ARMY APPROPRIATION BILL, FISCAL YEAR 1918. COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AFFAIRS, The committee met at 10.30 o'clock a. m., Hon. S. Hubert Dent, jr. (chairman), presiding. The CHAIRMAN. Gentlemen, we will hear Gen. Sharpe this morning. STATEMENT OF MAJ. GEN. HENRY G. SHARPE, QUARTERMASTER GENERAL, ACCOMPANIED BY CAPT. CHARLES P. DALY, MILITARY STOREKEEPER, QUARTERMASTER CORPS, FIRST LIEUT. J. Q. A. BRETT, QUARTERMASTER CORPS, AND F. A. ELLISON, SECRETARY TO QUARTERMASTER GENERAL. Gen. SHARPE. Mr. Chairman, I have here a table which I would like to submit, showing the entire organization of the Army, when the second increment has been added, showing the different corps, the officers and men in each arm of the service, and the rates of pay they receive. That is the basis of calculations for all the estimates in the appropriation "Pay of the Army." The sum of money estimated for pay has been arrived at by taking the number of officers and men in each grade and multiplying those by the number authorized. That would give you the total amount of the appropriation, less miscellaneous items such as mileage, additional pay, etc.; that is the real basis of the estimate. The CHAIRMAN. We will be glad to have you put that in the record. (The table referred to faces page 5.) The CHAIRMAN. The first item for your corps is on page 11, under "Pay of the Army," "For pay of officers of the line, $13,357,800." The amount appropriated last year was $10,000,000. There is therefore an increase in that item of something over $3,000,000, or to be exact, $3,357,800? Gen. SHARPE. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. We would like to have you explain the increase in that item. Gen. SHARPE. That includes the pay of 9 major generals, providing for the present strength and the second increment and for 25 brigadier generals. That makes a total of $232,100. In the Cavalry we have 19 colonels, 19 lieutenant colonels, 57 majors, 285 captains, 295 first lieutenants, and 295 second lieutenants, and total amount for those is $2,089,000. In the Field Artillery we have 12 colonels, 12 lieutenant colonels, 26 majors, 134 captains, 164 first lieutenants, and 150 second lieutenants, the total amount for them being $1,072,600. In the Coast Artillery there is one major general, 18 colonels, 18 lieutenant colonels, 54 majors, 270 captains, 270 first lieutenants, 270 second lieutenants, the total amount of pay for these officers being $1,952,000. In the Infantry there are 44 colonels, 45 lieutenant colonels, 134 majors, 669 captains, 696 first lieutenants, 669 second lieutenants, and the total pay for these officers is $4,870,000. In the Engineers serving with troops there are 4 colonels, 4 lieutenant colonels, 8 majors, 46 captains, 52 first lieutenants, and 26 second lieutenants, with the total pay amounting to $312,600. Of the detached officers there are 30 colonels, 30 lieutenant colonels, 86 majors, 435 captains, and 441 first lieutenants, the total pay of these officers being $2,450,000. Of the additional officers there are 44 colonels, 1 lieutenant colonel, 3 captains, and 1 first lieutenant, the total pay of these officers being $188,700. There are 15 chaplain majors, 31 chaplain captains, and 56 chaplain first lieutenants, the total pay of the chaplains being $231,400. That makes a grand total for pay of officers of the line of $13,357,800, which is an increase of $3,587,800 over last year. The CHAIRMAN. Does that estimate include the proposed second increment which comes in on the 1st of July? Gen. SHARPE. Yes, sir: that estimate includes the proposed second increment under the national defense act. Mr. KAHN. Can you put into the hearing just how many additional officers will be included in the second increment? Gen. SHARPE. Yes, sir. (NOTE.-1,194 officers of all arms are provided by the second increment. The estimate for 1918 is for 8,147 officers, and for 1917 there were 6,953 provided for.) Mr. ANTHONY. Has the Army gotten all the officers provided for by the first increment? Gen. SHARPE. I do not believe so. Mr. ANTHONY. But you provide in your estimate for all those in the second increment? Gen. SHARPE. Yes, sir; we have to provide the pay because they are authorized by law. Mr. ANTHONY. But you have not got them yet? Gen. SHARPE. No, sir. The CHAIRMAN. How many are you short on the first increment? Is that complete? Gen. SHARPE. I do not think it is. The additional examinations have not yet all been held. The actual strength of the line officers on October 31, 1916, was 3,703, and there were authorized 5,423 commissioned officers. Mr. ANTHONY. How many have you now? Gen. SHARPE. On October 31, 1916, there were 3,703. Mr. ANTHONY. That first figure inclides the second increment ? Gen. SHARPE. The first increment; yes, sir. Mr. ANTHONY. In what grade are you principally short? Gen. SHARPE. In the grade of second lieutenant. That is the only grade where the shortage is. Mr. ANTHONY. Then the Army to-day, according to those figures, is short nearly 2,000 second lieutenants. Gen. SHARPE. There is a shortage of 1,720. A great many of them have qualified, but have not been commissioned. Mr. KAHN. A great many men took and have passed the examinations, but have not been given their commissions. I assume they were held out because of the fact that the Senate has not as yet confirmed the nominations. Gen. SHARPE. Yes, sir; a great many took the examinations. Mr. ANTHONY. My information is that there are about 450 of them awaiting commissions. Gen. SHARPE. Yes, sir Mr. ANTHONY. Still, that leaves a large deficiency in the grade of second lieutenant. Gen. SHARPE. There are several examinations scheduled to be held in the immediate future. There are several examinations scheduled, and there are always delays in acting on the examinations, because of the distances the examination papers have to come, and also because of the provision of the law which stipulates the way in which they shall be appointed from the different classifications, the different grades, from the Military Academy and from the Army, etc. Then, too, after a large number of examinations may be received in the Adjutant General's office the appointments can not be made at once, until they know about the status of the men, so that the appointments can be made in accordance with the precedence which the law contemplates. Mr. SHALLENBERGER. How many officers are you short in the present organization? Are there a great many organizations short the necessary complement of second lirutenants now? Gen. SHARPE. Yes, sir; I imagine there must be. The last Army Register shows that there is only one second lieutenant of Cavalry, and in the Field Artillery there are no second lieutenants. Mr. SHALLENBERGER. What do they do for the men to fill the places? Gen. SHARPE. If they have but two officers, they have to do the additional duty. In the Coast Artillery there are but three second lieutenants. Mr. SHALLENBERGER. If you had the 1,700 additional men, are there places in which they could be used? Gen. SHARPE. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. You mean that you have enough field officersMr. TILSON (interposing). It is a fact, is it not, that a number of new regiments are practically skeletonized? Gen. SHARPE. I do not know about that. Mr. TILSON. But the organizations are there, to which the officers could be assigned if you had the officers. But the regiments themselves are not complete; they have not the enlisted strength? Gen. Sharpe. Yes, I think that is true. We have a statement of the actual strength of the Army of October 31, 1916, which shows that there are 3,703 officers and 92,824 men in the line of the Army. |