Evening star., 1928-05-20
Army.

dashed to the ground last week tne
hopes and fears of all Army Air Corps
officers for the creation of g. separate
promotion list for the commissioned
personnel of that corps, but hardly had
this adverse action by the Senate re-
verberated throughout the various Air
Corps stations than the Reed proposal
was substituted prescribing that the
number of promotion-list colonies,
lieutenant colonels and majors shall not
exceed 6 per cent, 8 per cent and 26
per cent, respectively, of the maximum
authorized number of promotion-l list
officers of all grades. and the number
of promotion-list field officers shall not
be less than 26 per cent of the maxi
mum authorized number of promotion
list officers of all grades. Promotion
list officers, under this new proposal. In
the grades of second lieutenant, first
lieutenant captain major and lieu-
tenant colonel, will be promoted to the
respective next higher grade when
their names appear first in their grade
upon the promotion list and when they
are credited with 3, 10, IS, 20, and 26
years of service. respectively.
In order to provide the Air Corps for
the time being with the minimum
necessary number of colonies, lieutenant
colonels, majors and captains, flying
officers commissioned III the Air Corps
in the respective next lower grades will
be temporarily promoted in the order
of their relative standing upon the pro-
motion list in such numbers as will
cause the total number of officers COM
miSsioned and serving in the Air Corps
in the grade of colonel to be not to
exceed 2 per cent, not to exceed 4 per
cent in the grade Of lieutenant colonel,
not to exceed Is per cent in the grade
of major and not to exceed 80 per
cent in the grade of captain, of the total
number of officers commissioned in that
corps. No officer, under this new
scheme. will be temporarily promoted
more than one grade, and such officers
so promoted will maintain their posi-
tionS on the promotion list, they will
not vacate their permanent commits
sions, and each temporary appointment
will terminate upon acceptance OF the
corresponding permanent commission.
OF interest to every officer in the
Regular Army is the proposal to merge
into one list the limited and unlimited
lists of retired officers of the Regular
Army and Philippine Scouts, to be
known as the Regular Army officers
retired list. This list will comprise the
names of all such officers who have
been lawfully retired from active serv-
| ice, and hereafter the number of officers
who may be retired and carried on said
| list from time to time. It is also of
interest in this connection to note that
| the new proposal makes a change in
| the present law which restricts retired
| Army officers from receiving the full
compensation authorized for their civil
position. Under the new proposal, all
laws with the exception of section 100
of the Revised Statutes of the United
States that restrict the freedom of per-
| sons on the retired lists of the Regular
Army who are otherwise eligible to
accept any civil Office or employment,
or affecting their retired status or re-
tired pay on account OF holding any
| civil Office or employment and receiv-
ing the compensation thereof, are re-
pealed, and such retired Army officers
who may be employed in any civil Office
or position will be entitled to receive
the full compensation allotted to such
Office or position without regard to their
| retired pay.
The new scheme is clear on the re-
| tirement privileges Of Army personnel.
There has been a reluctance in the
| past, it appears. on the part of the de-
partment relative to Army TetirementS,
but the new proposal specifies that
when any officer of the Regular Army
or Philippine Scouts shall have served
35 years or more. including all service
counted toward eligibility for voluntary
retirement under existing laws. he will,
upon application to the President, be
retired from active service and placed
upon the retired list. 1t is further
| prescribed that any officer who serves
40 years as commissioned oficer. or
80 OlA - .aA
action Of a retiring board.
Maj. Gen. Robert H. Allen, chief of
Infantry, left Washington last week for
two weeks inspection trip of the In
fantry activities at posts located in the
South and Southeast. His itinerary
| will include visits as follows: 9Th In
fantry. Fort Moultrie. S. c.: part of
9Th Infantry at Fort Screvens, Ga. !;
22d Infantry. Fort Mcpherson, Ga:
Fort Benning. Ca, and Fort Oglethorpe,
Ga. Gen. Allen is due to return to
Washington on June /.
Navy.
Revision of the so-called Britten pro-
posal to meet the views of the Budget
Bureau will increase the number Of
! commanders in the Navy by per cent
| manders in an equal amount, and 1t
| provides that per cent of the line
officers be commanders and Is per cent
lieutenant commanders. The number
of lieutenants Is reduced to 30 per cent
| and lieutenants (junior grade) and en-
signs to ~ per cent Under this new
revision selection boards will be required
to make q selection of 10 per cent OF
the number of officers in the grade TO
which promotion is to be made. which
| may be reduced TO per cent under
certain conditions The retirement for
service in grade for captains, comman-
| ders and lieutenant commanders has
been fixed as at present, namely, IS, 2S
and 81 years. respectively.
The computation Of service under the
budget revision for Naval Academy
graduates will be- computed from June
80 of the year they completed or would
have completed their four-year course
at Annapolis, and officers appointed
from sources other than the Naval
Academy will become ineligible for Sc
lection for promotion when the men,
bers of the Navy Academy class below
them become ineligible by reason OF
service In grade. An officer failing of
selection or failing TO pass an examina-
ton for promotion viii automatically
transfer him to the retired list at the