Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-10
Our First Line of Defense.

In his address before the American
Legion at Boston last week President
Hoover, in few but significant WORDS
reminded the country that I'VE nave
assured the maintenance Of an etnciene
Navy as the first line of defense" IL
now comes as something OF 3 shock 10
friends of adequate American prepared
ness at sea to learn that this MAIN
tensnce" is to be marked by the most
drastic cuts the feet has undergone
since the World War ended.
sForty-six ships of different types are
to be decommissioned. Enlisted per-
sonnet Is to be cut by 4.soo men. Sec
retary Edams, in announcing these cur
&ailments of our FIRST line Of defense,
explains that they will bring the COM
Ynissioned and operating feet within
the limitations set by the London treaty.
some $50 900 900 is to be saved.
Congress made available appropria-
tons suffcient to provide for about
$4,000 enlisted men during the current
fiscal year, which ends next June. The
announced reduction in personnel is TO
beQin on November of this year, WHEN
recruiting will be decreased from 800
Ia 400 men q month. Sailors, no more
than soldiers. can be produced out OF
the rround-or the sea-overnight In
case Of q sudden emergency. The decl-
sion to dismiss nearly 5000 trained meS
Is cause for natural agitation among
those who know that, after all, 1t y
men. rather than armor and guns, who
make navy. Scrapping personnel on
whose education, time and money have
been lavished strikes preparedness
authorities as verging on the penny
wise -pound- foolish principle.
"A probable explanation of the Navy
nepartment's action Is that decommis-
sioning Of the battleships and sucma-
ysnes called for by the London treaty
viii release q considerable number OF
men: that the additional cruisers ana
aircraft carriers permitted by the treaty
viii not be completed 10 receive the men
10 released for several years to come.
This would be q plausible explanation.
A public statement ON the subject would
be reassuring.
This much seems certain: Additional
vessels IN the cruiser and aircraft car
rier classes win be required, II we are
actually to achieve parity with the Brit
isf Navy. That such parity Is contem-
plated by the administration is fair
inference from the Presidents remarks
ut Boston.
More alarming than the projected per-
sonnel slash is Admiral Pratt's statement
that nobody expects to have all the
ships in peace which win be wanted in
time of war. What we need is a nu-
cleus of feet, suficiently large so it
can adequately train a number Of men
TO perform an the tactical exercises re-
CURED to keep the feet in shape"
BY "a nucleus Of feet" Admiral
Pratt can hardly mean what is gen
orally understood when we speak Of
the nucleus Of an army. The justifiea-
ton Of our skeleton Army is that should
the need arise, and given time. it can
be expanded into q great civilian force
behind the bulwark Of an adequate
Navy.
II must not be forgotten that time
also Is required 10 organize our ship
yards and build even the smallest
vessels Of the feet. It takes years to
construct the largest units. 1t takes
time 10 turn green recruits into efficient
sailors. A nucleus behind nucleus Is
hardly designed. in President Hoover's
recent words, to safeguard our de-
tense"
Congress Is sure to subject the naval
economy program TO the scrutiny It
deserves.