Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-05-05
ARMY
BY SELECT|VEPLA
Eiqhteen Divisions to Be Form
ed, With Total of $685.
659 Men.
NATIONAL GUARD A FACTOR

| The first war army to be organized
| under the selective CONSUMPTION bill
will have n strength of 1888 officers
and 52S,659 enlisted men organized into
eighteen divisions complete in every
detail and supplemented by sixteen
regiments of heavy field artillery,
equipped with large caliber howitzers.
Each infantry division will consist of
nine full regiments of infantry. three
regiments of field artillery, one regi-
ment of cavalry. one regiment of engi
neers, one division hospital and four
| camp infirmaries. The total strength of
the sixteen will be 15,O22 officers and
439.T92 men.
Cavalry Division.
| The two cavalry divisions combined
will have 1.214 officers and 32,062 fight
| ing men, including mounted engineers
and horse artillery units. and each will
have also its divisional hospital and
camp infirmaries.
| The proportion of coast artillery
| troops to be provided out of the first
| 100000 will be 666 officers and 10000
| men with requisite medical troops.
experimenting these tactical units
will be the sixteen regiments of heavy
| field artillery, strength I6S officers and
21,1O4 men, eight aero squadrons, or
one new squadron to each two new in
| fantry divisions; eight balloon COM
panies. ten field hospitals: ten ambu-
| lance companies; twenty-five field bak-
cries, six telephone batallionS; sixteen
pack companies: six ammunition trains
and six supply trains.
| In preparation for the enormous task
| of training this great army, the exist
| ing regular establishment and the Ma
| tional Guard is being brought to full
war strength The regulars when all
| five additional increments provided for
| in the national defense act have been
| added. Will total II, 233 officers and 293,-
| 600 men of all arms. Since April
nearly $4,000 recruits have been OBJ
| tanned. bringing the army up to nearly
! 10000.
First Increment Added to Regulars.
! Upon the Presidents approval of the
| army bill the first increment will be
added TO the regulars Details of Off
GERS and designations of new units al
| ready have been arranged. AS soon as
! possible thereafter the remaining in
| crements will be created, existing regi-
ments being divided and expanded to
| form the new units.
| Already orders summoning officers of
| the regular service for examination for
| advance in grade have been prepared.
FIFTEEN lieutenant colonies of cavalry
| Will become colonies; twenty seven
cavalry majors will become lieuten-
| ant colonies, siXty-three captains will
become majors and all lieutenants will
| become captains.
| All field artillery lieutenant colonies
and the first five ajors will be exam
| ned to become colonels The remain
| ing majors and one captain will go up
to lieutenant colonies; seventy captains
| will be examined for majors. and all
| lieutenants will become captains.
Coast Artillery Promotions.
| In the coast artillery. thirteen lieu
tenant colonies must be promoted to
colonies: twenty-five majors become
lieutenant colonies; all captains will
become majors and the first go lieu
tenants will be examined for captains
All second lieutenants become first
lieutenants
In the infantry. the first fifty lieu
tenant colonels will be examined to
become colonies. Majors down to No
80 go up for lieutenant colonies: the
first 200 captains are slated for majors.
and all present first lieutenants and
second Heutenants, including the first
Total of 5,461 Vacancies.
The result of this expansion will be
to create 5,4Gi vacancies in the grades
of first and second lieutenants in the
army. More than a thousand young
men in civil life already have applied
for examination for second lieutenant,
and 1000 Will be selected from the Off
GERS training camps.
To provide general officers to COM
mand the eighteen divisional training
camps, that number of army colonies
may be examined. AS there exists al
| ready one vacancy in the grade of brig
adler general. nineteen new general
officers must be appointed in the near
future, and the army bill provides that
the President may select these men
from any source. A uniform grade of
major general, senior and junior rank,
also has been proposed. doing away
with the grade of brigadier general. In
any event. the present general officers
of wide experience probably will be
| selected. as far as possible. to command
divisional camps.
National Guard Strength.
| The full strength of the National
| Guard units now existing will be 9,S47
! officers and 329.954 men, giving a total
regular and National Guard force to
] be whipped into shape before the new
| army is called of 21,0S0 officers and
622,954 men. New units must be Great
| ed, however, to fill out tactical organi-
cations. and probably the total of this
| first force will exceed 100000 active
troops, backed by about 100000 more
| in the regimental recruit battalions.
| From this force will be formed
eighteen divisions, corresponding to
the organization of the first new army
| From it also early in September. will
| be drawn some 100000 officers and
non commissioned officers who will
constitute the framework on which
the new army will be shaped. They
will be with the 10000 officers to be
selected from the training camps, the
| instructors of the first army, and on
their efficiency rests the whole mill
| tary fabric that is to be built up.
| Regulars to Command.
| In general the plan will be to pro-
vide regular army officer to COM
Inland each new regiment, with an ade-
quate number of regular or National
Guard officers of experience to carry
on efficiently the administrative duties
and to supervise instruction.
| During the interval between the reg
( istration and the calling out of the
new army the regular and National
IGuard divisions will be at work pre-