Evening star., 1950-11-19
Pentagon Studies Plan
To Bolster Strength Of
Somes States Guards
By John A. Giles

of National Guard appropriations
to about 10 States to build up
the strength of those States
Guard divisions are being studied
at the Pentagon. it was learned
yesterday.
The program would require spe-
cial legislation since present law
requires that Guard funds be pro-
rated according to the number
of divisions in State or territory.
These plans are tied in closely
with two other proposals for which
the Defense Department is likely
to press hard for action in Con-
greSs:
l. Universal military training.
President Truman already has
announced that he would ask for
UNIT in January. Such a pro-
gram would be needed to boost
the strength of the selected Guard
divisions.
Guard Problem Looms.
2. Legislation to prevent dis
integration of the four Guard di-
visions which were called into
Federal service last September.
Under present law, members of
Federalized Guard units cease to
be Guardsmen on discharge from
Federal service, thus requiring
the complete reinstitution of such
units. Too, the four Federalized
divisions and some lesser units
! also called are being filled out
with draftees and volunteers,
many of them from localities
other than those from which the
divisions originate. This, plus the
fact that these draftees and VOL
unteers are actually members of
the regular Army and not of the
Guard, will leave the units
strength largely depleted even
though legislation to prevent
their dissolution is passed.
Gen. Bradley, chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in
speech before the Associated
Press Managing Editors meeting
in Atlanta Friday:
Instead of maintaining all Ma
tional Guard divisions at 100 per
cent officer strength and ap-
proximately so per cent enlisted
strength perhaps we should
maintain some of them at 100
per cent officer strength and IS
to 80 per cent enlisted strength,
with every soldier in these divi-
sions having had the benefit of
couple of years active service. If
this were the case, then some
National Guard divisions could be
available for combat almost i'm
mediately."
Ten Such Divisions.
There would be approximately
10 such increased-strength divi-
sions, which obviously would be
given greater share of the total
Guard appropriations than those
which would be kept at about IS
per cent officer and 25 to 80 per
cent enlisted strength. There are
81 Guard divisions in all.
Such a proposal is bound to
raise some opposition from those
States whose divisions would be
In the smaller category.
The program is tied IN with
overall continental defense plans
which would call for one full
strength regular division in each
OF the six Army areas.
Gen. Bradley said some reserve
units as well as Guard divisions
should be brought up to greater
strength and that all enlisted re-
servists should have at least two
years training-which would re-
quire UNIT or some similar train
ing program.
Inc De1enSe Department, which
has long maintained that it must
have some sort of long-range mil
itary training program instead of
the short-range Selective Service
system, will make an all-out drive
for UNIT at the next session of
Congress. The present draft law
expires next July 9. The fact that
present reservists have grown old
er, making it unfeasible to use
many of them, will be stressed in
the argument for the necessity of
providing new, young men for the
reserve pool.
In that connection. it is pointed
out that up to 1000 men were lost
from each of the four Guard di-
visions called to Federal service
because of such reasons as de-
fermentS. ETC., and that the out
fits are only now getting up to