UNITED STATES NAVY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LI, Issue 16662, 16 February 1925, Page 5

UNITED STATES NAVY.

PACIFIC WAR GAMES,

OBJECT OP MANOEUVRES,

,Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn., (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.! WASHINGTON, Feb. 14.

Further data lias been supplied concerning plans as agreed upon by tho Army General Stall’ and the Navy Department underlying the Hawaiian manoeuvres and the Australian cruise. Hawaii is considered as providing the Navy with a secure base at cross roads on" the Pacific Ocean, and is in advance of the Alaska-Pacific CoastPanama line, with a fleet based on Oahu. It is considered of the highest importance that the United States should defend the Hawaiian Islands, specifically at Oahu at all hazards. It is believed that there will be no difficulty in defending the Islands from the sea because the American fleet is considered stronger than any other Power in the Pacific, and because an enemy in order to attack the islands would have to come a great distance and could therefore be met on more than even terms by the American fleet based on Oahu. The General Army Staff do not consider it worth tho cost to make Oahu the “Gibraltar of the Pacific,” because it is felt it is quite unnecessary to make any point impregnable in order to have it accomplish its purpose. It would suffice to make it so strong that its reduction would not he worth the cost to the enemy. It would be impossible to fortify and defend all the Hawaiian Islands, but even if the enemy should capture, some of them except Oahu they would not he of much value to him, since none of them possesses geographical conformation and facilities to pcriiiit of use as a naval base. 'The contemplated war games envisage the American fleet simulating an attack on Hawaii as approximately of tho same size as the largest foreign national fleet operating in tho Pacific. Tho landing force of American marines playing the part of tho enemy will represent about forty thousand men, each marine representing approximately seven men. Tho small boats effecting landings will make the same number of trips between the shore and the boats effecting landings as would be necessary in the event of the full forty thousand men being landed. A garrison of about 15,000 will defend Oahu.

It is believed the alien population of the Hawaiian Islands is of no value whatever to their defence except as labof, and in fact much of this alein population is positively detrimental to the manoeuvres, and the cruise is considered a fair test under conditions approximately to those of war, namely attack on Oahu by an enemy fleet and defence by its garrison of naval and military forces, bringing out among other things the sufficiency and smooth working of arrangements made by the fleet in attacking a defended locality, the adequacy of defence, and the fleet ’s power to undertake immediately thereafter a protracted sea journey, possibly made necessary at the timo of conflict,.

CONSTRUCTION POLICY

(Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) WASHINGTON, Feb. 14. An appropriation of 50,000,000 dollars to carry out the naval construction policy recently authorised is requested of Congress by the Budget Bureau. Fourteen million dollars will be applied to the completion of the aeroplane carriers Saratoga and Lexington, three millions to new aeroplanes for these carriers, nine millions 1o repairs of six battleships, two millions for laying down two new cruisers, and two millions to begin six new gunboats for use in Chinese waters.