Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1913-12-02
PLANS" OF
ARMY FINISHED
Uncle Sam Ready to Equip and
Arm 100000 Men.
At A MOMENTS NOTICE.

For the First Time In History Govern.
msnt 10 Prepared For Clash With
First Class Power - Plans Worked
Out BY Colonel J. T. Thompson Of
Army Ordnance Department..
The war plans Of the army ord
nance department are completed. and
for the 6rst time in the history Of the
country. 1t is declared. Uncle Sam il
in readiness. at moments notice. to
arm and equip 100000 men to send
into the field in the event Of war with
q first class power. These plans have
been worked out during the past six
years through the systematic and un.
RENTING labor Of Lieutenant Colonel
J. T. Thompson Of the ordnance de-
partment. under the direction Of Brig
adler General william Crozier. chief Of
the bureau.
Colonel Thompson pointed out that
his war plan" is based upon c0ndi.
lions a. they would actually exist in
the event Of hostilities. The line If
the regular army would be increased
to its maximum enlisted strength. m
provided for by law: the entire organ.
ked militia Of the country would be
mustered into service Of the United
States at full war strength. and the
remainder by the enlistment Of volun-
teers.
Concentration Camps Provided.
The war plan" AZ now completed
provides that this force shall be armed
and equipped ut concentration camps
before the different units are sent to
the scenes Of operation.
For coordination tables and maps
have been prepared. giving for the
mobile army and the organized militia,
for each arm Of the service. their pres
ent strength and the number Of troops
required to bring each arm to war
strength aS we'll us the number and
kind Of volunteers to be raised to CON-
plete half million Ut troops.
The various increases needed in each
branch Of the service are shown on
map which is divided into FIVE ord.
nance supply sections corresponding
as follows: Sections Nos. and .. east.
ern department Of the army: section 3.
southern department: section 4. ecu
trail department.: section 5. western de-
partment. The number Of sets Of
equipment Of the different kinds re-
Quired can thus he very closely ap-
proximated. The exact number of
arms and equipment of every kind to
be held on hand ut the supply arsenals
throughout the country is then deter
mined
System Of Supply Depots.
The department also has worked out
system OF division field supply
depots. Each depot has the necessary
personnel. tools. ordnance stores and
supplies estimated as sufficient for
maintaining for six months a complete
division of Infantry or cavalry or aux
iliary army troops. These division
depots are so arranged that several
can be readily combined into Geld
army depot.
The system includes kilograms. let
tiers and various orders. which would
need only to be dated and signed. in
the Office OF the chief Of ordnance in
order to set the machinery Of equip
ment in operation. The general staff
Of the army deems the new war
plan" as applied to ordnance so valua-
Bile in the expeditions placing Of prop
erly equipped troops In the field at
short notice that 1t has directed other
departments. such as engineers. quar-
termaster corps. medical department
systems.