The Daily Alaska empire., 1939-01-02

NAlIONAL DEF ENSE
 As Congress convenes this week of the major problems which is drawing attention is that of national defense subject which is bound to get fairly thorough analysis before the session ad- journs
 Louis A Johnson, Assistant Secretary of War and only member of the Administration except the President who has yet given any hint of the scope of the impending program had made it amply plain on several occasions that although both the army and the navy needed strengthening chief emphasis was to be placed aerial defense. Increased attention also to be paid to industrial mobza- ton the nome front" But opposition to some features of this program particularly on the part of those who have need for tremendous expansion of our aerial arm, has mounted and the President at his press conference last week indicated that he had revised some of his earlier estimates and does not agree with MT. Johnson that we are considerably behind in the race for air power.
 But regardless of what form the Administrations defense program eventually takes appears likely that the Presidents recommendations will lead to complete analysis by Congress of entire nation al, defense problem. The program which fin ally emerges from the Congressional mangle will ckanax the greatest armaments effort the United States has made in time of peace-an effort which started more than five years ago when Pres- d8nt Roosevelt took office
 twrftifg in the New York Times recently Hanson FNldwin points out some of the things which are being considered connection with the defense pro- gram as follows
 - In the six fiscal years from 1884 to 1889 (both in cmsive) expenditures and appropriations direct and izirect the latter includes funds alocated from NaA CWA, PWA and wPA funds for the military establishments have totaled about s5,455ooOOoo [ Since March l, l933 the construction of l46 new rHkn-of-war has been undertaken and at least 240 have been authorized Seventy of these vessels have been commissioned to date Ctwentyfi five in the past fiscal year.; seventy-sx under construc- ton ten more about to be laid down
 In the period the army has been increased ftum enlisted strength of 1l6ooo men in 1883 to 165000 and very considerable progress has been naade in re-equipping it with modern arms
 Our air forces of the army and navy have in- creased in number by perhaps 500 combat planes, have retained their qualitative lead the rest of the world and have been modernized.
 But strength of armamentS is relative; it must be compared with that of other nations. While in absolute sense are stronger than we were five years ago in a relative sense we are probably weaker for the armaments efforts of Germany and England and possibly Of Italy and Japan has surpassed ours in speed and intensity.
 Thus today, while our fleet ln efflclency, In training and general fighting strength is cer- tainy inferior to it has not yet attained the complete equality with Britain envsaged for it by the naval treaties.
 In total tonnages. in vessels built, building and appropriated for of the five principal categories Capital ships carriers cruisers destroyers and sub marines1 Britain leads the world with about l 904,- GOO tons and the United second with about 1620O00 tens The Japanese and Russian programs are closely guarded secrets; to lesser extent the sAme thing is true of Germany and Italy.
 We have been gradually falling behind in the race 9r sea power largely because of the delays in ouI $hp p-buiding program. Expansion of our shipbulding &s1it1eS and modification of the organization and methods of the navys shore establishment nec- esSafy
 : x The army requires particularly reorganization and re-equipnent with modern arms to enable the Pro tective Mobilization Force of the regular army the National Guard function quickly and efficiently lpon the outbreak of Our troops today are badly &iuHped for modern war There is not a single apdern ant-tank eulii, the army there are not now &ouglr anti aircraft gunsto defend any single Ameri- can city We having production trouble with our New automatic rifle designed to replace the old Springfield There is not enough ammunition in re- serVe to fight another battle like the MeuseArgonne S1d uncertain critical items, like bombs and bomb sights and gas-mask canisters we are woefully de- tcent-
 Our aircraft production rate calls for an increase k a progressive but orderly fashion
 On the Home Front defense preparations aided by the greatest industrial capacity in the world Our industrial mobilization planes fairly well advanced but there have bottlenecks par tcarly in the manufacture of fifyfive criti- cal yitepls and there is still much work to be done