TERRITORIAL ARMY.

Northern Advocate, 10 February 1920, Page 1

TERRITORIAL ARMY.

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

IMPORTANT POINTS OF POLICY.

The reorganisation ol' the Territorial Army in Great Britain was the subject of a cablegram published this week. Tho land forces of the United Kingdom are to be "divided into two branches, the Regular Army and the Territorial Army, both complete and self-contained." The members of the Territorial Army which apparently is to be recruited on a voluntary basis, will enlist for throe years iv the case of trained men tnd four years in the case of untrained men. This army, like the regular army, will bo available for service overseas in case of emergency. The total war establishment of the Territorial Army is to be 345,000 men, but only CO per cent, of this strength will be recruited in the first instance. The men who have completed their term of service doubtless will be drafted into a reserve. This sketch of the British scheme ought to interest New Zealand people, since plans for tho reorganisation of the defence forces of this country are bound to be influenced by the decisions of the War Office. One of the lessons of the war was the desirability of improved co-ordination among the defence forces of the Empire, and though there is no reason to believe that the Dominions will follow exactly the example set bythe Mother Country, the military"advisers of the overseas Governments will not complete their recommendations until they know r w r hat Britain is going to do. This applies to New Zealand as well as to the other States of the Empire.

The future organisation of the defence forces of New Zealand has been the subject of much study and inquiry by Defence Headquarters already. This docs not mean that training operations under the existing scheme have been brought to a standstill. The Defence Act is still in operation, and the training of Territorials aud Cadets is proceeding. But the Defence Department cannot move ahead confidently until the lines of future policy have been laid down precisely, and this is one of the reasons why the annual camps have been cancelled again this year. Attention is being concentrated at present on the organisation of the staff and the training of the officers and non-com-missioned officers who will be required to undertake instructional duties in the future. The question of policy has to be determined by the Government, and it does not appear that Cabinet has yet

mi tempted to define tho post-war organisation and strength of the New Zealand forces.

The recommendations of the Government's military advisers have been foreshadowed. They will include the maintenance of the universal

training scheme, the concentration of attention largely oia. the physical training iv the cadet stage, and the improvement of the Territorial training in the light of war experience. There is a strong body of opinion among the higher officers in favour of periods of concentrated training in camp, but this is recognised to be a matter of policy, and will not be urged as essential. The development of an air service and of specialist branches is regarded as highly important. It is considered that the training generally ought to be more thorough than it was before the war, nnd that arms and equipment ought to be maintained at a very high standard. The training of officers is regarded as particularly important.

The strength of the New Zealand Territorial Force at the end of the military year 1913-14 was about 25,000 men, and tho number was increasing with the operation of the universal training system. The number of senior cadets at that time was approaching 30,000. The Territorial Force of 1014 was equivalent, on a population basis, to a British Army of over 1,000,----000. The war establishment of the Territorial Army now proposed to be formed in Britain is only 34">,000, but for purposes ot comparison, it is necessary to take the Regular Army into account. The questions thai have Io be decided by the New Zealand Government, as the basis of future Defence organisation, include the strength of the Territorial force, the method and scope of training, the use to be made of the big fixed camps, the creation of an air force, and the strength and composition of tho Dominion's naval force. The maintenance of the universal training system appears to be regarded as assured, but the other points' of policy indicated have to receive the attention of Cabinet.