Evening star., 1937-12-25
a Billion a ear tor DEFENSE
Congress Decides Money Well Spent Keep U s. Interest
and Coast Line Protected

A ,porld- d-Uide race for napal
poper, a ,pdr in China and another
In Spain cloud international hori-
cons. America, with ,Odry eye
on dying arms limitation treaties
and on Disturbances abroad, hes
been spending record sums on it,
military establishments.
Hop is this prooram getting
along? What are United States
defense plans? What do they cost?
TO find out, the Associated Press
discussed these ouest:ons NTH
high-rankino authorities.
BY ALEXANDER r. GEORGE
Associated Press Feature Writer.
~ UR defense is costing big
I money these days-almost 4
Y billion dollars year. That
is more than 1t has ever cost
before in peace time.
Congress has decided to spend this
huge sum annually because naval limi-
tation treaties and other buffers
against war have failed.
James Fighting Ships" authorita-
tive year book on world navies, dis
closes in its 1897 edition. just out, 4
worldwide race for sea power limited
only by the supply 81 men and ma
teria!s. Britain plans almost to double
her capital tonnage, Russia and Japan
are sprinting for submarine suprem-
acy: Germany, Italy and France have
joined the contest
And America, holding that our COM
merce and property abroad and, more
important, our coastline, must be pro-
tected. is keeping pace with the field.
Besides ships now building or planned.
our fleet. staff officers announce, is in
the highest state Of efficiency in its
history.\
The Lineup Today.
A quick survey of the 'round-the-
world situation today reveals:
The British feet excels in striking
power. with huge complement OF
| speedy cruisers and destroyers.
The Japanese and Italians excel in
submarines and the French In heavy
shooting battleships and cruisers.
Germany excels in scientific efflcien-
cy Of naval design, and Russia Is sup
posed to have developed a fine feet
of submarines and torpedo boats.
America leads the fleets in heavy
battleships and In its naval air force.
Industrial Mobilization.
With ships now being built, the
United States will have a feet that
can throw steel lines Of defense across
the oceans 1000 miles beyond
| our coasts. The Army is motorlzing
its divisions and setting up a huge
coast defense trap for any enemy that
might penetrate the naval Gordon
Backing up these defenses are the
limitless raw materials of the United
States and the industrial plants that
can translate these resources into war
equipment. The Army has complete
plans to mobilize our industrial
strength in the event of war.
The Navy, of course. is our first line
of defense. Save for an entirely un-
likely invasion from Mexico or Cam
ada, an enemy would have to strike
us from the sea.
Strategists. long have studied our
isolated geography and the possible
combinations Of enemy attacks and
have designed the strength Of our fleet
accordingly. Much Of this design is
secret, but, roughly. it conforms to
the specifications laid down by Naval
Secretary Claude Swanson:
Our Navy may be 50 mobile
and self-sufdcient that it can be pro-
tectkd 1000 miles or more from
our coast and be maintained on this
far-distant station.
This in effect, will create a new
elastic frontier of steel. Behind this