The Detroit times., 1914-11-18
|WOTHERSPOON
|SAYSU.S. HASFAR
|TCO FEW TROOPS
Retiring Chief Of Staff, in Re-
port, Pleads for Reorganiza-
tion Of Army
COUNTRY COULD NOT
RESIST INVASION
Hints America Might Take Leaf
From Germany's Book in War
Preparation

WASHINGTON, Nov. Is. - The
United States needs more soldiers.
Gen. Wotnerspoon. who retired as
united States army chief OF san this
week, maue this assertion In posi-
tive terms In his annual report made
public today.
Not only is the country unprepared
to resist invasion by hrst-ciass pow
er, he held, but II is likewise In no
position to defend the Philippines.
tne Panama. Alaska, or Hawaii from
hostile attack. Moreover, he contend
ed, the probable value OF our coast
defenses is questionable.
To relieve these ala. ming situations
Wotherspoon counselled that the
country's standing army be raised
from 100000 men to 100000, and that
In addition there be . mobile army
OF 100000 men Of the first line. and
800 900 Of the second line. That
the United States would do well to
draw from Germany's military train
ing system was In his broad hint
In clear-cut language this recognize
ed military expert declared that this
nation, with its present military
strength cannot possibly assemble
rapidly enough q sufficient force.
equipped for field operations, to cope
with an enemy debarking on our
shores. Distribution OF forces on q
wide front was advised, because OF
the wide choice OF landing places
open to an enemy.
For the first-line mobile force Of
half million soldiers, Wotherspoon
,-.~.,ia ho,,- xAorou0h1v trotuod man
equipped with provisions and supplies
for six months. These would be re-
inforced by a second line of 800, 900.
drawn from the organized militia, and
similarly provisioned.
Troops now distributed In foreign
possessions, or to be distributed un-
der the present organization plans
are totally inadequate for the needs
of these outlying districts, Wother.
spoon held. Effective defense Of the
Philippines is 'manifestly impossible"
under present forces, he said.
Likewise the Panama canal cannot
be protected against foreign invasion
by the present garrison or by pro-
posed additions thereto. unless the
army IL 30 equipped that these troops
could be rapidly reinforced from the
United States.
or Alaska, he said that the garrison
of 500 there "verges on the ridicu-
lous." Unless Il could be reinforced
at the very earliest stages of an i'm
pending conflict" by forces from the
states. The same criticism, he de-
clared, was applicable to Hawaii.
Germany's system of training SOL
diers was limited at an the best means
Of providing the mobile forces that
he recommended.
"In any scheme to create such
force Of mobile troops as contemplat-
ed above" the report said. I'VE cannot
do better than TO follow the example
Of the master minds In military or
ganization for national defense. The
policies developed In this direction ali
include. amongst others. the primary
plea OF using the standing army as
q school for the training Of men, who.
on graduation from that school, pass
into the reserve and constitute the
real national military strength. Ex-
perience has shown that two or three
wears IL the lowest possible limit OF
time within which the average man
can be converted into disciplined,
trained and effective soldier"