Evening star., 1945-05-13
Peace Army Backers
See Draft as Only
Solution Of Problem
BY the Associated Press.

bs IAe hSSoCidLtu FTcSS.
Congressional advocates of a peace
leaders are convinced the draft is
the only way a postwar military
force of 4,5oooo0 "availables" can
be maintained.
While the Army has insisted that
1t has no definite plans for the size
of the postwar military establish
ment, it submitted to the House
Military Affairs Committee last week
a written statement containing
these words:
THE active Reserve will be COM
posed of those individuals and units
sufficient in types and numbers
which will, together with the other
components, constitute an overall
balanced force in the Army of the
United States of four and one half
million men,"
That figure, an Army spokesman
said, Is strictly "a planning figure"
and represents the "availables" who
could be called upon in future
emergency or m day." There are
other figures based on other sets of
assumed conditions.
100000 Reserves.
Under present War Department
plans, committee members said, at
least 100000 of the 4,500,0 900 would
be Reserves and National Guards
men and, if the entire quota is to
be filled, the remaining 100000 pre-
sumably would be Regular Army
personnel.
The War Department issued a
statement Friday night, however, in
which it said it was mot the fact"
that it plans peactime standing
Army of 100000 men.
The size of the Regular Army"
it added, which the War Depart
ment will recommend after the war
will depend upon the condition of
the world, the commitments of the
United States at that time and the
military policy adopted by the Con-
gress."
Committee members represented
Army spokesmen as asserting there
were these two alternatives to the
building up of a huge reserve
through a peacetime draft law: An
inadequate" defense establishment,
or a huge standing Army which
would cost billions annually.
Hearings Start June 4.
Hearings will start June 4 on
peacetime draft legislation broadly
requiring every le-bodied male
citizen to take year of military
training as soon as he becomes 18.
If it becomes law, the legislation
may make each trainee liable for
military service for six years after
his return to civilian life following
his year of training.
OF an estimated 100000 youths
expected to be eligible for training
annually, the Army believes it can
train 100000 and the Navy 100000.
The others would be rejected or de-
ferred.
Should the program discussed
with the military committee be ap-
proved, many of the 10000 re-
serve officers now on active Army
duty would be retained to provide
the training.
Along with the outline of its ten
tative reserve program. the War
Department has given the military
committee copies of a statement
by Gen. George c. Marshall in
which the Army chief Of staff ex-
pressed this view:
There are two types of military
organization through which the
manpower of a nation may be de-
veloped One of these is the
standing Army type Under this
system, leadership in war and the
control of military preparations and
policy in peacetime are concentrated
largely and necessarily in a special
class Or caste of professional SOL
diers.
System of Germany, Japan.
This is the system of Germany
and Japan. 1t produces highly eff
cient armies. But it is open to
serious political objections 1t
:. has no place among the insti-
tutions of a modern democratic
state based upon the conception of
government by the people.
The second type of military in
stitution is based upon the
conception of a professional peace
establishment (no larger than nee
essary to meet normal peacetime
requirements to be reinforced in
time of emergency by organized
units drawn from citizen army
reserve, effectively organized for
this purpose in time of peace. I"
The type of our military institutions
was determined in the beginning by
the form of our Government and
has not changed since Washington S
administration. 1t will therefore be
made the basis for all plans for a
postwar peace establishment"
Nutrition Class TO Omen