The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-04-11
Future Military
Preparedness of
the United States
BY COL. L. V. PATCH

Experience is the best teacher.
The general staff of the U. S. army
has announced that never again will
the United States be found in the
condition she was in at the outbreak
OF the worlds war, and especially at
the time we entered the war on
April 6, 1917.
The National Defense Act of 1915
failed when the emergency came.
Our plans for mobilizing, equipping
and training our forces were help
lessly inadequate. The largest or
ganized force in America, at that
time, being of regiment, and it re-
CURED over a year to organize and
prepare our divisions to meet an or
ganized army. Had we been forced
to face the enemy, with the sea open
to them, at the time war was de-
clared, the enemy could have landed
large armies on our shores at any
time during several months after our
declaration and would have found
no organized force. prepared to OPP
pose them.
The lack of any anticipated ma
tional trouble is, of course, respon-
sible for the lack of preparedness
into which we drifted. America is
primarily peace loving nation and
it has not been their policy to keep
a large professional army available
for call on short notice, as exper-
fence has taught us that a large pro-
fessional army tends to provoke war
rather than to prevent it. In 1915,
after the world war had been in pro-
gress for a year, military authorities
in America were of the opinion that
it was only matter of time until we
would be engaged in the war our
selves, and every effort was made to
secure adequate legislation to pre-
pare us for this conflict which was
inevitable. At this time the secre-
tary of war, Mr. Garrison and his
staff compiled the necessary data for
an enlarged army, especially for
large citizen army, which is inexpen-
siye to maintain. Their plans also
called for the organization of our
forces into the larger tactical units,
as brigades, divisions, corps and
armies, and the supplying, equipping
and training of these forces. Their
recommendations were rejected by
the administration and as a result
their author, the secretary of war, re-
signed.
: The general staff now has a law
that, when consummated, will avoid
all the mistakes of the past and make
us safe from the aggression of any
foreign foe in the future, especially
necessary in these unsettled times.
The policy Of the war department
is to develop one harmonious and
effective army, made up of the regu-
lar army, the national guard and the
organized reserves. Each Of these
components has distinct mission of
its own to perform. The regular
army is to be on permanent duty and
from this branch our overseas pos
sessions will be garrisoned, also our
coast defenses and other permanent
stations in the United, States and will
furnish the personnel to assist in
training the national guard and the
organized reserves, and to provide
an adequate organized and effective
expeditionary force which will be
available for emergencies within the
United States or elsewhere and will
serve as model for the organize
ton, discipline and training of the
national guard and the organized
reserves.
The national guard to provide, in
times of peace, force adequate to
suppress minor disturbances; in time
of war, to provide an adequate bal
anced ana effective component of the
army of the United States. The ma
tional guard to form the second line
of defense; the organized reserves to
consist of skeleton organization
which may readily be expanded into
an adequate war component of the
army of the United States to meet
any major emergency requiring
troops in excess of the regular army
and the national guard. The Or
ganized reserves to be third line of
denfense and is distinctly far force.
The national guard is that part of
the army of the United States in
which we are most concerned, and
the act under which we are now op-
Grating contemplates the develop
ment Of the national guard to force
of about half million. Under the
policy of decentralization of control,
necessary in SO large force, an Of
ficer in charge of military affairs is
assigned to the staff of the corps area
commander in each corps area to as