The Washington times., 1939-01-07
NEED FOR BIC
ARMY is TOLD
BY WOODR|NG
Outer Defenses SoreIy.
Undermanned, He Says.
By ROBERT G. NIXON

uN.S) Secretary Of War Harry
drine today warned that
Americas outer defenses-the
Panama Canal and Hawaii-are
dangerously undermined.
Broadly limiting at the probable
contents of the special defense
message President Roosevelt will
send to Congress next week, Wood
ring indicated for the first time
that q call will be made for a
greatly augmented standing Army,
National Guard and reserve corps.
He described the present stand
ing Army of 10000 officers and
men as an irreducible minimum
required for actual defense of the
continental United States.
Program Indicated
In the scheme of hemisphere
defense envisioned by President
Roosevelt, Woodring emphasized
that a large army, as we'll as air
force, is essential.
The expanded national defense
program indicated by Woodring,
which will be provided under the
Chief Executives extraordinary
$500, 100000 fund. is expected to
include as its principal factors:
/. A greatly augmented air
force.
2. Progressive increases Of
both officers and men in the
Regular Army, National Guard,
Officers and Enlisted Reserve
Corps.
3. Full, modern, mechanical
and high-speed artillery and
semi-automatic machine gun
and small arms equipment, with
an adequate war reserve, for the
initial protective force.
4. Gearing of industry for
overnight transition to manufac-
ture of war needs.
Need Explained
The heavy requirement for a
large army personnel, Woodr1ng
indicated, will come with expala'
sion of the air corps and for pro
lection Of the string of air and
naval bases planned for the ma
tion's outer defenses- bases pro
jected for the far Pacific, Alaska.
Panama, the West Indies posses
sions and the Atlantic and Pacific
coasts. -
Woodring emphasized that it
falls to the lot of the Army to
protect the Nays bases, wher.
ever they may be, both air and
water. :,
He declared there is a broad
misconception about bases, par
ticularly air bases. Air bases, he
pointed out, cannot be just one
huge airdrome where planes are
concentrated. Under war condl.
tions, the planes and ammunition
dumps for bombs must be scat
tered over a broad area Of fifty
or q hundred square miles or
more, and must be protected by
heavy concentrations Of ground
troops. artillery and anti-aircraft
artillery throughout the area.
Complex Problem
The problem Of personnel Is
further complicated by the TACT
that if war came the United
states would not be able to choose
is own ground for battle. Ad.
vanced air and naval bases would
nave to be established imme-
ciately, perhaps ina South Amerl-
can country, in Canada. in Ber-
fnuda. in Alaska-wherever the
enemy attacked-to intercept IN
vadine forces and prevent them
from gaining footholds from
uhich their expeditionary forces
Could operate effectively against
this country.
All, of this, he declared, is the
responsibility of the Army. He
pointed out that in Panama there
are; 13, 900 Army troops, in HAWAII
. 10000.
. =, IF air and submarine bases are
established in Guam, Wake, Pal
myra and Rose Islands, at Una
iaska, kodiak and Sitka, in Alaska,
and in Puerto Rico and the Vlr'
Gin Islands, as recommended by
fhe Navy, these bases must be
protected by the Army.
This would place a heavy drain
On the small standing Army OF
i0O. 900 needed for protection OF
the continental United States and
for the training of a rapidly ex-