Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-02-16
OPPOSITION TO
CURTAILMENT Of
STANDING ARMY
Country's Safety viii Not
Permit Further ReduC-
lions, Is Said to Be the
View of Officials.
fDy The Associated rre,s.l

washington, Feb. 15.-In line
with Secretary Denby's recent de-
claration that reductions of the
naval establishment beyond those
he has suggested must of necessity
be made primarily in the navy
yards and stations, cutting the
army below it's present authorized
10000 enlisted strength undoubt-
edly would be reflected in abanG-
onment of old army posts over the
country.
Exhaustive study of the problem
has been made in the war depart
ment. 1t was prompted both by
the desire of Secretary Weeks TO CO.
operate with congress in its econo-
my campaign and also by fumors
of impending efforts to chop The
army to a 10000 enlisted total.
The results of the study have not
been disclosed. The general theory
on which curtailments must be
made, however, are familiar to all
officers, it IS said.
Question Up This Week.
The question of the strength OF
the army is to come up this week
in congress. Army officials, it was
learned today, will be ready at that
time to make it perfectly clear TO
the committee that they do not
.telieve the present or future safety
of the country will permit further
reduction of either the commission
ed or enlisted personnel.
At the same time to illustrate
what reductions will mean II de-
creed by congress they will be able
present specific plans for the dis
tribution of the army under yari-
Gus totals below 10000, worked
out with the idea of getting the
maximum possible advantage for
the nation out of whatever army Is
left. Abandonment of non-essen-
tial army posts, curtailment of the
coast artillery roTce and consequent
closing IN in reserve of defense
works, reduction of Philippine gar
lrison, and many other ways Of con-
tracing the army without compell-
ling abandonment of it's major mis-
Isions, have been carefully looked in
to in connection with this study.
Forces on Southern Border.
The army generally takes the
view that at it's present strength 1t
does not even constitute a first line
OF defense. Practically all the mo-
bile forces in the country which II
las been possible to spare from
other duties are now concentrated
on the southern border. They make
up two depleted, peace strength
divisions one of infantry and one
of cavalry.
1t is argued that should need
arise for any important increase in
the border guard the country would
have to turn to the national guard
or wholly abandon the new mill
tary policy for peace time training
and restricted preparations for de-
centralized mobilization of 1000, 900
men in the event Of war.
That training system Just IN
augurated to provide sef-sus-
tanning reserve force is regarded at
! the war department as the army 5
primary mission and it requires the
stationing of at least skeletonized
units of the principal arms Of the
service infantry, cavalry, artillery
land engineers in each of the nine
corps areas created for the purpose
This would be the last force TO De
reduced, It is said.
There is no immediate prosper
that the force on the border can DC
reduced. Pressure from that guar
ter is rather for an increase, 1t Il
snid.