The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1916-01-12
4 TVO-POVER navy
zSTRATE6ISTS EXPLAIN DEMAND
FOR ARMY AND NAVY
NEEDED IN ten YEARS

President Wilson's Policy Deemed
Significant in the Light Of a Threat
Of Attack-Must be Ready to De-
Send Monroe Doctrine From At
tack by Two Powers at Same Time.
Possibility Of a combined at
tack by two foreign powers to
break down the new Pan-American
docGrine evolved from mainte-
nance by the United States and
acceptance by South and Central
American republics of the Monroe
Doctrine is one Of the fundamental
bases for the national defense
plans formulated by army and
navy strategists.
They believe it essential in the for
mutation of national military
policy, it was learned, to provide
against the eventuality Of an assault
upon the doctrine by either an Ash
attic or a European power, or even by
an alliance Of two such powers,
which might hurl forces simultane-
ously at the Atlantic and Pacific
coasts.
To develop navy equal in
strength to those Of any two world
powers, except combination lncluo-
ing Great Britain, and an army pre-
pared to fight for the integrity of the
Pan-American idea anywhere in Pan
America is the ultimate aim of the
plans Of the military experts.
What confidential information the
army war college and the navy gen.
eral board may have gathered con-
cerning the intentions Of any certain
power or powers is not being reveal
ed, but there are certain matters OF
general knowledge which are known
to have entered into the study OF pos
sibiiities, upon which the theory Of a
two-power attack upon the Monroe
Doctrine was based.
Ten years is the time the navy gen
eral board believes the United States
has in which to prepare for read
tustment of world forces which will
follow the European war. In setting
1925 as the time when the United
States navy should equal any afloat-
which means reaching the two-power
standard of the British navy-the
board estimated that much time
would elapse before the shock: Of the
present war passed sufficiently to
permit any Of the belligerents to look
to South or Central America for col
onial development or trade aggres-
sion.
Plans Of the army war college
would be consummated in six years.
The army officers take the position
that the United States must have sur
hcient troops and troop ships to land
forces In any threatened Pan-Ameri-
can country to meet an invader.
All these preparations, it is now
known, have been presented by STRAIT
egists to the administration as essen
tial to support the Monroe Doctrine.
so that the United States may be able
to act alone, If necessary, to preserve
Such ideals, the military students
have stated, impose new duties on
the United Substitutes that re-
quire something more than a policy
Of mere passive resistance.
While the Administrative branch OF
the government has submitted to
congress a definite plan which con-
templates an increased expenditure
of more than billion dollars on the
military and naval esta blishments in
the next six years, all other agencies
OF the government are acting to unity
and harmonic the Pan American ma
tons.
To students of diplomacy the Pan
American declarations OF President
Wilson in his opening address to con-
gress, the declarations for Pan
American unity made to the Pan
!. American Scientific Congress by Sec
retary Lansing, and the general ef-
fort for unity Of all the Americas on
a basis Of fri sndship and equality,
take on added significance when con-
sidered in connection with the ad-
ministration's preparedness plans.
The recent announcement that the
ambassadors from Argentina, Brazil,
and Chile had been selected by the
United States to represent it on the
commissions provided by the peace
Investigation treaties with France,
Great Britain, and Italy is regarded
as one Of the significant factors in
this connection.
Significance also Is seen in the dis
closure that an effort to postpone the
Pan-American congress, on the
ground that sufficient time had not
been given to prepare an adequate
scientific program, was met by the
statement that the United States was
insistently desirous Of taking prompt
steps to further the spirit of Pan
American accord, confidence, sympa-
thy and NUT la1ity. South American
capitals uniformly report that the
congress is regarded there as more
political than scientific, aud that ap-
probation OF the sentiment of Pan
American unity Is freely expressed.
With the military problem agreed
upon and defined, the two boards Of
strategists were asked what, in their
opinion, would constitute adequate
national defense. Their answer was:
To build two-power navy, and
organize federal army of suffi-
cient size, so that a portion of it
could be used in any southern
country against foreign invader
without impairing the safety Of the
United States itself.
To accomplish this the general
board then recommended for the
navy:
/. Authorization in 1867 of
100000 in new ships, as against
a total investment in fighting equip
ment now afioat during the last 80
years Of S459,6S6,551.
2. Construction of four battle
cruisers and four dreadnoughts under
this program.
8. Expansion Of shipbuilding facil-
tiles to admit Of even heavier build
ing programs in succeeding years.
For the army the war college rec
ommended:
/. Expenditure in 1861 of ap-
prodmately s500,000,000 to produce
a mobile army under federal control
which, with it's reserves, would total
100000 in six years, 100000 fully