Evening star., 1915-12-26
1900 MEN NEEDED
BY MARINE CORPS
Gen. Barnett Says Number
Would Enable 1t to Perform
Its Duties Adequately.
$500 SHOULD BE KEPT
ALONG ATLANTIC COAST
Indorses Policy of Filling Vacancies
in Commissioned Ranks From
West Point Graduates.

/ The Marine Corps lacks 200 of the
number of men and officers which
would enable it to perform adequately
the manifold duties that fall to the lot
of the sea soldiers in the opinion of
Maj. Gen. George Barnett. command
ant. as expressed in his annual report.
made public last night. Since the policy
Of the navy general board has been to
| keep the corps at one-fifth of the total
enlisted strength of the navy. however,
| Gen. Barnett recommended only the ad-
dition of 1900 men, sixty officers and
twenty-three warrant officers to the
present force. He expresses gratifica-
ton that Secretary Daniels has deter
mined to embody that proposal in his
| recommendations to Congress.
Gen. Barnett paints vivid picture
of the life of marine. He enumerates
the duties of the corps as follows: CAS-
detachments aboard active ships or
those in reserve or under construction;
as defense forces assigned to "the duty
of seizing, terrifying and defending ad-
vance bases; as mobile forces for
supporting advance base detachments;
for expeditionary duty such as that
in Mexico, Haiti, Santo Domingo and
elsewhere; as military garrisons for
navy yards. arsenals and other plants
necessary to the upkeep of the meet,
for duty at target ranges, recruit de-
pots, legations abroad, naval prisons
and hospitals.
Men Must Specialize.
The advance base companies. the re-
port says, are required to perfect them
selves in their specialties, which include
handling submarine mines, landing and
emplacing heavy guns with their con-
troll systems, range finders. etc, aero
defense batteries, searchlights and
other highly technical tasks. An addi-
tional 500 men. it says. would be re-
quired to give these companies full
strength.
Every year since the Spanish war,
marines have been sent to maintain
order in some neighboring foreign
country and to provide the mobile
forces for this work, Gen. Barnett says,
the makeshift practice Of withdrawing
ship detachments and those on guard
duty ashore has been resorted to.
"Ba.ed or the experience gained from
many expeditions" the report says. Il
am strongly of the opinion that a
mobile force of not less than $500 men
should be maintained on this coast and
one of not less than 1900 men on the
west coast. These forces would also
be in readiness at all times for service
as a part of the garrison OF advance
OaSCS, 8CtGnB a8 1URp0ftS 10 tne uXSu
defense force by protecting the base
from hostile landing parties. This duty
Is of very great importance. as forti-
fed harbors are very vulnerable to this
form of attack Approximately 5000
additional men are needed for this
purpose
The Commandant's Report.
The report expresses the command
ants opinion of the Marine Corps in
the following words:
81 believe it to be pertinent to in
vite the departments attention to the
fact that the Marine Corps has demon
strated conclusively in maneuvers at
Culebra, in the military operations at
Vera Cruz and in Haiti, as well as in
other important expeditionary duty,
that it is a remarkably efficient or
ganization, and that its officers and
men possess extraordinary versatility,
for. in addition to being trained as in
fantrymen, it's officers and men are re-
quired to man. part of the battery on
board vessels of the feet, to act as
field artillery and as signal, engineer
and coast artillery troops, to handle
boats and to mount guns of large cali
Der ashore"
The report shows that Gen. Barnett
recommended two brigadier generals
for the corps, and that Secretary DAN
iels will ask for only one officer of
that rank The Secretary also reduced
the number of majors from nine to six.
1t is set forth that six marins expedi-
tions, which included brigades of
troops, have been under command of
colonels because of the lack of general
/ officers for this duty, and that Justice
as well as efficiency demands that the
grade of brigadier general be author
ized by Congress"
Some plan to make for quicker pro-
motions among Marine Corps officers
must be found the report says as il is
essential that company officers be
| physically capable of enduring hard
ships with their men.
Wants Money for Base Material.
! Gen. Barnett recommends that $780,
900 be provided by Congress for the
purchase of advance base material for
the marines. The present equipment
has been loaned by the ships Of the
navy, ne says, and Is not up to date.
The advance base organization consists
of fire control detachment, four five
inch gun companies. one mine company,
one searchlight company, one engineer
| company and one aeroplane defense
company. He also recommends the pur-
| chase of camp and maneuver grounds
! for the marines. and says a site for
| the Pacific coast advance base detach-
ment has been found at San Diego. Cal,
which can be purchased for S25O,OO0
The report shows that 49 per cent OF
| the total enlisted strength of the corps
have qualified as marksmen in rifle
practice. OF these 883 are given rat
ing as expert riflemen. as against $50
| last year. The full strength of the
corps September 80 last was 344 Off
GERS and 9.979 men. divided about half
and half between shore and sea duty.
| Gen. Barnett indorses the policy OF
filling vacancies in the commissioner ed
personnel of the Marine Corps by the
appointment of graduates Of the Naval
| Academy, and recommends that any
vacancies still remaining after the APP
pointment OF available graduates and
| worthy non commissioned officers OF
the corps be filled by the appointment
of graduates of high class military and
technical schools. as is now done in the
army.
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