
provision is made that the Staff Officers
shall have not more than four years in
Washington, and then go back in the Line
again for at least two years, which will en-
able them to study the practical effects of
the rules and regulations they have been
instrumental in making. How well this
new scheme will work must be determined
by actual trial. We should certainly have
a very able Staff Corps, intelligently and
tremendously working to bring the Army
up to the highest attainable standard, and
have it in readiness for any possible serv-
ice that may be demanded of it. This is
not secured by the present system, and it
would seem that the proposed bill would
be an improvement.