NAVAL WAR STAFF.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 22, 9 January 1912, Page 5

NAVAL WAR STAFF.

MR CHURCHILL EXPLAINS ITS NECESSITY. PURELY ADVISORY DUTIES. London, January 8. Mr Churchill, in an official memorandum, explains the necessity for the First Lord of the Admiralty possessing a war staff like a general in the field. He proposes the formation of three divisions, namely, one dealing with intelligence, the second with operations, and the third with mobilisation, each with equal status under a captain of standing, the whole being controlled by a chief of staff responsible to the First Sea Lord. The staff is to lie purely advisory and have no administrative functions, and the personnel to represent most grades and every specialist branch, by men fresh from the sea and returning to sea fairly frequently. The staff is to I>o specially charged with training officers, while special training at a war college will bo an essential feature of the scheme. To enable the First Sea Lord to advise on grand issues without being burdened with detail, an additional civil lord will bo appointed to take up tho business of commercial transactions, enabling the Third Sea Lord to attend solely to naval construction and equipment. ’ . ’ The cost of, tho war Staff will he met by the abolition of four Admiralty yachts, effecting an annual economy of £;34,850. . . DA. i Admiral Bethel has been appointed, to jthe command of the. East Indies station, and Captain Alexander Duff, at present Director! : of (Mobilisation, joins the war staff in a similar capacity. Roar Admiral Beatty succeeds Rear Admiral Troubridge as Oliiof of Staff in the new war staff, with the new title, of Naval Secretary to tho First Lord of the Admiralty. PRESS GENERALLY FAVOURABLE k. Di (Received 9, 7 8.25 a.m..)" London, January 8. The newspapers . generally compliment the Admiralty on th'd new war staff. , ,