The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1917-04-12
ARMY OF ONE MILLION
PLANS OF WAR DEPARTMENT
MADE PUBLIC.
If Volunteers DO Not Enlist Quickly
Men Will Be Drafted.-FirSt
100000.

Washington. April 5.-How the
government plans to raise war
army of million men within year
and of two millions within two years
was disclosed upon the passage of
the war resolution by the house.
A bill prepared by the general staff
and approved by the president for
submission to congress provides for
the immediate filling up of the regu
lar army and National Guard to war
strength of more than 100000 by
draft unless enough volunteers en-
list quickly, and for bringing into the
service by late summer of the first
100000 of the new force of young
men between the ages of 19 and 25
years to be called to the colors by
selective conscription.
In drafting it's programme, the
staff recognized the fact that the
United States must start at the be-
ginning and train first an army of
100000 officers and non-commission-
ed officers to undertake the training
of the thousands of youths who will
enter the service with no notion of
military duty.
Expansion of the present regular
army to it's full war strength of 2S7,-
600 enlisted men and II, 200 officers,
means many new regiments of all
arms to be created by dividing exist
ing regiments and filling each half
to war strength with volunteers or
conscripts. The National Guard regi-
ments, all of which can be called in
to the federal service under existing
law, will have approximately $4,000
men and 1890 officers at war
strength. No new regiments of the
guard would be organized and the
full limit of the national defense act
would be invoked to wipe out any
distinction between federal and State
forces. Here also volunteers would
be received and draft resorted to
only when necessary.
These two steps would provide a
total force of $4,000 men and 22,-
900 officers to be supplemented by
recruit organization for each unit,
making an additional 100000 men
under training, but to be held in re-
serve to fill gaps in the active army
as they occurred.
For five months these expanded
forces would be subjected to training
of a character hitherto unknown in
this country simultaneously the
registration of all men between the
ages of 19 and 25 will be carried out
with federal, State and municipal au-
thorities cooperating.
In August or early in September
the first 100000 of this new army
composed exclusively Of young men
summoned to the colors under the
principle of universal military ser
vice, with those supporting depend
ents or needed by the nation in civil
life exempted, would be assembled
for training. From the regulars and
National Guard regiments would be
drawn specially selected officers and
non-commissioned officers who would
organize. train and command the
units of the new army.
A year from now, second incre-
ment of 100000 youths would be
called out, officers and non-commis-
stoned officers would be drawn from
the regulars, the National Guard
forces or from the first section of the
new army, to officer and train the
second section.
By that time the machinery that
had been built up would provide
enough trained officers and non-com-
missioned officers to train a million
or more men at time, if that were
necessary. The war department bill,
however, proposed to authorize now
only the first two classes of the new
army, making a total of more than
100000 trained troops who would
be available possibly within a year
and half, or in two years at most.
The sum of nearly s3,0OO,0O0,O0O
asked of congress to carry out this
programme deals only with the first
year of preparation. Behind it stands
the eed an equal sum for reserve
supplies of ammunition, cannon and
other war materials if the army is to
be employed in actual war.
Included in the present estimates
are the cost of cantonments to house
the troups. Presumably the previous
plans of the general staff for sixteen
military districts will be carried out
This would provide for sixteen COM