The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-09-02
REGULAR ARMY is CUT DOWN
Must Fulfill Same Missions
With Fewer Men Now.
But Desk Soldiers at HI. @.
Can't Be Made Fewer.

regular forces to carry out successive
laws.
said, "a reduction which has been viz
tual1y continuous for eighteen months,
totaling approximately 1905 men or
As per cent of the actual strength. -
The departments statement said
the plans were now being carried into
effeet but that redistribution of the
troops in permanent posts, which the
project contemp1ates, was being de-
1ayed 'in order not to interfere with
the training of the civilian components
of the army during the summer
camps"
No Change in Missions.
Explaining the difficulties encoun-
tered in planning a reorganization to
conform to the enlisted strength of
ton acts, the statement pointed out
that no change had been made in the
missions assigned to the regulars in
the national defense act of 1890 under
which an authorized strength of 1885,
900 was declared necessary in the
Judgment of congress to carry out the
military policy then laid down.
The total present strength" the
statement said, ''is 155, 900 less than
authorized by the act which resulted
from the lessons of the World War
and assigned the missions to the reg
uldT ARMY anu 1OGsUOO 1893 tA1oii AAAS
authorized pre-war strength, before
the thfSee-part army was created"
All Arms Are Reduced.
The first problem taken up in the
reorganization was apportionment of
the authorized strength among the
branches of the service in order to
keep the military machine as well bal
anced as possible in view of the spe-
cialized units which must be retained
nc n TlrpPantinn A1tntrn pnfS were
made with the reductions in each
army from the national defense act
strength also shown as follows: In
fantry from 10000 to 46,423 men;
cavalry, from 10000 to 1871; field
artillery, $1,000 to .17,173; coast ar
tiliery, from 5000 to 1905; engi-
neers, from 1900 to 5000; air serv
ice, from 10000 to $500 and signal
corps, from 5000 to 2,184. In nom
combatant branches. the quartermas-
ter corps was reduced from 10000 to
5000; ordnance, from $500 to 2,307;
from 1900 to- 445; medical from IA
900 to $3.50.
Under the reduction plan there re-
main available for use in continental
United States 96.723 enlisted men 'for
the performance of the many duties
assigned under the national defense
act' This number includes aboHt
Can't Reduce Desk Jobs.
Among troops in the United States
the greatest cuts were made in the
coast defenses and mobile forces, the
later term applying to those units
available for emergency purposes, for
protection of our southern border, as
model and demonstrating force for
citizen soldiers and as a basis for eX-
pansion in the event" of hostile threat
I
department statement added that it
was found impossible to reduce the
overhead" administrative force for
the three-part army to any apprect-
able extent or in proportion to the re-
Guction made in line troops.
AS to the mobile force, it was
pointed out that the national defense
act provided a strength Of 100000
men for thisspurpose with nine divi-
sion structure on which to build a
war army in case of need.
"Inasmuch." the statement added,
"as it is now only possible to allot
$4,000 men to the mobile force, or 80
substitute had to be found for the di-
vSional organization-tbe reinforced
brigade-and the training centers
abandoned"
Under the present plan" the state
ment said the Second Division at
Camp Travis, Texas, will be kept in
tact. The organization of the First
Division assigned to the Atlantic
Coast) and the Third Division CAS-
signed to the Pacific Coast) will be
maintained with their units distrib-
uted within the First, Second, Third
and Ninth Corps Areas. Only a few
units of the First Division will be gar
risoned in the First and Third Corps
Areas, the division being practically
entirely in the Second Corps Areas.
I'm the First, Third, Fourth, Fifth,
Sixth, and Seventh. reinforced brigades
will be Organized and substituted for
the divisional organization. These
brigades will consist of an infantry
brigade headquarters, two infantry
regiments, a battalion of field artillery,
and an air service observation squad
ron and photo, section. Altho the
units will be widely distributed in each
corps area it is hoped thru this me-
dunn to have force available in the
event of emergency. the basis for
and a practical demonstrating organ
ization for the instruction of the citi-
zen army"
Mobile Force Areas. Assigned.
The mobile force has been assigned
to each corps area as follows:
LIST Corps Area: 18th Infanty Brigade
(reinforced).
End Corps Area: 1st Division dds
tributed) with q few>units stationed
in the 1st and 3rd corps areas.
3rd Corps Area: 18th Infantry Brigade
(reinforced).
4th Corps Area: sth Infantry Brigade
(reinforced).
5th Corps Area: 10th Infantry Bri-
gade (reinforced).
9Th Corps Area: 18th Infantry Brigade
(reinforced).
9TH Corps Area: 14th Infantry Brigade
(reinforced).
sth Corps, Area: End Division (con-
centrated).
9Th Corps Area: 3rd Division dds
+. tributed9.
'The strength of the coast defense
has been reduced by more than so
per cent" the department said.