The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-08-13
ARMY Of INVASION
COULD Be LANDED
EASILY IN HAWAII
Report Of Military Committee OF
National Security League
Is Received Here
$3.50
TERRITORY SHOULD
BE MOST INTERESTED
One Commerce Chamber Director
Asks II Defense 0rganiza-
ton Is Bonding Company

| Those interested in the formation of
a Hawaiian branch of the National
Security League, a movement which
Mayor Lane brought to the attention
of the chamber of commerce at the
last meeting Of its directors, read with
attention yesterday the first report of
the leagues army committee, copy
of which just received, was furnished
to The Advertiser
"a little more publicity for the
league should not be amss in Hawaii, >
said one of those active in the move.
ment yesterday. "Of all places, this
| Territory should most be interested in
problems of national security, yet when
the league was mentioned by name last
Tuesday one of the directors inquired
placidly If it was bonding company"
Henry l.. Stimson, former secretary
Of war, is chairman of the army com
mittee Of the league. His report, after
going deeply into the problems Of de.
| Tense, concludes that it would be
task of little difficulty for an invader
to land armed forces on the undefend.
ed shores of America s insular posses
l
email Force Scattered
"Twenty.five thousand regulars and
10000 militia, the report states, econ
stitute our total defensive mobile force
for the protection of many thousands
of miles of coast and land frontier. This
force in small detachments il so scat
tered throughout the length and breadth
' of the land that it would be next to
impossible to concentrate it on one coast
, in less than month. We have but to
recall the events of the opening period
of the present conflict in Europe to form
very accurate Judgment of the de
eisive steps an invader might take dur
ing the month required to assemble our
small army.
"Quite aside from its weakness in
rumbersj this force would be poorly
trained. hastily and Intellectually organ.
lied, Unbalanced, incompletely equip.
ped, and lacking in such essentials as
light and heavy artillery and the am
munitioni 10 serve il. Brigades and
divisions Would be brought together for
the first time, the majority of them
under commanders who had never com.
manded complete units of that size even
in peace maneuvers, and with newly
appointed staff officers more or less
unfamiliar with their duties.
Team Work Lacking
| "From commander to the lowest pri
vate, the heterogeneous command
would be lacking in that ability FOR
team work which is acquired only with
training and is essential to military
success. This is the force with which
we have to meet an invading army that
would be vastly superior in numbers
and training, perfectly organized, com.
pletely equipped, and led by skilled
commanders. With ordinary fortunes of
war, the probable outcome is 80 ap
parent that it need not be stated.
"The great armed nations of the
world have sufficient merchant shipping
to transport to our shores, in single
expedition, a much larger force than
we can possibly concentrate against it,.
This statement is well within the truth
and takes account of only such ship
ping as could be collected in home ports
In the brief period of high diplomatic
tension just preceding the first warlike
act. Once the high seas are open to
such a nation. the number of men who
can be landed on our shores in SUE
cessive expeditions, unless we are
strong enough on land to prevent it, is
80 vast as to be almost unbelievable.
Coast Defenses Valueless
"The sea is no longer a barrier
against invasion. 1t may have been in
the days of slow going sailing craft, few
in numbers and of small tonnage, when
voyage across the seas required weeks
instead Of days, and single ship could
carry but hundreds instead of thousands
of men. But in this day Of vast mer
chant marines made up of large and
swift steamships, the ocean furnishes
the best of all highways for the trans
portation of armies.
1.-THE landing of an invading force on
our open coasts is not trying or dan
gerous operation, as difficulties and
hazards are measured in far. From
the recent landing of the Allies in the
face of powerful opposition ON the re
stricted area of the Gallipoli Peninsula
an idea may be formed of the ease with
which an invader could land at some
point on our long stretches of undefend
ed coast. Our coast defenses are pow
erless to prevent this, and to do so fOrVs
no part of their task. They are for
the protection of our great sea cast
cities against attack from tie sea, but
are powerless beyond the range of their
guns.
vulnerable To Hostile Ships
"a hostile ship that would not dare
come within range of the defenses Of
New York City could land troops with
perfect safety few miles away on
the coast of Long Island or New Jer
sey. The guns of these defenses would
be no more pOwerless to oppose land
ing beyond their range if they were
located on the most remote island Of
| Alaska, These guns can be fred only
toward the sea. They cannot fire an
effective shot in their own defense
against IA force attacking them from
the land Without mobile land force
to protect the defenses Of our coast
cities against attack by land, they are
completely ut the mercy of a raiding