Evening star., 1923-07-22
Army.

Staff officers Of the Army predict
| that in the event Of another war OFF,
GERS commissions will be Issued only
| to civilians who have been trained
| in military science. The clamor and
| scramble for commissions from So
called civil life," which has followed
| immediatiy upon the declaration OF
wars in the past, will be Of no avail
By the time that the United States
| Is drawn into another war the war
Department hopes to have about lOO,-
600 trained officers in the reserve ana
national guard, or on its lists as effi-
ciently schooled in military tactics.
This potential officer personnel Will
be well instructed technically and
practically through collegiate courses
and summer camps, and Will consti-
tute national democratic military
body. 1t is these highly trained
young men who, in future wars. Will
officer great citizen army. itself
trained in military science and Well
developed physically. The doors of
the War Department will be closed to
politicians. capitalists and the un-
trained sons of prominent men seek
iEg commissions.
Gen. Pershing is concentrating his
zens army as his personal contribu-
, tion to the country's welfare. 1t must
be enduring and permanent, ne 1eels'
and he is doing his utmost to de-
velop system endowing the country
with a lasting national defense.
Unlike many of the world war com
| manders- in chief. Gen. Pershing is
continuing on active duty Of very
strenuous mature. He was unwilling
to rest upon the laurelS won In the
l.. to trHri if1l n a
lie the knowledge gained for future
use. Recently he was quoted as say
ing that he wanted the fellows who
will do it now"-study and train to
be army officers without awaiting
the coming of the war itself.
The general has kept in mind the
need for i general staff. and has re-
organized the War Department SO
that there will be no disagreement
In the event of war Plans are avail
i ization is one of the essential ele-
ments of the general war plans. the
| organization being the duty OF the
corps commanders in their several
areas General Pershing wants not
only 100000 trained officers ready
but eventually 10000. Today there
are veterans in the National Guard
and Reserve Corps. but military
authorities realize that in ten to
fifteen years there Will be rev II
| any fit for service.
! one class Of officer is being develop
[ ed in the colleges. where students
study military science throughout the
year. and another at the citizens
training camps. where five weeks OF
! Intensive training Is had annually.
High ranking regular officers are
being trained to exercise command in
| the field. according to their rank.
! thei rassignments being so revolvtd
as to accomplish their qualification in
-. Gn1A dt1ty-
/ A remark of the generals made
many times recently is indicative of
| how he feels about perfectiag the
defense system: Il must get this
done before | go out" He goes out
! in September. 1924 automatically. at
the age Of sixty-four. The basic
plan is in operation this summer
with camps in every corps area per-
manently organized.
Today Gen. Pershins leaves on a
four-week tour starting with Camp
Knox in Kentucky including more
than a. dozen camps. ending with
Camp Custer, Michigan. and bringing
him back to Washington about Au-
gust 27th 1t is also his hope to lGeet
many groups of National Guard and
reserve officers enroute speaking to
them Jointly as he did recently on his
trip to Camp Meade and Gretna- Pa.
A strenuous trip. as his aides and
members of the press who journeyed
at his desk the following morning
after only a few hours rest. II the
more extensive trip is conducted on
IL similar schedule. both staff officers
ard members of the fourth estate
will have to step lievly to keep apace
with this active officer. who at almost
sixty-three years of age, Is striving
to establish a national army before
/ he retireS in a little over a year.
On his last trip he was forced to
| 81 a
/ in camp at Binghampton, y. Y. due
to the pressure of inspection duties
| and in California he will not he able
to meet the President without omit
; ting one of the camps on his list.
which he feels he cannot do. Instead
of paving his respects TO President
! Harding in Los Angeles. August 1,
the general plans to arrive day
ahead of his schedule and proceed to
| San Diego sooner, arriving at Non
| terey on August l, instead of the Sd.
Aircraft development during and
since the war has thrown a new bur-
den of defense upon the Coast Ar
! tillery Corps of the Army. The old
and even the modern fortifications
!; along our shores and on the navi-
| gable rivers. which formerly consti-
tutcd the sole routes of entry for an
| enemy feet will no longer ade-
uuately protect the country from an
| enemy fleet of the air following no
, set route, their experts point out. II
| is not far-fetched vision to imagine
within few years a new system of
national defense extending through
ont the country, protecting manufac-
| turing plants here, warehouses and
| terminals there, important railroad
| lines in all sections and every camp,
air field and station. as well as the
| regular military posts. This new de-
fense is young. but being developed
RAPIDLY by officers of the Coast Artil-
| lery Corps. 1t is the anti-aircraft
defense.
| Great encouragement followed the
recent test of anti-aircraft guns at
Fort Monroe fired at a toWed aerial
! target at various heights and dis
| tances. The sleeve target, towed
| through the air at high rate OF
speed by naval aviator in sea-
plane. was hit many times and liter
| ally shot to pieces, according to Capt.
| Aaron Bradshaw. who was in charge
of the three-inch anti-aircraft bat
i terry. This test proved concluslVely,
he states, the value of this phase OF
anti aircraft defense. The future looks
bright, according to his observations
| for this new arm of the service. Plans
of the corps provide for a develop
! ment of anti-aircraft guns to keep
pace with the development in mill
| tary and naval aircraft. Future de-
yelopment in anti-aircraft material Is
evidenced in the recent production OF
| the .o0-caliber machine gun, the in
vention of a Browning 37-mm. rapid
! fire gun, the production of various
! types of self-contained height find
ers, for getting altitude of aircraft;
centralized data computing machines
and a practical mechanical fuse for
/ shells The ordnance department
hopes to develop satisfactory tracer
ammunition for both the .5O-caliber
! and the 37-mm. ammunition, but
present tracer ammunition burns out
at about 900 Yards, it is said. max