Evening star., 1943-08-22
Why U. s. Army
Must Be Big
By ODen L. Scott.

Army today contains more than 100000
men and before many months will con-
tain more than 100000
There is more and more inside aues-
tioning of the need for an Army of this
size. 1t approaches the German Army
in numbers of men. 1t is in addition to
Navy and Marine Corps that will ap-
proach 100000 men. Its creation is
causing acute manpower problems in
industry, where more and more factories
are finding 1t not possible to keep up to
production schedules called for to pro-
duce arms for the Army.
A big American Army was projected
at time when the war outlook was
very uncertain. Nobody then knew the
strength of the Russian Army. There
was an Italian Army of about 100 divi-
sions still available. Balkan nations
were providing manpower for the Ger
mans. The British had limited man
power from which to draw in creating a
big land force.
Military men added up all of the divi-
sions on the other side and then arrived
at a figure that they concluded the
United States must match If the scales
were to be tipped in our favor.
Since that time, however, all has
changed. Russia'S armies are defeating
the best German armies. The Italian
divisions that had looked so impressive
on paper now are as good as out of the
war. The Balkan divisions are not what
&l,ar - k,a ,~ol, A -
100000 men has been gained for our
side. North Africa is cleared. There are
signs that German industry is not what
it had been, due to air attack. The
rather startling reversal in this war has
occurred after the use of no more than
10 or Is American divisions in the
Mediterranean area.
Under these circumstances, it is being
asked why the United States does not
revise its Army plans, why it is necessary
to create an Army nearly twice as large
as the Army of the First World War and
one far greater in real strength.
Replies to Queries Given.
Several answers are being given to this
new questioning.
One is that the Army size Is deceptive
One-third of the total manpower, or
nearly one-third is in the Army Air
Forces. Nobody appears to question any
manpower demands that the air forces
may make, inasmuch as their contribu-
tion to the war is apparent to all. Then
another 100000 to 1900 900 men are in
ho A,-,o
combatant troops. Deduct these forces
for air and service and the resulting
ground forces total between 1000 900 and
100000 men. This size Army is held
not to be too large
A second answer to the questioning OF
Army size is that it may yet be necessary
to stage full-dress invasion of the
continent from the west. The British
are not able to supply adequate man
power for this type Of invasion If much
resistance is met. There is no assurance
as yet that the Russians actually will
win the ground war single-handed Con-
sequently, the United States must be
prepared to meet any eventuality when
the final war showdown arrives.
A third answer now being heard Is
that when the time comes for postwar
settlements, military power and military
power alone will be the bargaining fac
tor of Importance. If the United States
can go into any conference with the
strongest Army in the world, the greatest
air forces in the world and the biggest
and most powerful Navy in the world, it
can go far to calling the tune. Russias
armies Will be the greatest in size and
the most tested by experience, but they
Industrial Production Involved.
Then there Is one more answer that
some people give as the reason for the
unchanged Army size. This reason is
that American industry Is turning out
SO many weapons and Is geared so def
nitely to an Army of large size that to
cut down that Army would leave the
country with huge surplus OF materiel
within a relatively few months. The
British are pretty well supplied by this
time. The Russians are asking prin-
cipally for other things than guns and
tanks and ammunition. This means
that there must be an American Army
of very large size If these weapons are
to be distributed.
The favorable turns that have come
in both wars to date have come with
relatively little expenditure of American
effort in actual battle.
Probably not more than $50 900 Amer
leans have actually been engaged In
battle in North Africa and in Sicily.
Relatively few men have been involved
in the fighting on the Pacific islands.
The American Air Forces are only now
beginning to match the British in the
size Of their efforts. The American
Navy has made relatively little use of
Its vastly greater strength In actions
against the Japanese
What very readily may happen in this
war is what happened in the last. The
United States in the First World War
just about mobilized its strength when
the fighting stopped. BY 1914 this coun-
try again will have its strength rather
fully modified. Then it will be seen
whether that full strength is to be
needed in the present wars or whether
those wars will be won with an appI-
cation of only fraction of the modified
strength. In any event, there are far
more advantages in having more
strength than needed than less strength.
Those who shape policy operate on that
principle.