Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-01-04
ARMY AND NAVY
AS MIGHTY AS TWO
POWERS PLANNED
Would Uphold Doctrine by
Fighting Anywhere in Pan
America to Defend Ideals
TEN YEARS TO DO IT
Strategists Recommend Great
Expansion of Land and
Sea Forces

Washington, d. c., Jan. 4. - Pos
sibility of a combined attack by two
foreign powers to break down the new
Pan american doctrine evolved from
maintenance by the United States and
acceptance by South and Central AM
erican republics of the Monroe Doc
trine is one of the fundamental bases
for the national defense plans formu-
lated by army and navy strategists.
They believe 1t essential in the
formulation of a national military
policy, it was learned, to provide
against the eventuality of an assault
upon the doctrine by either an Asia
tic or a European power. or even by
an alliance of two such powers, which
might hurl forces simultaneously at
the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
A navy equal in strength to those
of any two world powers, except Great
Britain, and an army prepared to
fight for the integrity of the Pan
American idea anywhere in Pan-Am-
lea is the ultimate aim of the plans
of the military experts.
Would Take Ten Years
Ten years is the time the navy Gen
eral Board believes the United States
has in which to prepare for read
justment of world forces which will
follow the European war.
All llltSt pIepdIdllOnS, II is uOW
known, have been presented by
strategists to the administration as es-
sential to support the Monroe Doc
trine, so that the United States may
be able to act alone, if necessary, to
preserve its ideal of no entangling
alliances. Such ideals, the military
students have stated, impose new
duties on the United States - duties
that require something more than Il
policy of mere passive resistance.
HarmonizinG Pan-Amcrica
While the administration branch of
the government has submitted to
Congress u definite plan which CON
templates an increased expenditure of
more than % billion dollars on the
military and naval establishments i'm
the next six years, all other agencies
of the government are acting to unity
and harmonize the Pan-Am erican ma
tions.
To students of diplomacy, the Pan
American declarations of President
Wilson, in his opening address to
Congress; the declarations for Pan
American unity made to the Pan-Am
erican Scientific Congress here by
Secretary Lansing, and the general
effort for unity of all the Americas on
q basis of friendship and equality,
take an added significance when con-
sidered in connection with the ad
ministration's preparedness plans.
Plans of the Army War College
would be consummated in six years.
The army officers take the position
that the United States must have sufIi-
cient troops and troop ships to land
forces in any threatened Pan Amer
lean country, to meet an invader.
For Two-Power Navy
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 a two-power navy and organ
ize a Federal army of sufficient size
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:
1-Authorization in 1861 of
$500, 100000 in new ships as against
a total investment in fighting equip
ment now afioat during the last thirty
years of $459, ,6S6,551.
2-Construction of four battle
cruisers and four dreadnaughts under
this program.
3-Expansion of ship building
facilities to admit of even heavier
building programs in succeeding
years.
For the army and War College rec
commended:
1-EXpenditure in 1861 of ap-
proXimately $500,000,000 to produce
a mobile army under Federal control
which with it's reserves would total
10000 900 in six years: 10000 fully
trained regulars and the remainder
continentals.
2-Increasing by so per cent. the
equipment and personnel of the coast
artillery in four years at a total cost
of SS1 100000.
3-Accumulation in four years of
reserve ammunition and material
worth 100000.
Plans For Army and Navy
In view of the enormous and what
they regarded as almost prohibitive
cost of these proposals, Secretary
Daniels and Secretary Garrison map
ped out the billion dollars, six years
program which President Wilson has
laid before Congress, providing es-
sentially as follows:
For the navy:
New construction within five
years costing $500,000,000, which will
add six battle cruisers and ten dread
naughts to the fighting line by 1924.
2-Construction during 1916-17 of
two battle cruisers mad two dread
naughts with proportionate numbers
of smaller craft.
3-Distribution of the remainder of
the building program through the
next four years at rate of 10000
900 a year.
For the army:
1-Expenditure within six years of
approximately $600,000,000 to pro-
duce 20 total mobile Federal force of
a million men, 141.00 regulars and
100000 continentals, this force to be
in addition to the National Guard
now numbering 10000.
2-EXpenditure of the fun $S1.-
0OO.000 recommended by the War
College and Board of Review for new
coast defenses.
3-Expenditures of the full $104.-
100000 recommended by the experts
for reserve material.
bushels; oats, 400 bushels; potatoes.
$50 bushels; beans 1876 bushels: