Evening star., 1940-05-15
Defense Emergency

OefenSe emergency
As the German military machine
rolls ominously onward in Europe it
becomes more and more imperative
that America should take stock of
her defenses against the new order
Of warfare now being demonstrated
with such deadly effectiveness in
invaded Holland and Belgium. Dis
patches from the ever changing front
tell of Nazi mechanical divisions
rolling irresistibly wardand throw
ing thousands of tanks into the fray.
of waves of bombing planes blazing
bloody path of death and destruc-
ton for marching columns to mop
up, of new weapons and new tech
niques.
President Roosevelt, General
Pershing and others competent to
speak are not indulging in Mysteries
nor in alarmist dramatics when they
call forcibly to the attention of the
American people the dangerously
vulnerable spots in our plan of self
protection. Actually, the weaknesses
are not in the plan, but in the means
to execute it when an emergency
strikes. The so-called IN Day"
CMobilization Day. program is pred
icated on the assumption that there
will be instantly available in this
country an initial protective force,
fully equipped, of nearly half a mil
lion men, including the National
Guard and other civilian compo-
nents. But, according to well-in-
formed observers, the United States
could put into the field not more
than $4,000 men properly equipped to
wage war of the fearful type known
to military science today. We have
a Regular Army Of 227,0o0 men. but
1t is grossly deficient in equipment,
and, until recently, it lacked real
training. It is estimated that near
ly a quarter of billion dollars worth
Of materiel must be manufactured
and supplied before the IN Day"
protective plan becomes something
more tangible than blueprint.
Needs of our Navy have been pub
licized Of late, those of the Army to
a lesser degree. We have less than
5000 Army planes-and all of them
have become obsolete almost over
night with respect to such develop
ments as self-sealing gasoline tanks
and light armor. We have less than
two hundred anti-aircraft guns, and
they are Of an obsolescent type. They
could not adequately protect even
one major American city from air
raids like those which have destroyed
European cities In the past few
months and which now threaten
England itself. We have less than
four hundred tanks and insufficient
anti-tank guns. Our artillery is
wanting in quality as well as guam
tity. Our coast defenses are in
urgent need of modernization. And
as for strategic materials, we have
only enough rubber and tin to last
about three months If our supplies
from the Netherlands East Indies
were cut off.
President Roosevelt did not exag-
gerate when he announced yesterday
that it will cost the American people
q pretty heavy sum to remedy these
grave deficiencies. But they must be
remedied, whatever the cost-and at
once. A billion for defense now may
save us from paying vastly more
than that in dollars and sacrifices
and tears later on. It will take
valuable weeks and months to re-
store the country to state of COM
parative security, and time is a
serious consideration in this era Of
shortened distances between air
bases and military objectives. There
is way to gain more time, however,
and that is by rendering prompt and
material aid to the allies in their
resistance to aggression. While we
are revising our own defense plans
we should facilitate In every
way possible the delivery of more
planes and guns for France and
England. BY this method America
can help to keep the forces Of con-
quest at bay until we have had an
opportunity to get our own protective
machinery In q state of efficiency
that will give pause to dictators in
any quarter of the globe.
Bottle of the Meuse