The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-11-10
PLAN TO RAISE
 CITIZEN ARMY
 OF 100000 MEN
Regular Army to Be In creased to 141,843 Officers
 and Men.
SEC GARRISON HAS
 NEW DEFENSE POLICY
Term of Enlistment in Reg ular Service to Be Reduc-
 ed to Two Years.


 of the army's part in the national defense program to be submitted to Congress in December by the Admin istration waS made public by secre.-- tary Garrison disclosing officially for the first time details of the plan to raise a. great Continental or Citizen army to supplement- the regular es- tabIishment-
 In brief it is proposed to increase the regular army from 10S, 900 to 141,- 843 officers and men (changing the term of enlistment from four, years with the colors and three years on furIough to two years with the colT ors= and four years on. furloUgh); to organize a federal citizen army of 100000 {to be enlisted 133,O00 a year for three years); to strengthen the state militia by increased appropria- tions and closer cooperation; and to spend $2O, 100000 aI year for four years on coast defenses and $2s.0O0,- O00 a year for four years in the asc- cumulation of reserve material for use by a force of 100000 men,
 MT. Garrison says that the fraIners of the new policy are fully conscious Of the possibility of formulating mili- tary policies much better in theory but that s'after concentrated consid- eration of existing legal and other conditions they think it will be found that almost insuperable objections and difficulties arise in carrying into practical operation suggestions that from the military standpoint might otherwise be very acceptable.
 The statement reveals that in the preparation of their plans. War De partment officials have called into consultation specialists in various lines of private industry.
 # ~s make available in time of need the services Of those in certain kinds of employment requiring special knoWl- edge and skill, such as railroad men. bridge builders, engineers of all de- scriptions, etc. and leading men in these lines and professions ve~been collaborating with the War Depart ment in an endeavor to formulate, by legislation or administrative action, an acceptable and useful plan with re- spect thereto. A
 Tn this, connection, and because of the patriotic spirit thus displayed it seems desirable to-say that if those who are the employers of the young men of the country cannot by reason of age or situation in life. give their personal service, they can do that which will be equa fly useful in --eFl- co4lraging in every way%the participa- ton of those in. their. employ in the plan of national defense. If they would so arrange their business that a certain proportion of those whom they engage could undertake this na- tionaI service without sacrificing their personal interests, those who did this thing would be acting in the most public-spirited and patriotic manner possi ble-'' s
 The Citizen army would be recruitr ed Throughout the entire country. and
 
 memberF. though enlisted for six year terms, would be required to report for intensive training only for short periods each year for three years and during the remaining three years would be fur1oughed subject to call to the colors in time of war. In addition to officers who may be de veloped in the course of it's operation, MT. Garrison proposed to draw officers for this force from men who have served in the national guard or the regular army or who have been train ed in private military schools. Individ- uals or organizations in the existing national guard free to do so would be permitted to come into the citizen army without change of rank
 For the next. fiscal year, when it is proposed to put this new policy into operation, Congress will be asked to appropriate $182. Fl 7s036s the second year the amount will be $212, ,s15,879; theTt third s228, ,S79. and annually thereafter, if the policy were contin- ued without change the army budget would be $182,234. .559.
 The additions to the regular army contemplated are ten regiments of infantry, four regiments of field artiI- 1ery, fifty-two regiments Of coast arx ti1lery. ffty-two regim ents of coast ar tillery, fifteen companies of engineers and four aero squadrons, to be brought in half next year and half the following year.
 This plan when completed would place in the Panama Canal Zone, Hawaiian Islands, the Philippines, and Alaska, 1,453- officers and 47,456 en- listed men. In the continental Unit ed States, there would be in the regu- , lar establishment 2,956 officers and 66s96S men ineluding eleven and two thirds regiments of cavalry, twenty six and two-thirds regiments of in .fantry, seven regiments of field artil- lery, 170 companies of coast artillery and about four thousand officers anud men in engineer and signal corps.