Evening star., 1924-07-18
STRENGTH Of ARMY.
STANDS AT 100000
War Department Announces
Recruiting Restricted to
Men With Prior Service.

H contrast TO the sentiment of
many American citizens at the close
or the World War that for the safety
or the country nothing less than a
regular army of 100000 men would
be required, is the official statement
gwen out by the War Department
that its actual strength during this
year shall not be more than 10000.
The three componentS of the Army.
the regulars. the National Guard and
the Officers Reserve Corps. however.
do not fall tar short of half mil
lion men. The figures of the War
Department show that the Regular
Army at present numbers 1878
men, the National Guard 10000 and
the Officers Reserve Corps $4,000, a
total OF 3S3,1 soldiers that would
be ready instantly to answer its
country's call 10 arms should war be
declared
There is still another branch of the
military that would become i'm
mediatelN available in organizing a
drilled army over night Fifty thou
sand young men attending the cit
liens military training camps Will
be granted this year and their names
and addresses will be at the command
of the War Department in an over
night call for officers and non-coms.
The citizens military training camp
is now Il fixture in the military
system Of the country and il is safe
TO estimate that that there Will be an
annual attendance at these camps
Of not less than J0. 600. With two
year supply from the training camps.
it IS seen that an army OF H6o.oto men
Il ly1fn
on short notice
Recruiting Suspended.
All recruiting. eXc"nt the enlist
mint of men needed to replace future
10 * in the ARM as they occur. Is
now SUSPENDED. For the next few
months. it is believed. any such losses
can be made good by the re-enlist-
n-cnt of men who's" service has eX-
pired. oI by the enlistment of other
mon with pr;or SerTi =. While the
Recruiting Service will be ready to
fesums its operations on tuil scale
at arr time, should 1t become neces-
Sarv Mai Gen Robert c. Davis. the
Adiutant General of the Army. in
Charge of recruiting. has issued IN
struciions to dis continue all enlist
n,euIs OF men without prior service
The increaS, in enlistments in the
last few months IS attrlouttd 10 IN
creased etficien of the recruiting
,r.cs in the field. as we'll as the
ever growing realization on the part
Of men of eligible age that the Army
offers a profitable career.
With the exception of 1917. when
tn. state forces were recruited tor
war purposes, the National Guard
now shows the greatest strength.
which includes both commissioning
and enlisted il has ever attained.
Since June so thirty three units have
hern granted Federal recognition by
the Militia Bureau. which, when add
cd to the final June strength report.
will probably make the total strength
Of the guard at the present time
isOnU0 This latter figure 1t is stated
bv officers in the department. viii be
exceeded, recruiting is stu beinS
conducted for the camps which VIII
be held in August.
increasing Militia.
At present the Militia Bureau is
working on the 0,u00-strenSth pro-
gram, which includes the orsaniZa-
ton of Is infantry divisions, cav
airy divisions, Is resiments o, I29
nm, 1870 companies of Coast Artll-
lery Corps and other special troops.
In order to complete the is infantry
divisions 2a7 units must be added
and So units are required to com
plete the 4 cavalry divisions. To
complete all of the other troops in
the $50, D,000-strength program 15S
units must be added At present the
National Guard has 3,163 units. To
complete the quarter OF million
strength program total of 5S1 units
must he added.
The maintenance strength OF 3.l63
units which are now in existence is
15S.S3 which. compared to the June
50 strength reports. shows that the
National Guard l. 1S.13S above its
maintenance" figure.
In the subjoined list is shown Ma
tional Guard strength of June 50
for the Years indi .ated:
1890. 109,535 1895. 1l2.S79; 1900,
122, ,213: 1901, 115,749; 1902. 110.221;
1909, ll662S 19Oi. Ii5.266: 1905. ILL.,
s1S; 1906, 1o5,693: 1907. 1o5.213: 1908.
1924: 1909, 1895: 1910, 1860:
1911, II7,9SS 1877, lisp: 1913. 12O.-
SOP: 1914. 2S.043: 1918, 129,39S; 1916,
1924 (border service; 1917, 314,5S1
World War): 1918. no figures avail
able for 1918; 1919, 37,210: 1920. So
$50: 1921. 113, $40: 1922, 119.65S: 1928,
$50 59S: 1924 l175I5