CAB38-17 — Page 154

Page 154

Page 154

Page 154

17. Since the Conference of 1909, Lord Kitchener has visited Australia and New Zealand and has submitted to the Governments of these Dominions schemes for the reorganisation of their military forces on a Territorial basis, which are now being put into operation.

18. Sir John French similarly visited Canada in 1910 and made certain recom- mendations for the improvement of the organisation of the Canadian military forces, which it is believed will be adopted by the Canadian Government.

19. Owing to the recent establishment of the Union, no new departure in regard to military matters has been taken in South Africa during the last two years. The Government of the Union has, however, been in consultation with the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief the Forces in South Africa in regard to the organisation of the local military forces, and they will, it is believed, shortly be in a position to formulate a policy and introduce legislation to give effect to it.

20. The Army Council have thus no far reaching proposals regarding the organisation of the military forces of the Dominions for war to lay before the approaching Conference. They hope, however, to arrange for further progress to be made on the lines already laid down, and they submit definite proposals for the consideration of the Conference in a Memorandum which is printed as Appendix V to this Report. The Army Council will also be prepared to assist in regard to any matters on which their advice may be asked by the Dominion representatives.

21. In order that effect may be given to the suggestion put forward in Section II of this Report that various situations that might arise in certain eventualities should be discussed, a paper should be prepared in continuation of the Committee of Imperial Defence Paper No. 62 C, indicating the nature of the services that the military forces of the Dominions might render in the general defence of the Empire in certain eventualities.

22. The question of the assistance that might be given by the Dominions in such circumstances was touched upon in a Memorandum by the General Staff laid before the Imperial Conference on Defence in 1909 by Sir William Nicholson. In paragraph 12 of Part I of that Memorandum it was stated that--

"The necessity for early consideration of this great question of Imperial military policy is increased by the fact that, in proportion as danger threatens the heart of the Empire and compels the Mother Country to concentrate her naval and military forces, the immediate responsibility for the safety of the outlying portions of the Empire must tend to be delegated to her daughter nations, whose possession of alternative lines of communication might enable them to send prompt and efficient aid to some threatened point, or to reinforce or relieve the regular forces of the Mother Country.

"For instance, Australia and New Zealand are so situated that they might be able to send troops to reinforce India or the garrisons of defended ports in Asiatic waters, at a time when it would be unsafe to dispatch them from the United Kingdom by way of the Mediterranean. Similarly, a United South Africa might be able to raise a force not merely sufficient for home defence, but capable of giving effective assistance in the solution of any military problems which might arise upon the African continent. Canada is in the best position, perhaps, to render aid promptly should trouble arise nearer home, or to reinforce Australia.”

23. Since the Imperial Conference of 1909, a Sub-Committee of the Committee Imperial Defeuce has examined the question of the oversea transport of reinforcements in war (see C.I.D. Paper 116 в). They expressed the opinion that it is impossible to forecast with certainty what ocean routes will be safe for the transport of troops oversea in war. The security of the routes will depend upon considerations of the Power or Powers with which we are at war, and upon the actual disposition of the enemy's fleets. The Sub-Committee considered, however, that, owing to the wide geographical distribution of the various parts of the British Empire, there will always be a reasonable probability that troops could be safely conveyed oversea either from the United Kingdom or from one of the Dominions to any threatened point.

24. This expression of opinion will enable the discussion of this question to be carried a stage further at the approaching Conference; and it is suggested that, in addition to the possible dispatch of reinforcements to India and defended ports in Asiatic waters from Australia and New Zealand, reference might be made to a possible

کی

Page 154

Page 154