Evening star., 1922-07-24
|PERSH|NG OUTLINES;
NATIONAL DEFENSE
Plans Call for Securing Of
Critical Landings, Freeing
Navy for Other Use.
GUARD IS VITAL FACTOR
Divisions to Be Assigned Positions
on Coast Line to Which They
Would Be Rushed If Needed.

] Steps to establish "a national posi-
ton In readiness for the Army as a
development of the national military
policy are forecast in a memorandum
| recently submitted by Gen. Pershing
yesterday at the War Department
! Details of such plans as may have
been already prepared by Gen. Per-
shing are not disclosed. The general
nature OF the project however. con-
| templates assignment of National
I Guard divisions to specific defensive
posl,ions on coasts and borders to
which they would be rushed in the
event of war.
Under this plan" Gen. Pershing
said. the military organizations re-
Quired to secure critical landing
places upon our coasts and favorable
lines OF advance upon our land from
tiers can be definitely formed and
prepared. With such initial organi-
tary units required for the full prose-
| cution of a serious war can be mobil-
| lied at once and brought to full
| strength without disturbance or in
\ terruption.
Would Free navy.
with our territory thus protected
| against landings in force at the start
and with the machinery for further
military expansion fully organized,
our fleet will be free to deal with
the hostile naval forces without con.
cern as to possible invasion"
The plans are practicable. Gen.
Pershing said. "if We can count upon
a reasonable development of the eco,
nomical military system sanctioned
by the national defense act"
with eighteen divisions and ap-
propriate auxiliaries of the National
Guard. supplemented by the Regular
Army prepared for necessary expan-
formed in the organized reserves.
he continued. 1--WE shall be able to
cover our coasts and land frontiers
| against serious invasion at the start.
Such military organization
tion, but assures the impregnability
of the continental United States in
the event of attack by any possible
combination"
Would Be Ready.
| Gen. Pershing pointed out that
where National Guard division
might be assigned "a given beach sec
| tor for defense, it would be ordered
| when mobiliZed at peace strength to
this region. taking up training area
near enough to the actual beach posi-
| ton so as to be Immediately avail
able. The divisions first task would
| be to prepare it's beach sector for de-
\ Tense For that purpose 1t is plan
| ned to provide the divisions as a part
! of it's regular training, with all data
and instruction necessary to enable
| 1t to carry out that mission on its ar
! rival in the sector.
That done. the division would with
| draw to its nearby training center
and begin bringing its units up to war
strength and getting together its full
| war equipment and undertaking its
intensified war training. Meanwhile.
the memorandum said. defense of the
actual beach position could be left
until word from naval or air scouts
called the troops into the prepared de-
| fenses to meet an actual enemy at
(, tack.
The character of our military re-
, sources. as well as our attitude to-
an initial strategic defensive" Gen.
| Pershing said. But this does not
| involve renouncing a subsequent Of
| fensiya 80 =
Had the United States in the
spring of 1917 possessed twenty-five
ized and equipped. but only trained
sufficiently to meet the requirements
of the national position in readiness
| above outlined. each of these divisions
would have been advanced many
months as compared with the entirely
| new divisions it was necessary to
create. Under such circumstances
the period for beginning Of the Amer
ican offensive operations Gin France)
on a large scale would have been
greatly advanced"
| The memorandum points out that
the defensive machinery planned is
dependent upon the large number of
war-trained officers available" and
also upon the more adequate sources
of military equipment and material"
as we'll as upon the specific sanction
| given in the national defense act.
Gen. Pershing laid stress. however.
on the assertion that the system of
training young men" ultimately to
replace the present war-trained off,
GERS. perpetuating the supply of nee
essary officer personnel, was vital
| factor in the whole project.