Evening star., 1921-10-31
LESSONS:=0F WORLD WAR
HELD DEARLY BOUGHT
War Department Cites Two, and Giues Out
line Of Projected New National
Defense Structure

, battlenelds Of France. It is that ef-
ncient stan work IL vital to modern
military operations. ana with It goes
tho corollary that star functions can
not be learned overnight.
The other comes from the war time
din and confusion Of tho centralized
training camps ut home. It 10 that
emcient mobilization Of the nations
only az a decentralised process
through agencies Get up in time OF
peace.
Essential to New Policy.
Realization that these lessons must
be worked into the new military pol
Icy II perilous delay and costly con-
fusion which preceded past mohiltza-
ttons were to be avoided has marked
the effort ,of the War Department.
Tho bulletin shows that it has at
tempted to write regulations under
the revised national defense act that
would furnish q clean-cut scheme for
war mobilization without violating
national traditions against militarism
or creating machinery that would i'm
pose heavy burdens In peace time
upon the taxpayers.
the most far-reaching military effort
the nation has ever attempted in
peace times
The foundation work has been done.
AL over the country deeentralised
machinery Is being set up capable. its
tion on a war footing with little de-
lay and confusion. Yet II 10 felt that
the nation at large and even the most
important links in the new defense
chain-the Regular Army, the Ma
ttonal Guard and the Officers Reserve
corps-do not appreciate fully what
ts being done.
CoI Palmer Devisea Program.
Col. John MeA: Palmer. the of,csr
aastgned to aid Congress in framing
and who has devoted himself to a
study Of the subject, was called
upon to furnish the document. and
his work 10 to go to all parts Of the
new army as means Of preventing
Col Palmer points out that at the
conclusion of previous wars the
learned in battle and dsmobiliaed
without any attempt to carry those
nas o1 lessons ,S., on to younger gensrn
time Of war: Veterans of the civil
w1r. schooled in soldier craft. skilled
T. stan work and the handling of
mighty forces. with minimum con-
tuotOh Ill movement dHQ
Losses in battle. went back to civil
life. he says. and lost all touch with
military matters. When the war
with Spain came their knowledge
was lost to the men Of 1895. 1t was
necessary to build again from the
ground up. and 1917 saw this waste
repeated. the bulletin asserts.
Purpose Of New Scheme.
The purpose Of the new scheme of
Welding the regulars, the National
Guaxd and the organized reserves
into the Army Of tho United states in
peace times u defined by Col. Palmer
ut is primarily the object Of our
new law to perpetuate the frame-
work Of the organization developed
In the world war so that its tremen-
dou0 cost can be funded as q perma-
nent investment for all time"
Had such a system al Is now well
advanced toward establishment been
erected after the civil war. the officer
adds, "in 1898 more divisions than
we're needed for the war with Spain
within twenty -four hours after the
Adjudication in 1917" Col. Palmer
would have proceeded as
. decentralized process and not as a
great centralized process upsetting
the economic life Of the nation. It
would not have been necessary to
spend millions for great concentrated
training camps or to overhurden the
railroads with unciassified personnel
and material In order to organise and
train and equip and provide officers
ali ct the same time. Such . na-