Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-08-28
ARMY STRENGTH
CUT To COMPLY
WITH NEW LAW
Another Reorganization
Plan Is Announced by the
War Department; ReduC-
ton Has Been Completed
tBy The Associated press.)

Washington, Aug. 27,-Another
reorganization plan for the regu-
lar army, the third to be drafted
in the last year and a half as a
result of cuts in strength ordered
by congress, has been completed
and the war department today in
a statement showed just what had
been done with the regular
forces to carry out successive
laws.
This completes" the state
ment said, "a reduction which
has been virtually continuous for
eighteen months, totalling APP
proximately 100000 men or As
per cent of the actual strength"
The departments statement
said the plans were now being
carried into effect but that re-
distribution of the troops in per-
manent posts, which the project
contemplates, was being delayed
"in order not to interfere with
the training of the civilian COM
ponents of the army during the
summer camps"
Difficulties Encountered.
Explaining the difficulties en-
countered in planning reorgani-
cation to conform to the enlisted
strength of $4,000 as fixed in the
last appropriation acts, the state
ment pointed out that no change
had been made in the missions
assigned to the regulars in the
national defense act of 1920 I'M
der which am authorized strength
of $500 was declared necessary
in the judgment Of congress to
carry out the. military policy then
laid down.
1.-THE total present strength
the statement said, SIS 1876, 1000
less than authorized by the act
which resulted from the lessons
of the world war and assigned
the missions to the regular army,
and 100000 less than the author
lied pre-war strength, before the
three part army was created"
The first problem taken Up In
the reorganization was apportion-
ment of the authorized strength
among the branches of the serv-
fee in order to keep the military
machine as well balanced as pos
sible in view of the specialized
units which must be retained as
a war precaution. Allotments
were made with the reductions in
each arm from the national de-
Tense act strength also shown as
| follows: Infantry, from 10000
to ,423 men; cavalry, from 20,-
600 to 9,S71; field artillery, 81
900 to 17,173; coast artillery,
from 10000 to 12,026; engineers,
from 1900 to 5000; air service,
from 10000 to $500, and signal
corps, from 5000 to 2,1S4. In
non-combatant branches, the
quartermaster corps was reduced
from 10000 to 5000; Ordinance,
from $500 to e2,3O7; finance, 900
to $780, chemical warfare, from
1000 to 445; medical, from $4,000
to $3.50. ''-s
Under the reduction plan there
remain available for use in con-
tinental United States 96,723 en-
listed men .for the performance
of the many duties assigned un-
der the national defense act"
This number includes about ] 900
men still in Germany.
Among troops in the United
States the greatest cuts were
made in the coast defenses and
mobile forces, the latter term ap-
| plying TO those units available for
emergency purposes, for p:otec-
ton of our southern border, as a
model and demonstrating force
for citizen soldiers and as a ba
Sis for expansion in the event" Of
hostile threat against the United
States. The war department state
ment added that it was found i'm
possible to reduce the Overhead"
administrative force for the three.
part army to any appreciable ex-
tent or in proportion to the re-
uoc'loh maze IN line troops.
Mobile Force.
as 10 the mobile force, it was
pointed out that the national de-
tense act provided a strength of
loI 700 men for this purpose with
nine division structure on which
need. ''"o VI
"lnasmuch," tho statement add
eu, as 1t Is now only possible TO
aIiot 46'VUO men to the mobile
ioIce' or ~ per cent of the force
contemplated, a substitute had I'd
o po , dounu Tor the divisional Or
sahlZatlon-the reinforced bri-
s eso' the training centers
Under the present plan" the
statement said, the Second diuis
SION at Camp Travis, Texas viii
be Kept intact. The organic tion
or the First division (assigned r.
tne Atlantic COAST and the Tbird
dlVlsion Designed to the panifio
ccasO will be maintained With
I u1 units distributed within the
! FIRST, Second. Thtd 81 W