The Washington times., 1939-01-13
Congress to Get
Proposal for
Expansion
BY ROBERT G. NIXON
(copyright, 1899, by international
News ServiceO

|" NEWS SeGNlCe.)
4 Congress will be asked to ap-
: prove expansion of the Regular
!. Army and Air Corps to approx
mately 100000 officers and en-
listed men, International News
:. Service learned exclusively today
! The increaSe-recommended in
] the original postwar national de-
f fenSe act of 1929, but never at
, tained-is considered by President
Roosevelt and his Army advisers
!. as an essential cog in the proper
| function of the greatly expanded
national defense program.
: The Army air force is expected
to be increased to between 10000
and $4,000 officers and men.
FORCE OF $4,000
The expanded Army would give
the United States, with the Ma
tional Guard of 100000, the Off.
GERS reserve of los 900 and an en-.
listed reserve of 10000, an initial
protective force OF approximately
65ooOo
The standing army at present,
including enlisted men and Off.
GERS, numbers about 10000.
The need for q larger standing
Army, it was learned, is made
vital and immediate by three
factors:
l. Vastly expanded air force
which, within the next two to
three years. will give the Army
minimum Of 5000 fighting
planes and the Navy 5000, a
total of 5000 front.line combat
craft of all types.
2. Adequate ground defense
for the nations outer defenses,
a program which calls for es-
tablishment on the American
continental shores, in Alaska,
the West Indies, the Panama
Canal, Hawaii, and the Western
Pacific Islands of 80 new air and
submarine bases.
AIRCRAFT DEFENSE
3. New and heavy demands
for a greatly expanded anti
aircraft defense both within the
United States, particula a rly
about the nations industrial
centers, and in outlying posses
Sions.
A broad hint Of the plan to ex-
pand the standing Army was con-
tanned in President Roosevelt's
special defense message to Con-
gress yesterday. in which he called
for an emergency fund of $552,-
100000 to provide Immediately the
minimum essential equipment for
the nations defense, including the
huge addition to the air corps.
This sum is additional to the
normal budget estimates Of 81, 1885,
100000 for the Army and Navy,
totaling 1,678,000,0o0 for an all
peacetime-record defense expendi-
ture.
PANAMA CANAL NEEDS
In his message, referring to a
SGT 100000 fund for bolstering de-
fenses Of the Panama Canal, the
Chief Executive said:
'"The security of the canal Is
Of the utmost importance, the
peace garrison now there is in
: adequate to defend this vital
link.
This deficiency cannot be
!. corrected with existing forces
without seriously jeopardizing
the general defense by stripping
= the continental United States
Of harbor defense and anti-atr.
craft personnel"
The Chief Executive said the
. canal garrison should be IN.
: creased to provide "the minimum
personnel required to man the
antiatrcraft and seacoast arma.
b. ment there. The present grri-
son numbers 10000.
l Expansion Of the Air Corps pre-
2 sents, Army experts said, one Of
! the major problems in personnel
: RAPID INCREASE
With the present authorized
strength Of 1920 planes, now
rapidly being attained, the Army
Air Corps lacks 1000 enlisted men
\ for ground maintenance and
, 1,081 officers. The present
strength is 1888. A total Of a..
988 enlisted men and 1858 regu-
o. lar officers and 1903 reserve Off
GERS. according to Gen. Malin
Craig, the chief OF staff, is essen
tial for the 1890 planes.
!, With increase Of the air corps
= to 5000 or more planes, expansion
Of the air corps by 10000 or So.
900 as a minimum is the esti-
mated need.