The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-11
L
100000 ARMY Big
ENOUGH, SAYS WOOD
Would Supplement 1t by
Training Youths Of 10 for
Six Months.
ASSAILS BAKER PLAN
Says Returning Veterans
Prove Universal Training
Cannot Militarize Nation.
AssAILs BAKER
PLAN
spsoint De,patca. TO TEE suS.


army of not more than 100000 men |
is the limit of the peace time necessi- |
ties of the United States. MaJor-Gen |
Leonard Wood told the Senate Military
Committee to-day. At the same time
he took definite issue with the War De- /,
partment's programme for the estab. |
lishment of "a three months course or
universal military training and urged a
six months period as. infinitely better |
and in the end more economical
MaJor-Gen. Wood said that the pro-
iected peace time professional army OF
$4,000, provided for in the pro- |
grammG advocated by Secretary Baker |
and indorsed by Gen. Peyton G. March, |
Chief of Staff, was unnecessarily large |
and of a strength entirely uncalled for
by the national or the international
situation.
lain programme, advanced In the bill
prepared by the former chairman of
the committee" said Gen Wood. 1T
was UNNECESSARILY a better plan than
the War Departments proposal
Urges Three or Five Divisions.
Gen. Wood said that he believed the
army should be organized either on
three or a five division basis, so far
as the defence needs Of the continental
United States was concerned He said
that IL organized as three division
ION the Atlantic coast, one on the Pacific
coast and a third with its base in the
middle West. II a five division organ |
izaton was preferred two divisions each
should be on the two coasts and a single
division in the middle West.
The remainder of the force should be
distributed as training cadres of from
1000 to $500 men established ut the
various cantonments which II has been
determined to make permanent training
points. This would be the organization
for the training of the youths CT 10
years coming annually into the service
OF the nation.
Gen. Wood also said that for purposes
Of making the training efficient and
thorough the officer personnel of the
army should include an excess Of from
10 to 10 per cent. above the actual needs
of the army, and this excess should fur
nish the training body.
He also thought that the programme
of the Secretary of War. calling for a
general officer organization Of thirty
two Maj Generals and lightweight
Brigadiers, was entirely too large He
expressed the view that with so large
a general officer personnel as per1na-
nent thing. there would be natural
stoppage Of promotion in the course OF
expanding the army during war, and
insufficient opportunity for merit eff
CitHCy anu " 6uiuV Tic etN-
vancements incident to the war itself.
Shifting to the organization Of the
peace time army again, Gen. Wood said
that he would keep one division in the
Philippine Islands. consisting half OF
regulars and half Of native troops
"The Philippine problem is a naval
and not so much a military one" said
Gen. Wood in answer to questions by
Chairman Wadsworth IN. 70 as to
whether he thought his recommendation
of one division adequate for the defence
Of our easternmost possession.
"If we have control of the Pacific we
will control everything in 1t. and IL we
have not that control OF the ocean we
will control none of its contents" he
added.
Would Increase Railway Guns.
The General then went on to say that
he thought there should be material in
creases in the coast defence artillery
branch of the American Army, particu-
larly in respect to mobile railway guns
Of large calibre. There should be in
creases in the field artillery also.
Gen. Wood said he believed there
should be a separate air corps. He said
that Senator News bill TO create a sepa-
rate air corps met with his own views
very closely.
The reorganized army should not be
unmindful of the lessons of the present
war and proper serious and consistent
attention should be given to chemical
warfare (gas and fiame) and to the de-
velopment of the tank an adjunct
of the fighting forces.
81 would keep a constant supply OF
arms and equipment for an army of
100000 in the arsenals and storage
houses" said Gen. Wood.
wouldn't that be a great waste of
MATERIAL" asked Senator Fletcher
(F1a.).
1T would be your insurance pre-
MUM" responded the General.
Gen. Wood then said that most of the
military posts around the country might
now be dispensed with altogether. He
thought that the environments which II
had been planned to make permanent
would furnish headquarters enough, and
the environments as constructed for this
war would last twenty years and per-
haps thirty years
In discussing the general problem OF
universal training. Gen. Wood said
81 would create out of the men who
had served with the colors for six months
the national reserve forces They would
enter In the calendar year which marked
the attainment OF the age OF 10 and
serve from April 1 to October l."
do you not think that three months
as suggested by the War Departments
Dill WOulu NC zen. nOOu was
asked.
"Give three months training only and
you double the number of your dead"
replied Gen. Wood with emphasis "Six
months are necessary to the acquisition
OF the training a soldier needs. In time
of war under full pressure and the i'm
petus OF dire need. four months might
suffice to train soldier to fight in a
modern war, but in peace six months
are necessary"
But Gen. Wood did not think that
after six months OF the RICH: sort Of
training recalls to the colors for manoeu-
vres and annual inspections, midsum-
mer encampments and the like would be
necessary at all.
Il would suggest that the men be
trained In the areas where they have
their residence As each class graduates
at the end OF the summer months of
each year they would be transferred to
the reserve. The last four classes out
OF training would form the division of
instant response to the call of war. The
four older classes In order would con-
stitute the division responding to the
second call Each man would be under
obligation. with penalty for dlsobedi-
ence written intD the law n that ware