Evening star., 1923-12-23


cheney of the National Guard. From
all sources" continues Gen. Richards,
comes acknowledgement of the help
fulness of army officers assigned as
instructors to National Guard units.
Over and above all these influences
as that Of the officers and men of
the National Guard. whose curtail-
ment of social pleasures and sacrifice
of business demands has made pos
sible this plan for citizen soldiery,
which constitutes a national safe
guard at an insignificant cost to the
nation. That the efforts of these men
are appreciated by the citizenship Of
our country has been manifest in
many ways. Wherever l have gone
have found the most earnest CO.
operation between the citizens of
communities and their respective Ma
tional Guard organizations, and evi-
dent Willingness and desire TO pro-
mote their stability and efficiency"
Gen. Richards will recommend GER
tain changes and amendments to the
national defense act, insofar as they
apply to the National Guard. which
are deemed necessary and desirable
In regard to the procurement of Of
ticerS, he says:
THE question of the procurement
of commissioned personnel to fill
vacancies that come into being when
the National Guard is changed from
a peace-time to a wartime status is
one of the utmost Importance. To
date it has been possible to accom-
plish but little along this line. This
is due. In large measure. to the fact
that the National Guard is still a
growing organization, and that all
available attention is being devoted
to the organization of new units and
TO the procurement of the peace-tfm e
personnel for them. Neither time nor
~ for
a concerted effort toward the pro-
curement of replacement personnel.
1t is obvious, however. that when the
National Guard is called into federal
service the units will need the full
complement of officers. These may
be obtained from some definitely an
nounced source in order to protect
the best interests of the army of the
United States If the state authori-
ties have not provided for these Off
GERS. then the federal government
must supply them from any source at
hand at the time.
The present sources of the supply
are: Officers OF the National Guard
Reserve: the Officers Reserve Corps.
prospective commissioned officers
whose names are borne on the eli
gible list in accordance with the pro-
visions of paragraphs 2l3 ana 2lo,
National Guard Regulations; recent
graduates Of reserve officers training
camps and citizens military training
camps units; graduate OF officers train
ing camps established after the COM
nencement of active operations.
There were 2S4 Regular Army officers
actually on National Guard duty and
approximately sixty-six under orders.
out of a War Department. allotment of
69e officers June 30, 1920. In January,
1928. due to a reduction in the number
Of officers in the Regular Army. the
1922 allotment of officers for National
Guard duty was reduced from 699 to
4S5. The militia bureau has held out
at all times for an adequate number
Of instructors and considers as the
minimum number necessary an average
OF one officer to each battalion or SINH
lar unit. Where an organization larger
than a battalion is located in one
town. this number may be too large,
but this condition is not general
throughout the United States.
On June 80. 1922. there were 443 ser,
geant-instructors on National Guard
duty. The minimum number of ser
geant-instructors thought necessary
for the proper instruction of the Ma
tional Guard is four to each infantry
regiment, three to other three-battalion
and one for each separate battalion or
similar unit.
On the basis Of one officer instructor
to a battalion or similar unit. and five
nom commissioned officers as instructors
to the number of organizations COM
prised within an infantry regiment, the
final allotment for the National Guard
would approximate 900 officers and
1900 non-commissioned officers. The
allowance on June 80. 1923, was about
As per cent of the total of these num-
bers, while the present percentage Of
completion of the number Of organiza-
tions of the National Guard is approx
mately rs per cent This condition Of
shortage of trained personnel is sub