New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-18
Personnel, Too, Back
ward, Rear Admiral Fiske
Tells Committee.
AEROPLANES NEEDED
FOR COAST DEFENCE
Experts Testimony Cor
rObOrative of Statements
in Tribune's Exposure.
Iron The Tribuns Bureau. J

Washington, Dec. 17.-Rear Admiral
Bradley A. Fiske, aid for operations,
y. s. N, member CT the General Board,
recognized expert in strategy, "a
nGuvres and general naval discipline,
made the following statements TO the
House Committee on Naval Affairs to-
day:
1. II would take five years TO get the
feet in condition successfully and eff
fectively to meet an effective enemy.
.. II would take three years to get
the personnel up 10 a standard of eff
ficiency to make il able successf, .ly
and effectively to meet an effective
enemy.
8. The United States has no general
plan of naval development independent
Of those framed to meet economical
exigencies.
4. The United States is deficient in
scout cruisers, battle cruisers, destroy
ers and all other anxiliaries.
3. An immediate necessity, II CO.
herent plan of naval development is to
he followed out, is the creation Of
naval general staff.
a. The navy needs more target prac-
tice and greater efficiency in all
branches of the science Of gunnery.
7. Germany to-day is probably the
superior Of both Great Britain and the
United States in gunnery.
Admiral Fiske, whose views thus, in
large measure, coincided with state
nents in The Tribune's recent series
of articles on the navy, further in
formed the committee that in his opin-
ion an attack by aeroplanes from a
floating base five hundred miles at sea
upon New York City was entirely
feasible. This was brought out by q
question propounded by Representative
Roberts. of Massachusetts, as follows:
"How far from the coast would hos
tile feet have to get to send aeroplanes
in shore for the purpose OF dropping
bombs on our cities? Take New York
for concrete case"
"I should say it could successfully
be done at a distance of five hundred
or six hundred miles," replied Admiral
Fiske.
Plans of Waging War.
The admiral explained himself as
follows:
ain all the talk that | am indulging
in here to-day | am not thinking so
much Of the material Of the ships, my
line of work being in other directions,
"a Of the operations. My thoughts are
more on the operating end of it than
simply the number of ships or the
number Of submarines or the number
of torpedoes; and what / have in mind
all the time is at would do il we
had war tomorrow or next month.
"When | think of the number cf
things that We would have TO do to get
the navy into really effective shape
by which mean having plans, plans OF
preparation and plans OF conduct Of the
war and properly drilled mine layers
and mine sweepers, and the seronauti-
cal branch ch-when | think of all hat
has TO be done in getting the personnel
enlisted and trained for all that and
figure il all out, doubt If in five years
we could get the navy up to state Of
efficiency, for instance, such as that OF
one Of the navies OF Europe now.
81 have heard n great many officers
.sv Il Ia impossible to do IL. anyway.
Take a nation where the leader is
military man, trained from youth, and
Continued on page 4. column