Evening star., 1941-07-20
Chief of Stuff Tokes
Problems in Stride
BIZ ODen L. Scott.


time the most effectively carried out
of all defense jobs of the past year, is
that performed by Gen. George C. Mar
shall. This fact, often obscured by
criticism directed at some particular
point in a vast program, is coming now
to be recognized.
Gen Marshall is Chief of Staff of
the United States Army. One year ago
the Army he headed was scarcely a
skeleton force. 1t had suffered 20 years
of enforced starvation. 1t lacked men.
1t lacked equipment. 1t lacked even so
much as ammunition for its few rifles
and shells for its ordnance because iso-
lationiSts in Congress had decided that
munitions industry-if there was one
might start war.
Today the Army Gen. Marshall
heads is respectable force of ,450 900
men. 1t is an Army physically ready for
combat. 1t possesses basic weapons and
Is beginning to get some of the weapons
of modern warfare. A munitions indus
try to supply this Army is beginning to
round into shape. Instead of being less
than per cent prepared for war, as it
was one year ago. the American Army
today is at least so per cent prepared
for war.
When Hitler had overrun France.
Holland and Belgium and stood poised to
take England in his stride, Gen. Mar
shall found himself faced with the re-
sponsibility of defending the Western
Hemisphere as well as the outlying
American empire. To do that job he
had fewer than 100000 soldiers within
continental United States. Those SOL
diers didn't even have cartridges for
their rifles in any quantity They had
no modern tanks. no modern artillery
and no modern aircraft.
All now is changed, and within a
space actually of no more than 10
months.
American forces of important size and
adequately equipped to meet any even-
tuality are in Newfoundland, in Green
land, in Bermuda, in Panama and in
other Atlantic bases. Greatly increased
forces are in the Philippines and Hawaii.
as well as in Alaska. If Congress makes
1t possible, the Army soon will have large
forces in the vitally important Iceland
base where Marines now are doing the
job.
The very mention of this disposition of
troops reveals the difficult nature OF the
task that General Marshall faces in
building an American Army.
Hitler in fashioning his army can
point for one task at a time. He is a
conqueror and knows where each of his
blows Is to be delivered and Wlen. All
preparations can be directed at parti-
cular task, with weapons and equipment
all pointed to that task This country
Is on the defensive. 1t possesses a far
flung world empire that must be de-
Tended. The resulting difficulties are
tremendous.
Some troops must be prepared to fight
in the jungleS. Weapons for this war
fare are different than the mechanized
weapons that Hitler uses with such effect
in Europe A tank-airplane team trying
to carry out blitz warfare in Panama or
Brazil probably would do less we'll than
a force equipped with small guns and
some high-grade Missouri mules. Then
other American troops must be prepared
for warfare in the Arctic and again
weapons and equipment and training
must be specialized.
The American Army must be many
purpose Army. Yet it sometimes is diff
cult to sell this idea to Congress which
is greatly impressed with the way Hit
lerS tank teams continue to over-run
Europe. Gen. Marshall is criticized
because American plans still call for the
horse and mule and the foot soldier.
Those plans likewise call for ski troops
and mountain troops and jungle troops,
as well as for very large proportion of
highly mechanical and highly motorized
troops. The United States is unable to
prepare for a single type of campaign
and devote all of its energy and atten-
ton to that particular preparation be-
cause it is impossible to know where
over much of the face of the globe-an
enemy will strike at American interests
and American troops.
Congress and the country can forget
that the United States runs an empire,
not just an isolated area around home,
but the Chief Of Staff of the United
States Army is unable to forget that i'm
portant fact.
Normally, Gen. Marshall could feel
degree of confidence in the ability of
the Army he heads to deal with any
situation that might be expected to arise
in the near future.
Actually, however, the generals
troubles threaten to start all over again.
The reason is that the Army of .45O 900
men-built during the past ten months
threatens to fade away to half it's size
in trained men during the next six
months unless Congress changes existing
law. The law as it now stands calls for
the National Guard soon to start home
and for the selective service men to 20
home when one year of service Is ended
This means that 850,OOO new men will
have to be found and trained at criti-
cal time. unless Congress finds a way to
deal with the situation. Gen. Mar
shall asks that the trained men be kept
in service until the present emergency
ends.
If forced now to break up his Army
and to start over again with the train
ing of new base force the Chief of
Staff will be unable to garrison Iceland
adequately or to supply the men needed
in growing numbers for the other Amer
ican bases that girdle large sector of
the world.
Yet it is notable that Gen. Mar
shall takes his nrohlerns and hiS tron,hleS