The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-07-26
ARMY ISBEINC
REVOLUTIONIzED
WORK OF RE o r G ANIMATION
WILL REQUIRE SOME SEVERAL
MONTHS TO COMPLETE, OWING
TO ITS SCOPE.

Washington, July 23. -America's
tically revolutionized under the terms
of the new army reorganization bill
which became effective July 1. Army
officers say the work will not be com
pleted for some months, because of the
broad scope of the measure passed
at the last session of Congress to
place the land forces on a permanent
peace basis.
While the regular army will contain
only 295, 900 officers and men scattered
over the country and the iusular pos
sessions, it will be SO arranged in con-
junction with the National Guard and
the Reserve that rapid expansion. of
the nations fighting forces in time of
emergency will be possible.
The National Guard will have about
100000 officers and men, but the
strength of the reserve has not yet
been worked out and will depend large
ly upon the enlistment of eEgibles.
The regular army reserve as it for
merly existed, composed of former en-
listed men furloughed to the reserve
to complete their enlistment period,
ceased to exist as ucn on July 1. In
its place there is est7 blished the en-
listed reserve corps and the officers
reserve corps. The members of the
former, except veterans of the world
war, are required TO enlist for three
years. Veterans of the world war moy
enlist for only one year.
The officers reserve corps is COM
posed of officers who held temporary
or reserve commissions during the war
emergency and graduates of the stu
dent officers training school.
To accomplish the reorganization oe
the National Guard and the initial or
ganization of the reserve, the army
to be composed of regular army gen
eral staff officers and an equal num-
Der of reserve or NationAl Guard Off
GERS. In addition, So other committees,
representing each state and territory
will arrange the National Guard or
ganization in each state and territory.
Some of these committees have not
been appointed by the governors, and
consequently this work has not yet
been put under way.
While no full plan Of organization
has been made public, a tentative plan
to be placed before the committees
would divide the country into nine dis
tricts with an army corps IN each.
This corps would consist of one regu-
lar, one guard an dtwo reserve divi-
sions, which theoretically would be the
only ones much below war strength,
could be filled up with selective SER
vice men. A full quota of officers
drawn from the officers reserve corps
would be available for these divisions
at all times.
The new regular army strength pro-
vides for approximately 1900 COM
missioned officers. To provide this
about 1000 reserve and tenn
porary officers have been kept on duty
and it is the plan to reach the full of
ficer strength by commissioning about
Z 900 such officers and enlisted men in
the permanent army. Officers and
men to be SO commissioned will pc Sc
lected by a board, known as the Per-
shing board, headed by General Per
shing and including six other officers.
The bill broadens the scope of the
reserve officers training corps at the
various educational institutions over
the country, provides instructors and
thorizes summer camps to last six
weeks for advanced trailing Of the
student officers. Graduates of the
corps may be commissioned
in the organized reserve.
The reorganization measure further
provides that the head Of the militia
bureau of the War Department, which
under the reorganization has jurisdic-
ion over national guard and reserve
affairs, shall be National Guard Off
GER not below the rank of major who
will receive the pay and allowances
md have the rank while on duty of a
ma jor general in the army |
The offices of second and third as
'istant secretaries of war are abol- |
shed by the measure and their duties |
absorbed by the assistant secretary of |
var, who will be changed with the |
of all military supplies and |
plans for the mobilization of material |
md industrial establishments needed in |
ime of war.