Infantry Available in the United States

WAR DEPARTMENT
Office of the Chief of StaffWashington.
MEMORANDUM FOR THE CHIEF OF STAFF:
Subject: Infantry available in the United States and organizations that have a possibility of conversion to Infantry.
1. The following questions presented to the Operations Committee are answered from data presented by the different Departments most of which are as of May 1st. Questions are lettered A. to L (J omitted) and to this memorandum is attached the reports of the different departments (correspondingly lettered) from which the data have been taken.
A. Infantry and Machine-Gun Units in Divisions in the United States:
Infantry 199,408; Machine-Gun Units 30,696.
B. Infantry in Regular Regiments not in Divisions but including separate Brigades (US)44,151; Machine Gun Units 284, a total in the U. S. of Infantry 243,559, Machine Gun Units 30,980
C. Replacements for Infantry. reports show Infantry replacements at Camp Gordon of two Provisional Regiments, 4440.
D. Marines in service of United States.
The total in the United States proper is 22,364, of which about 4900 are in small detachments at powder works, radio stations, arsenals, etc.
E. What other troops could be transferred into Infantry.
The Coast Artillery is probably the only other branch which could be converted into Infantry. The Chief of Coast Artillery reports the strength in the United States as approximately 55,000; 24,000 are already organized into artillery units for service abroad, 6,000 assigned to Mine Defense under orders of the Secretary of War and the remainder (25,000), as having less than 4 months service on an average and no infantry training.
F. Total number of Infantry, if whole May draft is assigned to Infantry.
The May draft proper calls for 233,600 and a special draft has been called of 51,000 (a total of 284,600). If all should be converted to Infantry, there would be an infantry strength in the United States (Including Machine Gun Battalions) of 559,739.
About 100,000 of the April draft of 150,000 will be assigned to Infantry and Machine-Gun Units, which will make the total Infantry strength 659,739.
G. New National Guard available for use on the Border.
(a). The Militia Bureau reports three regiments, one battalion and one Company of Infantry numbering in all 4686, two regiments and one battery of Field Artillery, numbering 2569, seven companies of Coast Artillery, numbering 698 and one Field Hospital numbering 79, a total of 8032 as having been organized and accepted into the Federal Service. With the exception of 7 Companies of Coast Artillery, none of the above troops have been issued Federal clothing or equipment.
(b) Eleven regiments of Infantry, seven regiments of Cavalry, and six companies of Coast Artillery, have been authorized but not yet completed.
(c) There are being inspected with a view to Federal recognition two regiments of Infantry, three separate battalions of Infantry, nine separate Companies of Infantry, three companies of Coast Artillery and one Battalion of Engineers. With the possible exception of the troops enumerated in (a) it is not believed that any National Guard is available for use on the Border and even that under (a) would need equipment and considerable training.
H. Troops in Hawaii, Panama, Alaska and Philippine Islands separately.
The following troops are in our foreign possessions:
Hawaii
6912
Panama
6211
Alaska 791
Philippine Islands:-
(a) Army
4802
(b) Philippine Scouts
5394
Total10196
China
1326
I. Porto Rico Regiment Strength and where is it.
The Porto Rican Regiment numbering 1955 is in Panama and included under Panama, Paragraph H. K. Possibility of utilizing Philippine Islands with Japanese in Siberia. Could our transports supply them and how many transports available in Pacific for this work?We have in Pacific waters 4 trans-pacific troop transports and one animal transport with a total capacity of 6211 troops; cargo capacity of 14,227 tons; 4 Philippine Coast-wise transports with a total troop capacity of 1570 and a cargo capacity of 9877 tons. This makes a total troop capacity of 7781 and a cargo capacity of 24105 tons. Allowing for a small garrison in the Philippine Islands the troops could possibly be transported on one trip.
L. Should troops be landed at Archangel and Murmansk. Could they be supplied with our present shipping without injury Western front program?
As the harbor at Archangel has but 25 feet of water on the bar at high tide and our trans-pacific transports draw 26 feet, it is evident that troops could not be landed there with our present facilities. Murmansk, though open the year round and with sufficient depth of water to accommodate the largest transports is connected with Petrograd by a railroad which it is understood is laid over swampy ground and not sufficiently ballasted for heavy traffic during the Summer. It is not believed that if a large force is sent to Siberia, it could be supplied without using cargo ships in addition to our Pacific Transports and a consequent injury to the Western Front program.
(signed) HENRY JERVEY
Brigadier General, N.A.
Director of Operations,
Assistant to Acting Chief of Staff.