REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR. To the PRESIDENT: WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, D. C., December 10, 1908. I have the honor to submit the following report of operations of this department for the past year: THE ARMY. On the 4th of January, 1908, the date of the last annual report, the Army of the United States, according to the latest reports which had been received from the military departments (October 15, 1907), consisted of 3,750 officers and 50,190 enlisted men, a total of 53,940. In addition there were in the service 3,400 men of the Hospital Corps, excluded by the act of March 1, 1887, from classification as part of the enlisted force of the army. There were also in the service 24 officers and 572 enlisted men of the Porto Rico Regiment, and 116 officers and 4,346 enlisted men of the Philippine Scouts. Actual strength and distribution. At the date of the last reports received from the military departments (October 15, 1908), the actual strength of the Regular Army was 4,116 officers and 68,512 enlisted men, including 24 officers and 577 men in the PortoRico Regiment of Infantry, which under the provisions of the act of Congress approved May 27, 1908 (35 Stat. L., 392), became a part of the Regular Army on June 30, 1908. This made a total of 72,628, distributed as follows: The distribution among the different branches of the service was as follows: a Including 187 first lieutenants of the Medical Reserve Corps on active duty. The following comparisons drawn between the strength of the army as given in this report and in the annual report for 1907 are affected by the fact that in the last annual report the Porto Rico Regiment was not included with the Regular Army, while in this report it is included, the Porto Rico Regiment of Infantry becoming a part of the Regular Army under the provisions of the act of Congress approved May 27, 1908, as above stated: There has been a total net increase of the Regular Army during the year of 18,688, including the 24 officers and 577 enlisted men of the Porto Rico Regiment. These figures do not include 3,521 men of the Hospital Corps, who, under the act of March 1, 1887 (24 Stat. L., 435), are not to be counted as part of the enlisted strength of the Regular Army. There were also in the service 114 officers and 5,424 enlisted men of the Philippine Scouts, a net increase over last year of 1,076. Including the Hospital Corps and the Philippine Scouts with the Regular Army, there was a total net increase over last year of 19,289. At the date of the last annual report the maximum authorized Maximum authorized strength of the Regular Army (exclusive of the Hospital Corps), as provided by law and fixed by executive order made in pursuance of law, was 3,996 officers and 69,861 enlisted men. strength. The present authorized maximum strength is 4,307 officers and 77,743 enlisted men (including 31 officers and 576 enlisted men of the Porto Rico Regiment), making an increase of 310 officers and 7,892 enlisted men. |