UNCLE SAM'S SOLDIERS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 268, 20 April 1917, Page 3 (Supplement)

UNCLE SAM'S SOLDIERS.

In view of America's entry in the war, is is interesting to note that the U.S. military forces consist of a Regular Army, and an organised Militia, or National Guard. The Regular Army is very snr.il smaller than was the British Regular Army. The total strength o? it is just on 5000 officers and 112,000 other ranks; its actual strength in tho United States is somewhere in the neighbourhood of 70,000 of sll ranks. A great proportion of the Regular Army, about 20,000, is coast artillery—what we call garrison artillery. With her extensive seaboard, America must naturally employ a good deal of coast artillery at all times. Staff corps and departmental and miscellaneous units absorb a further 20.000 Regular ttoops, and the 110,000 balance in tho United States represents her mobile (immediately movable) Army—the American equivalent, that is, of the Ist Division of our original Expeditionary Force. The remaining Regular troops (about 40,000) are distributed on "foreign," etc. service—in China, Porto Rico, Vera Cruz, the Philippines, Hawaii, and Alaska, and in the vicinity or the Panama Canal. Supplementary to the Regular Army, there is also a professional force, of about 5000, known as the Philippine Scouts, natives of the Philippine Islands, and also a very small corps—about seventy—of Indian Scouts. American Regular soldiers are recruited by voluntary enlistment, and the term of eu[istment is seven years, of which tour years are spent with the Colours, and the remaining three years on the Reserve. The physical standard lor enlistment is not high; the minimum height is nominally slt. 4in., and the chest measurement 32in.; this standard is not, however, rigidly adhered to. The pay of the American "Tommy''—infantry, cavalry, or artillery—is fifteen dollars a mouth (about 2s. a day) on first joining; Lut after a certain period ot service vvnh the colours, about three years, he msiy secure what is the equivalent of the British "Tommy's" proficiency pay, "continuous service" pay. This brings his 2s. a day up to 2s. Od. The American Regular infantry comprises 31 regiments. Each regiment consists of three battalions, and each battalion,! when mobilised for war, has four com-' pames of 110 men. The strength of each regiment is thus about 1300. There are 15 cavalry regiments, each with an average strength of 1000 all ranks, The artillery consists of 18 held and 12 mountain batteries—and 170 coastal companies. There are only three battalions of Engineers, each of an average strength of 640. Behind the Regular Army there is the American National Guard. This consists of the Militia Forces raised by voluntary recruiting in each State. The National Guard comprises, roughly, 7000 officers and 135,000 other ranks. The force, being on a Militia (part time service) basis is naturally not as well trained as the Regular Force, but that, of course, ?s an jitem that could be altered—although it would take a little time. Though the Central Government r-r America subsidises the National Guard each State ordinarily controls the organisation of its own force. With war, however, the organisation jiasses into the Central Government's hands. Obviously, the National Guard is a valuable adjunct to the Regular 'Force, forming, as it does, a natural feeder tr that force. One disadvantage, however, of the National Guard—from tho viewpoint of immediately creating complete held divisions from it—is that it does not contain any departmental units, such as engineers, etc.; it is composed simply of Infantry, caval.-y and artillery units. But, again, this is an item that could be altered with a little time. Men who have served in the National Guard form, along with the Regulars transferred from the colours after serving their four years, a nominal Army Reserve, but this force exists practically only on paper; there is no real organisation about it. By th-' passing in America, in 1915, of the Natonal Defence Act, the legal limits on the strength ol the Regular Army and National Guard that formerly obtained—only 100.000 in the case of tho Regular Army even—were greatly increased—to 173.000 for the Regular Army and 460,000 for the National Guard. The-o establishments have not, of course, been anything like reached as yet. Really, the actual soldier force available for immediate mobilisation is 117,000 Regular Army and 142,000 National Guard —an ariay of little over a quait-r of a million, Or a matter of about ten divisions. It is doubtful whether even one of these divisions be allowed to Leave immediately for Europe; they would probably l>c retained at home to form the nucleus of tic Volunteer Army which the American laws allow for the creation of in war time. As soon as that was well under way, it is very that, despite the big difficulties m the way ol transport and all the " U" boats' Irantic efforts to prevent it, a good many divisions of Lucie Sam's boys would cross the herring pond to take thou share—proudly, delightedly—in licking tho loathsome. Hun. The question ol how many soldiers America could eventually raise may crop up in many p'o-

pie's minds. The answer is that, at a push, by resorting to conscription, she lould raise between tit teen to twenty millions! A stupendous number, truly, i America is, however, very, very unlikely to resort to conscription—lirst, liccausc of tlie constitutional difficulties connected therewith, and, secondly, Localise the overwhelming number of volunteers—probably live nnllious easily—that .would come forward from among her vast population would make it un-i necesssiry. Of cour-e, if she did wish to adopt cons:riptiou, there would ho, no occasion for her to pass any now la.v for the purpose. There is already on the American Statute Kook a law wliicii, though it is never enforced in peace time, empowers the calling to serj vice, in tlie Militia, of nil American; citizens between the ages of IS and

-15; the service, though, is limited io two years. But in connection with tins law thoer is the proviso that such Militia may not be called out and to a foreign country as an army ot occupation, excepting to repel an invasion, or execute laws intended over such foreign country. This conscripted army vould not, therefore, be avaialble fo** .sending to Europe—unless the laws of the American Constitution were altered. And, obviously, it would not be necessary—unless America's militaryposition were to alter greatly—for so huge an army to be mobilised simply for nome service. The already organ-T-cu -Militia, or National Guard, can, however, be employed either inside or outsid? the United States when mobilised, and its mobilisation can lie ordered by t!;e President, on his own initiative, at any time he thinks lit in an emergency. The President, we may say, is the Commander-in-Chief of the Army—and Navy, too. The advent of American troops at the front would b» most heartily welcomed by our Jads there, not merely because of the military assistance they would render, but because every British soldier recognise? the American as a brave and worthy comrade. The heroism exhibited by the many American citizens already serving at the front in British and Colonial units...and, in particular, the intrepidity of the American Hying men—has renewed m the heart of the British "Tommy" of to-day the esteem and admiration in which the British "Tommy" of the days long gone by held Uncle Sam's "Boys of the Old Brigade."