Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-01

= INSTEAD of small uncombined
troops scattered in forty-nine
widely separated posts, the mill
x tary authorities of the United
States want to bring the soldiers to-
gether in six, or at the most eight.
large groups in such stations that they
can assemble easily for joint training
and in time of emergency be sent to a
point of concentration in the quickest
possible time and with the least ex-
penditure of money.
AS a basis for such relocation of
the army. the authorities name the fol-
lowing three territorial areas as being
best for the defense of the United
States: The line between the St Law
renee river and the city of Atlanta,
Ca The line between Puget Sound and
Los Angeles. The line between the
great lakes and the Rio Grande.
Under this territorial department
system there would be two, or perhaps
three. groups of troops in department
l and in department 2, while depart
ment would have at least two groups.
Each group would be properly assem-
a brigade of infantry. with it's scien-
tifically correct proportion of cavalry.
artillery. engineers. Signal Corps and
Quartermaster's and sanitary troops.
Under this plan. instead of forty
nine unco-ordinated fragments there
would be not more than eight COM
pletely assembled large army parts,
which could be put together almost in
stantly to form the only large fighting
organization that really is ut to offer
in battle-the army division.
This simple and busineSslfke plan
would do much more than merely to
form the army into compact. quickly
available organizations. 1t would be
an economy, since 1t would save ap-
proximately S5.5O0.0O0 a year in main
tenance. 1t would make recruiting far
easier and would greatly simplify and
accelerate the training of recruits and
their incorporation in the active army.
It would improve vastly the training of
the trained army.
The wide value of the plan for con-
centrated grouping of the army was
presented most lucidly to Congress in
1912 by the Secretary of War, when he
said plainly and positively to Congress
that the army posts were wasteful and
worthless. He reported that if the
mobile army is to be efficient. it's dis
tribution must meet the following
requirements:
G) 1t must be favorable for the
training Of infantry, cavalry and field
artillery combined.
(2) 1t must be favorable for the rapid
concentration of the whole army on
the southern or northern frontier or
on either sea coast.
60 1t must favor the best use of the
army as a model for the general mill
tary training of the National Guard.
90 1t must favor the use of the reg
ular army as nucleus for the war
organization of both the National
Guard and of such volunteers as may
(5) The distribution must favor eco
nomical administration to give maxi
mum efficiency for the annual expendi-
ture on the army.
co. The distribution must favor a
peace organization which will be eff
fective in war; that is, an organization
that will permit a prompt expansion
by means Of system of reserves.
Most important is that a proper loca-
ton Of the army groups would make
possible a formation of each group in
correct military proportion of all arms
This subject is one that lacks the
romantic or sensational interest per-
tanning to such matters as shortage OF
ammunition or guns, but it strikes at
the heart of army efficiency.
An army that is not capable of being
put into action instantly in complete
tactical formation when needed is not
an army though it's individuals may be
perfect The army that needs time is
half defeated already. Time is the one
thing that a capable enemy does not
mean to give to his opponent.
Until now the supporters of the army