The Alaska daily empire., 1922-12-07
GREATER ARMY
DEMANDED FOR
UNITED STATES
Secretary of War Weeks
Claims Present Strength
Inadequate for Defense.
TO KEEP PEACE MUST BE
PREPARED FOR CONFLICTS
Amy Is Below Safety Limit
Weeks Tells Amer
leans to Wake Up.

WASHINGTON, Dec. THE pres
emit authorized regular army strength
OF 10000 Officers and $4,000 men
is "inadequate' for national safety,
and further cuts would he "inexcus-
able" Secretary Weeks declares in
his annual report to Congress.
eve should seize the first oppor-
tunity TO bring the regular army back
70 the proportions which are re-
quired," he wrote. I'VE cannot ever
again make the mistake OF expecting
good soldiers to rise overnight and
good Officers to be turned out in
quantities in three months periods.
I'VE are making progress, and any
progress is good progress. This prog
ress is. however, scant, and not really
enough. Amy further cuts would
force us to lose what We have gained
and would accordingly be inexcus-
able.
SIT has taken time and money to
build what we have. 1t has taken
blood and money ito prove that we
have not, even now, what we need.
We should when practicable add to
what we have and attain to the
progress called for in our defense
,project under the terms of the law"
Declaring the officer corps ''is
really the Backbone OF our military
system" Mr.. Weeks said that secur'
ity for the future must rest upon
the Foundation CIT our leadership"
81 do not belittle the enlisted man
ours lis the best in the world, he
continued at is because ] appre-
ciate lin that | emphasize the need
for OFFICERS to give the soldier his
best opportunity to fight for his
country and for his life.
Must Have Officers
1--WE must have officers sufficient
to handle the great army OF the
United Sites. We have not these
Officers now.
sour reserve officers are the first
to complain that their present lack
Of training is causing them to lose
the knowledge that they gained in
the war. Where is there any train
ing ito come from? Only through
the regular officers.
In my last annual report | stated
that with $4,000 officers authorized
we would not have enough to do al
that might profSably be done. Now
j must state that we have absolute
ly not enough to do what is neces
sary to our safety as an organized
state.
81 appreciate the urgency of oul
financial situation that prevents us
from reaching our maximum require
menos cannot believe, however
that the importance of this need is
f.;.iy recognized by all who do recog
nize the urgency of the financia
problems.
IL earnestly advocate a reconstitut
ing of our officer body to minimum
pf 10000 at the earliest date"
Mr.. Weeks said he was confronted
like most Of his predecessors, with
the necessity of appearing before a
peace loving people to urge bluntly
and earnestly the continued atten
tion to their needs for defensive pre-
paredness.
Continue to Prepare
"My conclusions are not entirely
welcome at this time. when people
have been hoping that nations had
learned ITO avoid conflicts OF force
he continued. "My conclusions are,
nevertheless, that we should con
tinue to prepare for such conflicts.
''If 1T is unwelcome. it Is no less
true that Americans, like all other
peoples, are subject to the law
CONTINUED on Fage Eighty