Evening star., 1954-12-17
New Military Training Program
With 100000 a Year as Goal
Unveiled by Pentagon Heads
Plan Designed to
Build Reserves
Up to 3 Million
By John A. Giles

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The administration today un-
veiled an enormously complicated
military manpoWer plan featur-
ing a modified universal military
training program.
The plan provides for the
training of 100000 volunteers
each year. They would serve six
months as trainees and there
after would be obligated for 912
years of reserve duty.
Under the program, designed
to provide an overall total of 3
million reservists and allow cut
In the size of the regular forces,
those who are not accepted as
six-month trainees would be
drafted into the active forces If
they did not join voluntarily.
Carter L. Burgess, Assistant
Secretary of Defense for Man
power. declared at a news con-
ference that "every one :.
eventually is called on to serve"
under the plan and added that it
provides maximum equity"
Would Extend Draft Act.
The program. on which Presi-
dent Eisenhower has put d pri-
ority tag, includes a four-year
extension of the Selective Serv-
ice Act.
Mr.. Burgess said that it is
designed to prepare the armed
forces for the long pull of the
cold war or the sudden onslaught
Of the global atomic war.
1t is sort Of a patchwork pro-
gram to satisfy the conflicting
demands of the armed forces,
to allow youths a maximum
freedom Of choice of military
duty and to be politically pal
atable not only to Congress
members but to powerful reserve
and veterans organizations.
Secretary of Defense Wilson
asserted that the plan was not
IAN isolated concept and added
that it was subject to change
dependent on world conditions.
Faces Bumpy Road.
The officials, mindful that the
program faces a burnpy road in
Congress. came armed with elab-
crate charts, diagrams and state
ments designed to give a big
public sendoff to the plan.
The key feature is to make
mandatory the reserve obliga-
tion of draftees and those who
have served for short periods in
the active forces. Failure to par
ticipate in the reserves after re-
lease from active duty would
mean loss of veterans benefits
and discharge other than hon
orable.
The 100000 a year trainees
would be placed in the Army
and Marine Corps reserve forces
or the National Guard. Mr.. Bur-
CESS said they would be called
the "service callable reserve"
This is an appropriately or
ganized and trained force. con-
stituting the reserve manpower
base for the initial phases of the
general mobilization sub
ject to call in time of war or
In time Of an emergency" he
said.
Paid Reserve Pool.
In addition, the new plan pro-
vides for a "selectively callable
reserve"---a on-organized, nom
paid reserve pool which will pro-
vide experienced personnel for
forces to be raised for the Sec
ondary phases of mobilization.
The six months trainees would
form pool Of about 850,000 ELI
gibles. The service callable re-
serve would approximate 3 mil
lion men, while the selectively
callable reserve Is broadly esti-
mated at 2 Million" Mr.. Burgess
said.
Veterans would have prefer
ence for transfer into the selec-
lively callable reserve category
subject to call in a general war
mobilization.
Varied Periods Of Service.
The plan calls for varied
periods of service callable reserve
obligations remaining after ac-
tive service, varying in length
according to the time a man has
spent on active duty. Thus. a
man who has served two years
active duty would incur a six
year obligation. One who has
served three years vii be obli-
gated for four in the service call
able reserve and one year in the
selectively callable reserve.
A four-year enlistment will re-
suit IN an obligation for two years
Continued on Page A-2 Col 11