In time of war or while war is imminent all organizations of the land forces in the mili tary service of the United. States are recruited and maintained as near their prescribed strength as practicable. For this purpose the necessary rendezvous and depots are established by the Secretary of War for the enlistment and train ing of all recruits, and in order that officers may be available for recruiting duty the Presi dent is authorized, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint officers of volunteers of the proper arm of the service, in numbers not to exceed at the rate of one major, four captains, five first lieutenants and five second lieutenants for each organized regiment of cavalry, field artillery or infantry, each three battalions of engineers or each 12 companies of coast artillery; for purposes of instruction and discipline, troops at recruit depots may be organized into companies and battalions, at the discretion of the Secretary of War, with non-commissioned officers and privates of such grades and numbers as may be prescribed by the President The recruit rendezvous and recruit depots are under the direct control of the Secretary of War and render their reports and returns to the adjutant general of the army. To maintain the organ ized land militia organizations in the military service of the 'United States at their maximum strength the recruiting rendezvous and depots in any State or Territory may, at the request of the govemor thereof, enlist and train re cruits for the organized land militia organiza tions in the service of the United States from said State or Territory. In the organization of a recruiting system, after Congress shall have authorized the raising of volunteer forces, the President is authorized to employ retired officers, non-commissioned officers and pri vates of the regular army, either with their rank on the retired list or, in the case of en listed men, with increased non-commissioned rank, or he may, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoint and employ re tired officers below the grade of colonel, with increased volunteer commissioned rank, not to exceed in the case of any officer one grade above that held by him upon the retired list, or retired enlisted men with voltmteer commis sioned rank not above grade of first lieutenant Retired officers and enlisted men while thus employed are not eligible for transfer to the field units, but receive the full pay and allow ances of the respective grades in which they are serving, whether volunteer or regular, in lieu of their retired pay and allowances. Upon
the tertnination of the duty or, in case of those given volunteer rank, upon muster out as volunteers said retired officers and enlisted men revert to their retired status.
Except as otherwise specifically prescribed by law, all officers are subject to sudi assign ments of duty and such transfers as the Presi dent may direct. Medical officers of volunteers when detailed as consulting surgeons do not exercise command over the hospitals to which they may be assigned for duty, except by virtue of their commissions they may command all enlisted men. Medical inspectors are detailed for duty with each army, field army or army corps and division, and for the base and lines of communications, and no officer is detailed for duty as a medical inspector except he be experienced in military sanitation. All officers and enlisted men of the volunteer forces are in all respects on the same footing as to pay, allowances and pensions as officers and en listed men of corresponding grades in the regular army.
In accordance with a proper military policy for the United States as prepared by the War College Division, general staff corps in addi tion to any forces that may be maintained and trained in time of peace, provision must. be made for vastly increasing such forces in time of war. These must come from the untrained body of citizens and provision for raising them is contained in the Act of Congress ap proved 25 April 1914. This act meets the mili tary needs for raising volunteer troops as far as concerns the enlisted personnel, except in two particulars: first, that under the exist ing laws certain organizations of the miliba, with numbers far below the full strength,- can enter the volunteer force in advance of other similar volunteer organizations from the same State; and second, no volunteers of any arm or branch can be raised until all the militia of that particular arm or branch have been called into the service of the United States.