Evening star., 1924-06-15
THE CIVILIAN ARMY
by LIEUT.. STEPHEN +. TILLMAN.
Organized Reserves National Guard.

13 to q, in Langley Field. Va. The air
service of the Reserve Corps for the
Sd Corps Area will train at Langley
Field from August 3 to II.
During the sessions recently held
by the adJutants general of the sew
eral states, held in the militia bu-
reau here, 1T was urged that some
practical means must be found Tor
enrolling, in time of peace. the Of
iicers that would be required to eN-
pand the commissioned personnel oil
the National Guard from maInte-
nance to war strength in time oil
emergency.
1t was explained there is necessity
likewise for enrolling the enlisted
personnel that would also be re
CURED for the same expansion. IL
Is argued by some, in opposition 10
the proposed formation of an enlist- :
ed reserve for this purpose, that tne
maintenance of an enlisted strength
within state which would nave
National Guard status by performing
only fifteen days field duty during the
year would initiate against the main
tenance at proper standard or the
enlisted force for active Natlonal
Guard organizations that are required
to perform regular duty.
1t has been stated by representa-.
tiveS of the militia bureau that II
all organizations now authorized
and allocated to states should pc
formed this would provide only
about 10000 of the total strength
of 250.O00 required to be formed by
1925 under the existing National
Guard program. 1t is not deemed
practicable to bring about a material
increase of enlisted personnel by
raising the minimum strength pre-
Scribed for companies and similar
units, for the reason that many Ell
Fa,. fis.fo o.
Gated in small communities. IT is
admittedly true that it is easier TO
organize troops of the infantry arm
than any other, and that members or
Congress have expressed the opinion
that an increase in. the infantry
troops of the National Guard would
be desirable as providing the most
practical means for giving military
training to a larger number or young
men.
The discussion resulted in the
adoption of the following resolution: !:
THAT the organization section or
the militia bureau is requested 10
make q study of the proposal that IN
addition to the divisional troops now
authorized to be formed and when
all special corps and divisional troops
previously allocated to state snail
have been organized and federally
recognized, then that there shall be
allocated to each such state certain
prOpOrtlondI6 nuInDeT Ot uLlihs VI . VI :
plus foot troops; the term surplus
in this case being used in the same
sense as it now is applied to the ten
infantry regiments authorized to be
formed and maintained in excess OF
the infantry divisional regiments,
the intention being that these units
should be so officered as to provide
the additional company officers VINO
would be required to expand com
panies and similar units for main
tenance to war strength. with the
same Limitation as to the enlisted
unit strength as now obtains for
similar units of divisional troops,
and that these surplus companies may
be formed into battalions or regi-
ments under field officers of the rank
and number also required to eX-
pand the war strength; or, better
still, that the companies be desig-
mated as supplementary to existing
companies of divisional troops and
assigned to the latter for training
whenever ordered into the field