Evening star., 1950-12-02
Navy, Air Force Cut
Standards as Army
Increases Draft Call
By George Beveridqe

LII tIl6 1lTSL SG6pS bO Spceu b
buildup of the armed forces, the
Army has increased draft calls for
February and the Navy and Air
Force have lowered standards to
make 1t easier for volunteers to
iget into uniform.
The Army issued a call for
$4,000 recruits in February. 10000
more than the January draft re-
quest. This brings the draft call
total to 300,0 900 men since the first
Of September.
Even so. smallness of the Feb
ruary draft call came as a sharp
surprise. followed closely on the
heels Of the Korean reverses and
President Truman's request to
Congress for an additional ST.
$50, 100000 for defense by next
June 80.
Quota Can Be Boosted.
However. coming a full two
months before inductions of men
are to begin. the February call
leaves the Army plenty of time to
boost that quota If officials see fit.
Such a move was made last
October. when an announced call
for 10000 men suddenly was in
creased to $4,000.
For the District, the February
call means an additional $50 in
ductions that month. In Virginia,
about LOO draftees will go into
uniform.
With a possible goal of 2.8 mil
lion men for the armed forces,
officials admit they have been held
back in draft calls by shortages of
officers and facilities for training
the recruits.
Meanwhile, the Navy and Air
Force. relying on voluntary enlist
ment and Reserve recalls for their
expansion, made revisions to make
more men eligible for enlistment.
Navy Moves Disclosed.
The Navy announced these
steps:
/. The mental test score that
volunteers must make in order to
be accepted was reduced to an
undisclosed extent.
2. Volunteers with one depend
ent may now enlist in the grades
Of seaman recruit and seaman
apprentice. Old requirements for
bade enlistments in grades below
petty officer If the candidates had
any dependents. Several weeks
ago. the Navy said. this was lib
eralized to permit volunteers with
dependents to enlist in the grade
of seaman.
The Air Force announced that
1t has lowered both physical and
mental requirements to expedite
expansion Of its enlisted strength.
An Air Force spokesman said
that physical requirements for Air
Force enlistees will now be the
same as the standards established
by the draft law.
New mental standards require
a minimum score of 81 for all Air
Force enlistees except WAFS.
whose minimum entrance score
will be 81.
System Explained.
Explaining the Air Force scor-
ing system, the Air Force said the
scores of 81 and 81 are comparable
to scores Of 80 and 80 in the
general classification test. The
Get. is used by the services in
classifying recruits after they have
been accepted.
In other developments:
/. The Army announced that
Christmas holiday furloughs will
go to reservists under orders to
report for active duty to stations
in the United States, but that
none will be given men ordered
to overseas embarkation ports.
Men ordered to report between
December 16 and January / can
get their reporting dates post
poned to between January 2 and S.
2. The first allotment checks
will be mailed to 100000 Army
and Air Force dependents Decem-
Der 4, officials said. This will be
followed by a supplemental mail
ing to about 10000 other depend
ents about December 15-covering
allotment applications received
after November IA.
Maj. Gen. E. M. Foster, Army
chief of finance, again advised
servicemen to make prompt appli-
cation for allowances for their
dependents.