The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1912-07-25
|New Military Policy Of the
General Staff ofU. S. Army
Plans For Reorganization Are
Finished Conferences
Over Them Are On,

" HE general staff of the United
States army has completed it's
plans for an entire reorganiza-
ton and increase of the mill
tary establishment, work upon which
it has been employed ever since it was
founded some years ago. Although the
report containing these plans is now
in type, it probably will not be pre-
sented to congress at this session be-
cause members of the senate and house
committees on military affairs desire
ample time in which to consider all the
provisions recommended by the gen.
eral staff
The plan for the reorganization Of
the army as drawn up by the general
staff is declared by experts to be the
most important and comprehensive
piece of constructive work along these
lines ever performed in this country.
It is also regarded as marking the first
systematic military policy ever drawn
up for the land forces of the United
States. Some Of it's details have been
embodied in congressional bills, and
some have been made public in letters
of the secretary Of war.
Permanent Expeditionary Force.
The great object sought is the or
ganization of the army on a footing Of
constant readiness for war, with per-
manent expeditionary force always
ready for immediate service. In order
to insure this result it is recommend
ed that the forces liable for duty any
where be increased about seven times.
In the regular army the highest pro-
posed unit of organization is raised,
and the mobile branches, which in
clude all arms except the coast artil-
lery, are divided into two parts, the
foreign and the domestic The domes-
tic service is to be kept permanently
in continental United States, while the
foreign service is to be sent to Ameri-
can territory elsewhere, to remain as
an organization outside of this country
for good.
In addition to proposal making for
the liberalization within constitutional
limits of the present national state
guard the general staff also asks for
the creation Of two new types of Amer
lean soldiers-the federal reservist and
the federal volunteer, the latter to be
recruited in time of peace for war serv-
ice and held responsible only to the
central government.
The general staff also recommends
that the present regular army be re-
lieved Of police duties in Alaska and
suggests that peace be preserved in
that district by a federal constabulary
to be created by congress. If this sug-
gestion becomes law the United States
will have for the first time in it's his
tory police force owing it's authority
directly to the federal government
In outlining the Importance of this
reorganization the general staff points
out that the land forces Of the United
States are now in no condition to face
the armies Of a first class power and
maintains that the necessity for this
country so to prepare itself is immedi-
ate and Imperative
whatever our military institutions
may be-" says the report, 1--WE must
recognize the fundamental fact that
victory is the reward Of superior force;
that modern wars are short and de-
csive and that trained armies alone
can defeat trained armies"
The report refers to the ''close con-
tact recently established" between
great nations and the races" con-
tact which tends to become continu-
ally closer, due to the increase of pop
ulation and national needs"
The report then goes on to say:
with this close contact, thus so re-
Gently established, comes a competi.
ton, commercial. national and racial,
whose ultimate seriousness current
events already enable us to gauge.
Since our conflict with Spain in 1898
practically all Of the principal nations
OF the earth have either been actively
engaged in war or else brought to the
verge of actual war. The evidence is
clear that the nations and races capa-
BILE OF maintaining and protecting
themselves are the only ones who can
flourish in this world competition.
Half a Million In the First Line.
In the light of present day condi-
lions it is estimated that at the out
break Of war with a first class power
we should be capable Of mobilizing a:
once in the United States an effective
force Of 100000 mobile troops and 49,
600 coast artillery; that this is the min
imum number of first line troops nec-
essary, and that to augment this force
and replace it's losses we should have
plans made for raising Immediately an
additional force Of 100000 men. All
of these forces should be available for
service anywhere.
The present land forces of the United
States comprise in the regular army
about $4,000 men, out Of a total Of
about $500 authorized, and in the ma
tional guard about $4,000 men. The
national guard is not liable for duty on
foreign soil, though it can volunteer for
-