Evening star., 1939-06-30
Gen. Craig Proposes
Even Larger Army
In Final Report
Chief Of Stoff, Retiring
Tomorrow, Urges
Addition Of T., 900 Men

The Army launches tomorrow its
greatest expansion since the Worlo
War, with its retiring chief OF SIAN
recommending even greater IN
creases than those already author
lied.
A recruiting drive to enlist H.
500 soldiers as additions and re-
placements will start with the be-
ginning of the Governments new
fiscal year but Gen. Malln Craig
proposed in his final report an
economical, properly balanced" de-
fense plan involving a further in
crease of $4,000 men.
To attain position of readiness
Gen. Craig said, the United States
required:
|. An Alaska Panama Puerto Rico
outpost line fortified and manned
for instant action.
2. A Regular Army and National
Guard of about 100000 each. ex-
panded by five full divisions of sea-
soned regulars to be kept ready to
reinforce quickly the outpost line.
Four partial divisions are available
now. and Gen. Craig said to provide
the five would require about 1900
more officers and $4,000 men.
3. Full arms and equipment to
expand the Army in an emergency
to a million men.
S552. .OOO, 900 Already Voted.
Congress already has directed
partial fulhllment Of the recon-
mendations by approving the ad-
ministrations 1852 100000 defense
program.
Gen. Craig stressed his recon-
mendations represented overdue
requirements, rather than an effect
OF new international crises.
This was the final day of As years
active Army service for the plain
spoken Missourian. who announced
he would retire to California and
"nractice keeping my mouth shut.
Gen. Craig reaches the retirement
age of 64 on August 5. but he volun-
tarily stepped aside to give his
successor. Brig. Gen. George Z.
Marshall. a free hand at the start
of the fiscal year
More than five years younger
Gen. Marshall. tail, slender Penn
svlvanian. obtained his primary
military training at the Virginia
Military Institute.
President Roosevelt today noml-
mated Gen. Marshall to the perma-
nent rank of major general. During
his term as chief of staff he will hold
the temporary rank OF full general.
The President also nominated Col,
Frank M. Andrews. until last Febru-
arv head of the General Headquar-
ters Air Force. to be a brlgadler
general.
Items of Expansion.
The expansion starting under Gen.
Marshall's direction includes:
Training of 2l34 pilots and some
$4,000 aviation mechanics.
Orders for more than $500 planes.
In addition to nearly 1000 contracted
for in the last two months.
Manufacture or purchase OF arms
and munitions costing about $l86,-
600 900.
Work on five new outpost air bases.
Inaugura ton of the military de-
partment of the Caribbean.
In his report. Gen. Craig empha-
sized that the most economic man
ner of maintaining an adequate
defensive army is by regular yearly
improvements. Failure to observe
this rule in the recent l0-year
period of disarmament psychology,
he added, is responsible for the need
of rd-breaking appropriations
this year.
Tells Minimum Needs.
I'VE know to a day" Gen. Craig
continued, the time necessary to
produce every item of armament
and equipment-the time it takes
to train our military specialists. AS
an instance. the sums appropriated
this year will not be fully trans
formed into military power for two
years. This fact that it takes years
to resolve the will of the people
into efficiently handled munitions
of war must be remembered. The
same persons who now state that
they see nc threat to the peace OF
the United States would hesitate to
make the same forecast through a
two-year period"
To disband existing brigades III
order to obtain the recommend
ed five complete divisions, he
said, would be serious mis-
take. as these brigades will be
needed as nuclei tor the organiza-
tion of additional Regular Army
battle teams. and to lead the de-
feree of continental United States
until the National Guard divisions
can assume full responsibility for
this duty.
But he said that the soundness
of the position of the United States
would be nullified if it is unpre-
pared to back up the initial pro-
tective force with adequate reserve
strength. Any emergency worthy OF
the name, he said, will demand the
mobilization of protective mob
ilization force of million men.
Plans for this force, he continued,
must be real and complete, and the
critical armament and equipment
must be on hand.
After discussing deficiencies in
armament and equipment which he
found when he took charge, Gen
Craig said that it is heartening TO
note the decisive action taken oy
the Chief Executive and by the
Congress in response to public con-
Germ.
100000 Strength by June 30.
While the regular military appro-
priations for the fiscal year 1910
provide for an average of 1865 900
enlisted men. he said, it is anticl-
pated that the appropriation of ad-
ditional funds will enable the War
Department to increase the en-
listed strength to approximately
100000 by June 80, 1910
NJ. %l&~ e. 1t,sNT