National Affairs: Conscription's Pattern

If Congress acts, the Army & Navy are ready. They have a blueprint for training the nation's 18-year-olds, in greater detail than has yet been announced.

Out of the 1,200,000 youths who reach military age each year, the Army & Navy expect to reject about 225,000 for serious physical or mental disabilities. Of the rest, enrolled for training through local boards, the Army will take 700,000, the Navy 275,000. The Army holds that trainees should receive $30 a month pay, cheap Government insurance, some sort of dependency benefits if needed.

As far as possible, trainees will have their choice between Army & Navy, among different branches inside the services. Like World War II's selectees, they will take aptitude tests, be assigned—within the limit of quotas—to training and jobs for which they are best fitted. They will probably wear some sort of cadet uniform, not yet designed, to distinguish them from regular soldiers & sailors.

All medical care will be provided by the services. Whatever his physical condition at the start, the trainee would end his year with teeth in good shape, hernias and similar defects repaired, eyeglasses if needed.

Basic to Maneuvers. The Army proposes to start with nine weeks of basic training—hygiene and sanitation, enough spit & polish to make a presentable soldier, enough marching and drilling to put on a presentable parade.

After basic will come specialized training, with strong emphasis on weapons, radio, radar, other technical aspects of modern warfare. At first the trainee will work with squad or platoon, then with a regimental team, finally in combined maneuvers such as amphibious landings. Maneuvers will be held at large camps like Sill or Benning, which have both room and equipment.

Throughout the year, trainees will get at least three hours a week of physical training, including swimming lessons. For spare time study, the Armed Forces Institute will provide courses at the high-school and college level for trainees who want them.

After finishing their year, youths could go on to officer candidate schools, be graduated as reserve second lieutenants. Or they could get reserve commissions through college ROTC units—which will no longer bother with basic training courses, instead will operate at a postgraduate military level.

Dollars & Cents. For the first four or five years, while the Army & Navy are still using World War II equipment, cost of the program is estimated at $1,450 per trainee. Later, as old equipment is expended, the cost is estimated at $2,000 per man. Total bill for the nation: about $1.4 billion a year until 1950, about $2 billion a year thereafter.