Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-12-05
TO DECIDE MILITARY
POLICY AFTER PEACE
Secretary of War Baker Makes
His Annual Report
Public.
WILL GIVE CONGRESS PLAN
Wants Strong General Staff
Built Up During War
Perpetuated.
[BY Associated Press |

/ question of permanent organization of
the army has been deferred for consid :
| Grafton after the close of the peace
conference. Secretary Baker, In his
annual report. made public tonight,
says this course is determined upon
/ since the military needs of the United
/ States cannot be prudently assessed
! until that conference shall have de-
I termined the future International re-
la;ions Of the world"
/ For temporary purposes. however.
/ Mr.. Baker announces that he will lay
before Congress plan Of reoreaniza :
! ton for the regular army, which shall
continue as the nucleus or any future
| military establishment"
The secretary also indicates his In
tention TO press for perpetuation by
law of the strong general staff organi-
Zation built uo during the war.
II have refraired I'm this report :.
Mr.. Baker says. from making specific
recommendations for future Legislation
the signing of the armstice has no,
formally closed the war. We have at
present great military establishment
which cannot be Immediately dissolved
and the activities of the department for
some time at least must be concerned
with what we have. In the second
to assemble. and the military needs
of the United States cannot be pru-
/ IDENTIFY assessed until that conference
shall have determined the future in
ternational relations of the world. the
! department will present to the Con-
gress a plan for the maintenance Of n
az tho nucleus of any future military
I establishment. pending the time when
+! the experience through which we have
! gone can be digested and the future
/ needs of the nation maturely consid
| cred.
In any case. IL is clear that the
edusation OF officers and constant
be necessary. and ii is my hope that
/ the great military academy. at Yves,
Point can be supplemented BY an
enlargement and broadening Of the
special schools which arc at present
! organized. but should be made TO take
on more the character of postgraduate
courses and TO develop and train re-
| search specialists in the several arms.
Il This subject. however, lis one tupor
which causual Scomme Is not helpful,
] and refer to 1t only ,because 1T Scents
/ the one clear Indication from our eS-
! perience as to our future policy"
The story of the AmericaGn army's
Baker leaves very largely to General
| Pershing.
! now ending can be written" Mr.. Raker
| says. only in the long reaches OF his
| tnrical inquiry. when there will ne
| time and opportunity TO examine .n
/ detail not merely statistical exhibits.
/ which tell in numbers IF men and guns
/ what America did, but also to apnraise
! service which came from field and fac.
4 tory. from civilian and soldier alike.
and which represent In their aggregate
/ the life of the nation concentrated upon
/ a single purpose"
SELECTS BATTLE of MEUSE
TO INDICATE STRATEGY
/ In his brief recital OF the events
Of the war Mr.. Baker selects the battle
of 4. I,a
of military strategy. Americas great
est contribution TO the successful out
come or the war since by tina. attack
! Mezieres railway. the main artery OF
/ the German sunply system. was cut.
| The entire available strength of the
divisions, We're in line In the seconc
week of October. he says. making yarc
| by yard progress against desperate
American troops broke through" The
| object OF the drive. the strategic coll
ception Of which included the British
| drive at the north end or the railway
| system and the French advance in the
center. was accomplished on November
! when the Americans entered the out
next day by the French.
The meeting of French and Amcri-
Ga Ease iroops on this his,or,e sno Mr.
the German arms. n defeat as decisive
| and humiliating as that forced upon
France S dorty.seXen even years YEAR before at ths
before as to the accordance of tho ar
mistice terms. the allied advance cui-
| minatinE in this meeting at Sedan
! left no choice in the natter
In sketching the building m of the
war army: Mr.. Baker. selects. few
what each step meant and wha, has
been accomplished. On the day the
armisticc was signed. he declares more
/ 4 nr nlp
population Of the country between the
| ages Of eighteen and thirty one was
II the military service. the army hav-
more than 100000 of whom were in
GrGne as ,n With ss 9Th
| fore war was declared
ILLUSTRATES THE SPEED
OF ARMY EXPANSION
! To illustrate the speed of this ex
| pansion. the report cites the fac; that
its high mark in the summer of 1917.
,hree years after the beginning Of the
woT more nnd ,nan 'ha5 ooocoo Sorf sn was gnE ,nd
nineteen months for the United States
to reach the s.mc strength there. but
ose mr Baksr YEARS Points OF so, 9nt nrs 1 durnS n
power had been heavily called upon
to replace casualties, while for many
ali went to augment the force being
assembled. TO some extent this was
Offset. he adds. by the far greater
transport difficulties Of the Amer
ican project.
casualties. 236,I0S men as already an.
nounced. Mt Baker said the deaths
that half of the wounded reported
adds that Federal battle fatalities in
the Civil War totaled 10000: Japan
lost $4,000 men in the Russc-Japanese
War and GERMANY lost aS.6oo In the
| Franco Prussian War.
Speaking of the selective ser
vice. Mr.. Baker mikes this observa-
of universal military training, soon to
arise:
at that time twhen his preceding
annual report was issuedl there was
ample evidence that the selective draft
was a swift. effective and Just means
| Of securing the military strength ne
| cessary for the conduct OF a great war
The experience of the, past year has
Discussing the extensive engineering
nndertaklngs In France. the need for
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