The general staff," a body of general staff officers who are not attached to any corps, is entrusted, under the immediate supervision of the chief of the general staff, with drawing up and preparing schemes for the strategical concentration of the army in certain particular directions by road and rail, with collecting and estimating the strength, etc., of the various armies, with the study of theatres of war, and with the preparation of military maps. It is also employed in promoting military science, es pecially military history, and in the supervision of the training of young officers.
The general staff corps, United States army, is composed of officers detailed for serv ice in said corps for a period of four years, unless sooner relieved, under rule of selection prescribed by the President. Upon being re lieved from duty in the general staff corps, offi cers return to the branch of the army in which they hold permanent commissions, and except in case of emergency or in time of war are not eligible to further detail therein until they have served for two years with the branch of the army in which commissioned. This ineligibility does not apply to any officer who has been re lieved prior to the expiration of. four years' duty with the corps; but such officer will be come ineligible as soon as he shall have com pleted a total of four years of said duty. While serving in the general staff corps officers may be temporarily assigned to duty with any branch of the army.
The general staff corps, under the direction of the chief of staff, is charged with the duty of investigating and reporting upon all ques tions affecting the efficiency of the army and its state of preparation for military operations, and to this end considers and reports upon all questions relating to organization, distribution, equipment, armament and training of the mili tary forces, proposed legislative enactments and general and special regulations affecting the army, transportation, communications, quar ters and supplies; prepares projects formanceu vres; revises estimates for appropriations for the support of the army and advises as to dis bursement of such appropriations; exercises supervision over inspections, military educa tion and instruction, examinations for the ap pointment and promotion of officers, efficiency records, details and assignments, and all orders and instructions originating in the course of administration in any branch of the service which have relation to the efficiency of the military forces; prepares important orders and correspondence embodying the orders and in structions of the President and Secretary of War to the army; reviews the reports of exam ining and retiring boards, and acts upon such other matters as the Secretary of War may determine.
The general staff corps, tinder like direction, is further charged with the duty of preparing plans for the national defense and for the mobilization of the military forces (including the assignment to armies, corps, divisions and other headquarters of the necessary quota of general staff and other staff officers), and in cident thereto with the study of possible theatres of war and of strategic questions in general; with the collection of military in formation; the preparation of plans of cam paign, of reports of campaigns, battles, en gagements and expeditions, and of technical histories of military operations of the United States.