Evening star., 1942-10-15
The American Army

some Slgnlf1cant information as to
the size and composition of the
American Army, both for the present
and In the future, became public
property yesterday through the testi-
mony of our military leaders in sup
port Of the plan to lower the draft
age to eighteen.
Secretary of War Stimson revealed
that there are 4,2500O0 men in the
Army now, and that this total will
rise to 100000 by the end of 1943.
In other words, it is going to be
necessary to bring an additional
3,250,000 men into the Army during
the next fourteen months. But this
is not the whole picture. General
George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff,
disclosed that the increasing average
age OF the Army Is getting to be a
serious problem. Many of the older
men who have been inducted, he said,
are unfit for active duty and "are
burden to U.s." 1t is planned, he
added, to discharge these men. Cen
eral Marshall refused to say how
many older soldiers would be re-
turned to civilian life, but his
assistant, Brigadier General Miller
White, threw some light on this ques-
ton when he said that 20 per cent of
the men already indicted were not
fit for more than limited duties. If
this percentage figure is applicable
to the whole OF the present Army,
that would mean that about 85OOOO
men are not fit for active duty and
should be replaced. If this is DONE
the total OF additional men necessary
to reach next years goal of 100000
men will be about 4100,O0O.
Estimates as to the number of men
who would become available by low
ering the draft age to eighteen vary,
but the figure will be something over
100000 and lower than 100000
Even If the higher total be used, how
ever, an additional 100000 men will
have to be found. Obviously, this
means that many married men with
children, as we'll as those who are
childless, will have to be indicted
next year.
The publication Of these figures
comes as an answer to demands that
the War Department Ak the total size
of the Army so that other officials
can proceed with more definite plan
ming to meet the manpower shortage.
Assuming that Congress acts prompt
ly to reduce the draft age, which
appears probable, these planners
have been given clear picture of the
magnitude Of the task which lies
before them. And, further than that,
the military high command also has
disclosed that this country Is going
to have mass Army-a total, when
Navy, Marines and Coast Guard are
included, of close to 100000 men
under arms.
From time to time there have been
suggestions that we should not at
tempt to build a mass Army-that
our primary function should be to
supply the mass armies of the Rus
SLAMS and the Chinese with the tools
of war. But it is clear that our own
military commanders do not see the
problem this way, and it seems evi-
dent that they are entirely in the
right.
This notion that we can win the
war by depending on our Allies to
do the heavy fighting is as danger
aous as it is unworthy. Our day as
the arsenal of the democracies is
about over. All of the evidence indi-
Gates that the time is close at hand
when we will have to take over the
burden Of the fight, and for that
Effort we are going to need the largest
and the best trained and the best
eqI I'D Army that we can put in
the f1.i. The sooner we face that
prospect squarely, the better it will
be for us.