Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-10-14

TO and shall have received compenSd-
ton under the provisions Of this Act
shall be disbanded without the con-
sent of the President, nor. without
such consent, shall the commissioned
or enlisted strength of any such or
ganization be reduced below the
minimum that shall be prescribed
therefor by the President. % Stat.
2o0).
From Section 90 it is clear that
ordinarily the composition OF all
units Of the National Guard shall be
the same as that which is. or may
hereafter be prescribed for the Regu-
lar Army. The one exception to this
rule Il contained In the clause which
provides that this provision is Sub
ject in time of peace to such general
exceptions as may be authorized by
the Secretary Of War This clause
is operative only in time Of peace, and
such exceptions as are authorized
hereunder must be general. AFFECT
ing all similar units or organizations
Of the National Guard alike. The
present peace strength Of an infantry
company is required, by Section II,
National Defense Act, to be one
hundred enlisted men unless the
President exercises the authority
granted him hereunder 10 Increase
this number to one hundred and fifty
(39 Stat. 1T. 1879. In the opinion OF
this Office Section so authorizes the
secretary of War, in time of peace, to
make general exceptions to the rule
requiring National Guard organiza-
tions to conform to the Regular
Army in respect to the composition
of its units and to prescribe the COM
position Of the excepted units. In
this respect. Congress has seen fit to
grant broad powers to the secretary
of war in order to meet the varying
conditions under which National
Guard organizations are maintained
in time Of peace. BY inserting this ex-
ception. Congress apparently recog-
nized that the necessity for strict
conformity to Regular Army organi-
cations is not so compelling in time
Of peace as in time Of war when the
National Guard may be called to
duty in the Federal service and be
merged with the Regular Army and
all other Federal forces into one
national military force.
THE opinion Of this Office is that
since the country is at present in a
state Of war, it would not now be
legal for the Secretary Of War to
authorize the reduction in the en-
listed strength Of lettered infantry
companies of the National Guard,
suggested in your memorandum, al
though the secretary Of war would
have such authority in times Of
peace.
From the above opinion, it ap-
pears that the secretary Of war is, at
this time, without authority to per-
init the organization and recognition
Of National Guard units of less than
the strength prescribed for like units
of the Regular Army.
Furthermore, it appears that even
in time Of peace. any regulations
promulgated by the secretary Of war
permitting National Guard COM
panies to be organized and recog-
nized at n reduced strength, would
necessarily have to be general in
their application, and apply to COM
panies in large as well as small or
sparsely settled communities. AS
most of the National Guard units will
be needed, and be organized in COM
munities large enough to maintain
companies of at least 100 men, and
especially on account of the require
ments of collective training which
can only he realized with a company
with strength of at least ic0 men,
it is not deemed advisable to make
any general reduction in the strength
OF all National Guard units, even
after the termination of the present
war period.
In those communities which are
too small to maintain a company OF
100 men, and where the state authori-
ties deem it essential that National
Guard troops be located. the detached
platoon system authorized for let
tered infantry. engineer, and coast
artillery companies, and for lettered
cavalry troops, will undoubtedly meet
the situation. The conditions re-
quired for armory drill pay will apply
to each platoon separately as if each
platoon were a separate company.
THE experience during the great
wei AAoS PiOSSu lldl infantry COIn-
panies to be effective must be larger
than was formerly considered neces-
sary. Consequently, company of IS
would receive in time Of emergency
such large influx Of unframed men
in order to bring it up to effective
strength that it would be of very
little value without further training.
Furthermore. the great war has
demonstrated that the platoon is the
combatant unit, and that the basis
OF all combat training is the training
Of the platoon. 1t is therefore essen
tial to provide sufficient men in each
platoon to permit training Of the
platoon as a unit, either alone, or in
the company. The company Of 65
men will not provide sufficient men
in each platoon to permit this very
essential collective training"