Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-06-30
Army and Navy News

~ OSSlP in Army circles will
III have it that another inter-
WI departmental reorganization
will result in radical changes
in the constitution of the general
staff. 1t it fact recognized by care
full students of the situation that the
sSf is not giving the results which,
at least in theory, are expected from
it, and the question whether it is
worth while is frequently heard The
question is a ridiculous one if rea-
sons for the creation of the staff and
the causes that have led to its reia-
tive inefficiency are not overlooked.
The War Department is organized
into bureaus-ordnance, supply, mill
tia and so on-each charged with
providing the Army with something
required for its creation and main
tenance; that Army in the field being
the sole reason for a War Depart
ment. But the history of the depart
ment since the civil war shows that
without some direction the opera
lions of these essential parts to the
Army-making machine will fail to
function when the strain of putting
an Army on war footing comes.
For instance, during the Spanish war.
when an officer charged with provid
ing supplies for the Army in Cuba
said that he had bought them, it was
no concern of his whether they had
been sent to their destination; and
the worst of it was that, as the War
Department was then constituted.
there was no one to make it his con-
Germ whether the supplies reached
the Army; or, going further, whether
the collective efforts of the bureaus
supported the Army.
Hence in the reorganization that
followed the war Elihu Root, then
Secretary of war, following the ex-
ample of nations, like Germany and
France. that had studied the art of
war, organized a general staff to d.
rAct under the Secretary. the mill
the great ends of the Army He
appointed Gen. Leonard Wood, VINO
in the attempt to subordinate the
bureaus to the new scheme met Wig
orous opposition from the CHIEFS, VINO
evidently valued the success OF their
army. 1t was a parallel story to that
of the civil war, run by states in
staAd of by the United States. In
the long run the bureau chiefs. win
The aid Of friendly legislation in Con
sress. won, and all authority OF the
War Department. except that of the
Secretary, over the bureaus was lost
At the outbreak OF the present war
all the live men of the staff sought
and were, mistakenly, granted for
eipn service. leaving the personnel
very weak The Secretary of War
is not by training or nature qualified
10 grapple with the problems of mill
tary organization; it is not his prov
fnce to solve them. and he must have
A stafY made up of the ablest officers
available to work out the details of
the DEVELOPMENT of the present great
armies. Thus the theory of stan
is sound and its necessity obvious
hut from the inception Of the war to
the present day its work has not
been efficient. Delays In the office
Of important measures have been al
most unbearable: its name has be-
come synonymous with uncertainty
and procrastination.
The present chief is an officer OF
great executive ability and is striving
10 make conditions better. II is un-
derstood that an examining board has
selected a number of officers as quail
fed to serve on the staff, but before it
is materially enlarged another remedy
should be applied. that employed by
Gen Pershing, the commanders of the
rAjning camps and the chief of the
n,Ytia bureau to the officers of the
National Guard, and that is rigid