ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR Mr. PRESIDENT: Both in its military and nonmilitary activities the War Department has made marked advances during the fiscal year which closed on June 30, 1937. The foremost duty of the War Department is to provide for the national defense. Hence it is primarily concerned with the organization, training, and equipment of the United States Army. It also has numerous other duties, not directly related to the national defense. These include the improvement of our rivers and harbors, protection against devastating floods, the maintenance and operation of the Panama Canal, the operation of the Federal barge line on some of our important rivers, and the conduct of our relations with the new Philippine Commonwealth. In most of these fields the developments of the past year have been important and highly satisfactory from the point of view of the Government. With actual and threatened conflicts shattering or endangering the peace of at least one-fourth of the people of the world, American citizens are naturally concerned for our own peace and security. While the War Department is not charged with the conduct of foreign affairs, this branch of the administration, together with the Navy, has the responsibility for the defense of the country against attack from any quarter. In an uneasy world, made restless by actual or potential warfare, ordinary prudence suggests that we look to our defenses. While our Nation has no thought of aggression our people very properly expect that our territory shall be protected against the aggression of others. Under these circumstances I am happy to report that the United States Army is now more efficient than at any time in its peacetime history. Modest additions in personnel have heen made. Material improvements in all types of equipment have been effected. Advances in training methods have been accomplished. The morale and efficiency of the troops of the Regular Army, the National Guard, and the Organized Reserves are at a high point. Nevertheless, in spite of these advances, the United States Army is relatively weaker, compared with armies of other great countries, than it was a year ago. This is due to the fact that most of the other major powers have increased the size of their armies and have materially improved their equipment. In the case of several leading countries many thousand reservists have been placed on prolonged active duty because of actual or threatened hostilities. Increases in armaments have gone forward at an enormous rate. Practically every important nation has greatly increased its budget for military expenditures. I certainly do not recommend that the United States join in this feverish arms race. Our national policy is wholly defensive and it would be highly undesirable for us to maintain at enormous expense a huge standing army, or any force larger than necessary to protect our homeland and possessions. However, I do think as insurance against attack we should further strengthen our armed forces. This, I believe, should be done by slightly increasing the number of officers and enlisted men and, more specifically, by accelerating our program of reequipping our present Army with the latest and best in transportation, means of communication, and weapons. The necessity for strengthening our national defense should, of course, be balanced against other urgent demands for governmental expenditures. Budgetary limitations will necessarily restrict our outlay below that which may be considered desirable. However, any restriction in such expenditures should be made only after a full consideration of the necessity for reasonably adequate protection of our people and our territory. While costs of all items entering into the maintenance of our Army, including pay, food, clothing and shelter, are much higher in this country than elsewhere, the per capita cost of national defense in the United States is much smaller than in any other country of comparable importance. During the past year the War Department has been greatly aided by the members of both houses of Congress, by Federal, State and local officials, and by members of veterans' associations and of other patriotic and civic organizations. There has been a growing understanding on the part of the public that a reasonable strengthening of our military establishment would promote peace and security. The result has been a careful and intelligent appraisal of all national defense measures proposed or enacted by the Congress. In addition to its military personnel, the War Department is ably served by a splendid corps of loyal civilian employees, both in Washington and in the field. During the past year, as always, these capable workers have performed their tasks with marked efficiency. In keeping with the purposes of administration and conforming to American sentiment and tradition, the Army of the United States has been so organized and designed as to be best suited to our defensive needs. Training methods and tactical doctrines all emphasize the defense of our country, not an attack on any other nation. Our Regular Army is small, being little more than a nucleus around which a citizen army might be organized in an emergency. With the National Guard it provides only a covering force which would defend our shores against invasion while a larger force was being mobilized. Our Regular Army and our National Guard should be large enough for this important task. They should be well trained in their duties and they should be equipped with the latest and best implements of modern warfare. At present our Regular Army, though slightly larger than a year ago, is too small to accomplish efficiently the tasks for which it is responsible. There is a shortage of commissioned officers, which makes it difficult to provide the instructors required for the civilian elements of our Army and at the same time to furnish leadership for troop units. Additional enlisted men are required for various organizations, particularly for our expanded Air Corps and for antiaircraft regiments. The War Department is cooperating with other Government departments in the administration of the Civilian Conservation Corps. The War Department responsibilities in this connection include the organization, training, administration, and supply of work companies. Much of the details of this important task is handled in a highly efficient manner by Reserve officers on extended active duty. The outstanding success of the Corps in giving to hundreds of thousands of young men useful outdoor employment in our national parks and forests is a great credit to the Director of the Corps and to all participating agencies. The War Department is happy to continue to assist in this highly important work. The War Department is being increasingly handicapped by the lack of an appropriate building to house its various activities in Washing ton. At present the Department occupies some 20 buildings in the National Capital. Some of these are Government owned and others are rented. These structures are practically all unsuited for the needs of the Department. Valuable records, referred to constantly in the course of routine transactions, are stored in widely scattered structures where they are not readily accessible and where they are exposed to danger of fire. It is urgently recommended that construction of a new War Department building be begun in the immediate future. THE UNITED STATES ARMY During the past year further steps have been taken toward unifying the organization, training, and equipment of the Regular Army, the National Guard, and the Organized Reserves. Training exercises were held in various parts of the country, in which troops of the Regular Army and National Guard participated. These maneuvers were mutually beneficial to both elements of our Army and this type of training has resulted in tangible improvements in our national defense. During the year more Reserve officers were on extended active duty than at any period since the World War. This training was of exceptional value both to the individual officers and to the Army as a whole. REGULAR ARMY Personnel. On June 30, 1937, the close of the fiscal year, the strength of the Regular Army, exclusive of the Philippine Scouts, was 12,269 officers and 158,626 enlisted men. In the Philippine Scouts there were 45 officers and 6,367 enlisted men. The number of enlisted men in the Regular Army increased by about 12,000 during the past year. Current appropriations will limit the number of enlisted men during the coming fiscal year to about 162,000. The recruits obtained during the past year have been of a particularly high type. They have readily assimilated their military training and are rapidly becoming fine soldiers. During the past year the number of commissioned officers increased by about 200. This increase still leaves the Army far short of its proper complement of officers. It must be remembered that our officers are needed not only for our troop units, but also to serve as instructors for the civilian components of the Army, for staff and overhead duty at War Department and field headquarters, as faculty and students at service schools and for a wide variety of nonmilitary duties such as river and harbor improvements, the maintenance and operation of the Panama Canal, and other similar activities. The expansion of our Air Corps and the utilization of larger and more complicated types of aircraft have necessitated an increase in the number of officers assigned to the Air Corps. Unless more officers are authorized for the Army as a whole, an increase in the number assigned |