The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1915-12-14
RODERICK 0. MATHEsON. EDITOR
Oahu Must Be Held

NAHU MUST be- held in time of war upon
~ the Pacific, as the naval base being estab-
lished here is Of prime importance to the defense
OF the entire Pacific Coast and Alae.sa. This is
declared emphatically in the outline of the plan
for the. military policy Of the United States, as
laid down by the general staff, and the insistence
OF the best brains of the army upon the import
ance of Pearl Harder makes it certain that one
of the first moves, when the conditions on the
Mexican border permit, as they will very soon
will be the prompt increase Of the local garrison
until there are at least twenty thousand soldiers
here. w a4s a arG ##.... gt
The defense of Oahu is not, under the plans Of
the general staff to be left in any particular to the
navy except through submarines, but Oahu must
be defended by the army for the benefit Of the
navy. THE function Of the navy" says the re-
port recently drawn up by the general staff sis to
secure and maintain the command of the sea. To
accomplish this it must be free TO seek and defeat
the enemy that is, to promptly take the offensive
The employment of any part Of the high sea feet
for local defense is, therefore, misuse of naval
power" -. q
Pointing out the particular services required Of
the overseas section of the regular standing army,
the report shows how necessary it is that the de-
lenses Of the Philippines, of Guantanamo, of Pan
anna and of Oahu be prepared before any trouble
is feared To reinforce the peace garrisons Of these
points after declaration OF war is military i'm
practicabity while to throw reinforcements into.
them during crisis might precipitate an other
wise ayoidable conflict and il is well to note that
in no least particular do any OF the plans Of the
army or navy provide for aggressive warfare. ID
Tense is the keynote OF all the official pronounce
ments 'E y jtlli
Regarding the general requirements of the over
seas forces, the general staff plan has this to say
of Oahu: a.t @@1.,.. Ill ~ / tQEHl
"The maintenance Of the naval base at Pearl
Harbor Oahu, is an essential factor in the mill
tary problem of holding the Hawaiian Islands
These must be held by our forces as they consti-
tute a vital element in the defense of the Pacific
coast and in securing to ourselves the full value
of the Panama Canal a strategic highway be-
tween the two oceans. K M. .1..'.p' -.
"The problem Of holding Hawaii can be solved
by making Oahu, and therefore Pearl Harbor
secure against all Corners. This is only possible
by the joint action of the Army and Navy Pearl
Harbor and Honolulu are already protected by
Notifications now nearing completion. These
while deemed adequate to meet the conditions ex-
listing when they were designed must now be
strengthened to meet the recent increase in power
of guns ahoat; but no matter how complete these
harbor Notifications on the southern coast may
be- they are unable to prevent attacks on the hun
dred miles OF coast lying beyond the range of
these guns There should be in addition force
Of modern torpedo craft forming part Of the naval
equipment of Pearl Harbor with sufficient radius
Of action to keep the Hawaiian waters thoroughly
patrolled and always dangerous for an enemy |
Should this force be worsted in combat and with
drawn before the arrival of our high sea feet, the
complete control of the local waters might pass
to the enemy, so that the ultimate
security of Oahu and the naval base depends upon
including in the garrison enough mobile troops |
to defeat any enemy that may land anywhere on
the island. 1t is clear that perfect combination
between the Army and Navy at this station is |
absolutely essential to success in holding this key
to the Pacific Without complete dual defense
here we are not sure of retaining control even of
that part of the Pacific lying within the sphere of
defense of our western coast. With this dual de- |
Tense the high feet is left free for action any
where in Pacific waters" 6. leI