The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-02-04
EXPERT POINTS Il
WEAKNESS Of us
COAST DEFENSE
Glazing Defects Have Inhuence|
General Staff in Adopting New
Plan for Reorganization Of
the Army, He Says.
This Country Is at the Mercy
Foreign POwers-strong Posi-
ton Only Assumed.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4.-The arm,
OF the United States is totally unpr2
pared for war.
Our elaborate system OF coast dt
Tense offers little security. owing N
its defenseiessness against land al
tack s..+. --s-@ Nv
II was learned by the United Pres
today that these two facts will ID
pointed out with startling clearnoa
when the general stan of the arm.
makes public a report upon which
has been working for the past two
years. The report will set out q CON
prehensive plan for the reorganizati0f
OF the s-my. with a properly propor|
toned and effective lighting machine
as the objective.
An appareDtly innocuous paragraph
In the recent annual report OF tho.
chief OF staff, which declared that nd.
recommendation for increase in au1
corps of the army would be made uii
I'll the reorganization plan prepared
by the general STAFF has been present.
ed, was the first intimation that SUCH
move was contemplated. II has
been known, however, in the inner
military circles for some time tha<|
the critical state of our national de-'
lenses has been causing the adminiH|
tration great uneasiness.
One OF the leading officials OF tn0'
administration, an eminent military
authority, in discussing the subjeet'
for the United Press. today poinfeN'
out some of the glaring weaknesae4|
which have Influenced the. general
STATS new plan.
Position as World Power Is Assumed.
"Our position as a world power 81
really assumed" he said. And tn
continuance is entirely dependenI
upon the acQuiesence of foreign ca.
inets. The powerful coast defense
which girdle our coast line constitut
an element OF national weakness, ov
ing to their defenseless condition.
against land attack. II Is not diyulF
ing any military secret when ! -
that any enterprising enemy can tain
the most powerful OF these defenaeH
from the Landslide without dificulty'
The filing of every port OF entry wiz.
the most powerful ordnance causeN
no concern abroad so long as we build
these costly Notifications, and do nor
prepare to defend them from the land
No naval commander will ever bring
his ships within range OF their ire
when the landing OF military torres
at a contiguous point will ensure tneif
destruction, with the defenders un.
able to bring a single gun to bear on
the attacking forces.
These defenses girdle our COAST
line. To protect them against land
attack we have widely scattered. ap-
proximately 10000 regular soldiers:
Supplementing this force, the national
guard aggregates 10000 II is known
TO the military authorities that Ger
many can, without great endeavor,
land an army OF 200. 200 at any point
on the Atlantic seaboard within Two
weeks.
Japan's Advantage.
ION the Pacific coast. Japan can,
within three weeks, land 100.0 900 Yet
Grams at any given point and double
the force within ten days. In posses
sion OF any of our fortified harbors, Y
would take this nation six months
even to prepare for the first ofensive
movement against an enemy on either
coast, and the time in years IT would
take us TO dislodge them, unless a dis
graceful peace was forced upon US,
Is entirely problematical.
THE navy can only offer security to
one coast line. No one can foretefi
in these strenuous days from which
coast that attack will come. The
nrovIuce OF the navy is largely often
! sive and n our ships are 10 be tea
1T n Infand Them.
an enemy can take our insular posses
slons and then send emissaries 10 sign
peace compact. AT present every
gun placed in our coast defenses Is
a menace rather than protection.
They constitute an alhring INVITATION
to attack. The primaE problem which
confronted the general stan was 20
provioe for the protection of these de-
lenses. This could only be accomplish
ed through the employment OF mobile
tfooDs. The infantry constitutes the
heart and punch of the army and we
are wretchedly weak in this arm OF
the service. Eight Of our thirty resi'
ments are stationed in the Philippines
and one in Alaska. We could not mob
! fize q sufficient force on either coast
10 prevcnt a landing OF determined
enemy. Next to the infantry. the neld
/ artillery Is the most effective fghuns
arm OF our mobile army. We have an
entirely inadequate force Of this arm.
people Must Decide.
sufficient increase, especially IN
these two arms Of the service, will be
asked for. The responsibility VIII
then he up to the people and Il 10 ex-
nected that when these plain state
uents concerning our national insecur.
ity are made public that provision vii
he made by congress TO prevent any
such humiHating eyentuality as Tor
aign raid ON our coast cities.
The publication OF the plan OF the
general staff is being awaited with Goa,
siderable interest by the foreign mill
tary attaches stationed here. II -
frankly acknowledged by these mill
tarv observers that II our coast de-
lenses are supported by mobile troops.
our position among the world powers
viii assume new phase and that the
military staffs OF the powers will have
new problem to solve.
II is expected that the reorganiza-
ton plan VIII be made public Just
prior TO April rs. when the present
chg,f ~ ofam Gpn i Franklin He'll