Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-01-15
Secretary of War Dickinson
Makes Urgent Recommends
tions to Congress.
SCHEME OF ORGANIZATION
Correlation OF Regular Army and
National Guard, or Organized
Militia, Embraced i'm Scheme.

VI w Ill u Ihs L'iS'eah''S'' O0~
lines the plan of the war department
for the correlation OF the regular army
and the national guard as the first line
of defense of the nation. The Dlans
while not following the lines of or
sanlZatlon obtaining In the larger Eu-
ropean powers. is much the same as
that adopted in Germany. England,
France and Japan, though different
methods Of. attaining the same result
are outlined That part of the report
of the secretary of war relating to this
subject is as follows.
The military system of the United
States contemplates correlation oil
the regular army with the National
Guard 1t necessarily follows that the
organization OF the regular army and
the militia in combination should be
such as to; permit them to cooperate
and practise together in time of peace
under conditions similar to those which
would obtain in time of war
For several years and more partic-
ularly since 1909. the war department
and the National Guard organizations
have been working together in great
harmony and with increasing efrectiVe-
ness toward this end.
Joint camps of instruction and
maneuvers. in which the army and Ma
tional Guard have taken part have
been held biennially since 1908 in dlf-
ferent parts of the country. which nave
been OF pronounced benefit TO all the
troops engaged. The participation of
the National Guard in these maneuvers
has given to the regular army the In
estlmable advantage not otherwise OBJ
tainable of experience in the maneuv-
erinC of large masses of men under
conditions that may be expected when
war is on The National Guard. in
addition. had the opportunity to ac-
ouire military experience in ASSOCIATION
with professional soldiers. The num-
ber of men. regular army and National
Guard combined. participating in these
| different maneuvers. has ranged from
| 10000 to $4,000. Recognizing the fact
that Congress was not likely to au-
| thorlze in time of peace so large an
| Increase In the sea coast artillery as
| Is necessary for the complete manning
| detail for all the guns of the coast de-
| fense OF the United States. the plan
has been inaugurated and put in sue
| cessful operation OF relying on the
militia of the sea coast states to fur
| nish a part of the remainder. Tho time
| has now arrived when rational plan
should be devised for a similar CO.
operation of the army and the militia.
| with respect to the mobile army.
TACTICAL DIVISIONS.
| In order to put such a plan into op-
| Grafton and permit of practise under
| war conditions in time OF peace by the
| regular army and the militia In COM
| bination, the United States should be
divided N a of ferrffnri11
| tactical districts. so that the organized
| militia of the states comprising such
| districts may be conveniently COM
| bined With the regular army stationed
| therein into permanent brigades, di-
visions and corps. for instruction and
| tactical organization. 1t will probably
| be found desirable to have in each
| state In such district at least one mill
| tary post. the said posts to be occupied
| by troops of the different arms of the
| service in such numbers that when the
| troops from all the posts included in
! the district are assembled they would
| constitute a division, including the
proper proportion of all arms and
branches of the regular service. This
regular organization should be the
| special educator and assistant of the
militia forces of these states. and
should be the center from which gen.
eral instruction could be given. No
post smaller than a regimental one is
| of real value from a military stand
point, SO far as education. discipline
and drill are concerned.
The present system of departmental
military government should give way
to an organization tactically correct for
war purposes; that is. these various
troops, both regular and militia, gath
cred together. should be permanently
designated In name and organization
oil otf Iay
would be in existence in time of war
so that when the troops retire to theil
proper stations they will not lose theil
brigade or division organization anc
will be controlled by their proper com
manding officers, stationed within tho
district.
JOINT INSTRUCTION.
In each tactical corps OF division dis
| trict 4 central point for q camp sit,
should be selected with q view to tn,
convenience and economy of easy con
ccntration of both the regular and mill
tia forces in such district. The regular
and militia troops should be concen
trated for instruction at these points
Such camps will answer the purpose o
permanent brigade posts, so far as IN
struction is concerned. and the march
ing to and fro from the regimental sta
tlons to such points will bring the arm,
before the people and moro or less II
contact with them.
Should such plan be carried out, i
would be possible to concentrate abou
eight army corps-possibly somewha
imperfect and incomplete. In case thu
regular army alone should be required
II would be practicable to concentrate
at least eight complete divisions a
eight different points. each division
complete in itself for any possible us'
as an expeditlonary force. Should ;
larger force be required. then the mill
tia composing the other organization!
of each corps could be quickly assem-
bled at the concentration points Will
the regular army Every state shoult
have a young and active officer OF th
regular army detailed at headquarters
| who should report direct to tho corp
I commander and have general supervi
sion, under the militia authorities. o
the instruction OF the militia. Their
| shonld be on the staff of each corp
i commander an officer of the army
who should have entire charge of al
militia affairs in the corps district
Tho commander of each district. II
addition to the regulars under his con
troll, should have general supervision o
all the national guard troops of tn
states included in his district, ano
while in time OF peace he has no powe
to issue orders, he could. however. b,
] his interest and suggestion. be of grea