The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1920-07-23
REORGANIZATION OF
AMERICAS ARMY

Washington, July 90. Americas's
military establishment is being prac-
tically revolunized 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 permanent
peace-basis.
While the regular army will con-
tain only 295,000 officers and men
scattered over the country and the
insular possessions, it will be so ar
ranged in conjunction with the Ma
tional Guard and the Reserve that
rapid expansion of the nations
fighting forces in time of emergen-
cy will be possible.
The National Guard will have
about 100000 officers and men, but
yet been worked out and will depend
largely on the enlistments of eligi-
bles. The regular army reserve as
it formerly existed, composed of for
mer enlisted men furloughed to the
reserve to complete their en-
listment period ceased to exist as
such on July l. In its place there is
established the enlisted reserve corps.
The members of the former, except
veterans of the world war may 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
student officers trianing school.
10 accomplish the reorganization of
Mot nj n,lA .,~.4
ization of the reserve, the army bill
provides for a general committee to
be composed of regular army general
staff officers and an equal number of
reserve national guard officers. In
addltlon, 52 other committees, repres-
enting each state and territory will
arrange the National Guard organi-
Zatlon in each state and territory.
Some of thes 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, tentative
plan to be placed before the COM
mittees would divide the country into
nine districts with an army corps
in each. This corps would consist of
one regular, one guard and two re-
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an emergency the two reserve divis-
ions, 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
provides for approximately 17,000-
commissioned officers. To provide
this number abut 1000 reserve and
temporary officers have been kept on
duty and it is the plan to reach the
full officer strength by commission
ing about 1000 such officers and en-
listed men in the permanent army
Officers and men to be so commission
as the Perishing board, headed by
General Perising and including six
other officers.
The bill broadens the scope of the
reserve officers training corps at the
various 'scational institutions over
the cou 3, provides instructors and
material for the schools and also
authorizes summer camps to last six
weeks for advanced training of the
student officers. Graduates of the
training 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
jurisdiction over national guard and
reserve affairs, shall be National
Guard officer not below the rank of
major who will receive the pay and
allowances and have the rank while
on duty of a major general in the
army.
The offices of second and third as
sistant secretaries of war are abor-
ished by the measure and their duties
absorbed by the assistant secretary
of war, who will be charged with the
procurement of all military supplies
and plans for the mobilization of ma
terial and industrial establishments
needed in time of war.