Evening star., 1925-05-09
WAR GAMES PROVE
FL|MS|NESSO Of US.
DEFENSESAT OAHU
Army and Navy Officials Con-
vinCed Defects Are Dra-
matlCalIy Shown.
BASIS FOR MONEY PLEA
TO CONGRESS PROVIDED
Maneuvers Report Expected TO
Emphasize Need for Strength
ening Island.


ening Island.
! By the Associated Press
/ War and Navy Department officials
1 are satisfied that the gigantic war
! game just concluded at Hawaii served
as = dramatic Illustration Of deficien
/ cies in the defenses Of the Island Of
4 oahu. which have been repeatedly
called ~ the attention Of Congress in
the last few Years
( In advance Of receipt Of the final re-
port on the ma neuverS these officials
/ do not believe that any striking new
/ defect VIII prove 10 have been dis
/ closed. but are confident that the
/ sham battle will enable presentation
Of the Hawaiian defense problem on a
/ basis Of established facts instead Of
i theories.
Force Inadequate.
That the combined naval and milf
! tary forces now maintained at Hawaii
! cannot insure the security Of the Pearl
/ Harbor naval base against q strong
surprise attack is expected to he
shown in the report by Admiral Coontz
/ and Mai. Gen. Hines chief umpireS-
/! The actual problem Of the maneuvers
! was 70 test the Sufhcency and person
I mel and equipment of the peaCe-time
1 garrison Of oahu Island
I Defects which it is believed the re
/ port viii point out in the Army gar
4 riSon are.
First. that $4,000 men in the Regn-
lar Army garrison and forming the
mobile defense is TOO small force
by from 5000 To 1000 men.
Second. that failure TO provide ade-
quate means for interior communica-
tions on Oahu, which includes all al
lied elements Of modern military com
/ munications. would have rendered
doubtful the success Of even larger
garrison in defending the island
against landing operations
Air staff May BE Too Small.
Third. that the present strength of
the Army Air Service detachment as
signed to the Hawaiian Islands is not
sufficient.
Fourth. that the present equipment
Of the garrison air service particu-
larry in long-range scouting planes, is
wholly inadequate 10 afford the de
Tending force necessary Information Of
an approaching enemy in time to re-
pei landing
on the naval side il is predicted that
there will be again disclosed vital
weakness in the composition of the
fleet. among them:
First, lack of modern post-treatv
high-speed, 10.000-ton light cruisers.
Second. lack Of sea keeping feet sub
marines.
Third. lack Of large, hich-speed air
plane carriers and of adequate num-
bers of modern aircraft with the fleet
itself.
In addition. il is expected that naval
weaknesses will be disclosed from the
morn e +,
who was associated with Mai Gen
Lewis in the joint defense of Oahu
! FROM that aspect ii appears probable
t. officers here that lack of mine
planting submarines as a part of the
/ regular naval contingent assigned to
the Hawaiian Islands will he empha-
, sized. 1t Is felt also that the peace
, time naval forces al the island should
include modern light cruisers and
naval aircraft, with the surface auxil-
iaries necessary for long-range air
operations.
: Harbor Changes Indicated.
incidental to the presence of the
. United States fleet in Hawaiian
waters, but not arising out Of tbe
. Joint maneuvers, there have already
arisen wide discussions Of the made
iquacy of the Pearl Harhor naval base
to serve the fleet, such service being
. the fundamental reason for establish
ing any defense whatever of the
! islands. The question has to do with
the creation of channels deep and
straight enough to permit entry By
the heaviest battleships on any tide
dredging within the harbor of an area
sufficient TO permit the mooring of the
, entire fleet and erection of additional
. dry-doCk facilities.
: In connection with the naval base
II iS ha l,or ~,
development of Pearl Harbor on an
, | adequate scale was rated as Of pri-
mary Importance by special naval
board which made an exhaustive
: study of this subject in 1928. The
board placed Pearl Harbor ahead of
the West coast base projects or of
: Panama Canal Zone developments.
! and its determination as to relative
: importance has been accepted by the
: | Navy Department. Congress already
has authorized the Pearl Harbor
! project, although no appropriations
: for the work have been made.
! Expenses to BE Large.
/ An understanding of the problem
2 involved in the Hawaiian joint ma
: neuvers must rest upon the knowl-
I edge that the defense of Pearl Harbor
$ is a mobile army project from mill
+ tary point of view. To provide ade-
E fixed heayy-gun batteries. or even of
!. 16 or 40 inch railway artillery, would
: involve expenditures running far into
D the hundreds of millions of dollars,
and would be wholly impracticable.
Railway guns of such size would re
quire alteration of the present mar
!row-gauge railroad on Oahu into
standard broad-gauge line on a scale
that exists only with a few of the
E major railway systems of the United
States.
To meet this difficulty oahu has
been equipped by the Army with bat
. teries of 240-centimeter howitZerS,
: which can he transported on the mar
4 row gauge road to previously prepar-
: ed concrete emplacements at strategic
!, points around the coast line. These
$ guns would be effective even against
s battleships al a range of 10 miles, and
e would preclude any attempt to land
Y troops from unarmored transports.
Q AS a supporting force for the mo-
bile troops, the island garrison has
: motorized 155-centimeter guns and
, howitzers as well lighter field artil-
! lery. The rapid concentration Of
these weapons and Of infantry troops
at any point which might be attacked,