COAST. I ARTILLERY JOURNAL, - Air Defense Artillery

TACTICAL INSPECTION 449
of his defenses for war is to create a war situation problem and then
solve it as naturally as possible, that is, to use as far as possible the
applicatory system, remembering that basically we want to test the team
work and tactical proficiency of the command and not the training of
individuals and units or the condition, suitability and sufficiency of
materiel, properly determined by other inspections and studies.
Since we are testing our war readiness as a Harbor Defense we must
simulate our war situation as far as possible by filling all key positions
in our command and communication system. National Guard and
Reserve officers and key enlisted men on war assignment to the Harbor
Defense should be encouraged to be present and participate in their
war positions, either at their own expense or under one-day orders.
Enlisted men of the defenses commissioned in the reserve corps and
assigned to the defenses should function in their war assignment for
the day. Subordinate units have had a tactical inspection by their
commanders previously and for this occasion we are not particularly
concerned with the tactical proficiency of any subordinate unit as a unit.
We must therefore, where necessary, withdraw individuals from
their units to fill war assignments. Subordinate units will still function
as such in their war-time assignment at slightly reduced strength and
lend to the realism of the war problem. We may be tempted to go so
far as to fire target practice to add to this realism, but I believe, due to
the necessity of records and officials, the small amount of ammunition
available, and the conditions under which it has to be fired, that no
target practice should be attempted with the larger guns.
At least a week before the day of the inspection preparations should
be begun. A declaration of war should be announced and a reasonable
and realistic general situation released to the command. Instructions
would be issued announcing the making effective war assignments of
officers, Regular, Xational Guard and Resen-e, and key enlisted men,
on H-hour, D--clay. Arrangements and details would he made for recording
all actions and orders on the day of the inspection. An administrative
order would be issued covering supply, personnel, medical
assignments, guards, and similar subjects, effective D-day. In these
advance preparations the staff would perform its proper functions.
In order to simulate war conditions the action must develop gradually.
To accomplish this it is proposed that some qualified officer,the
Harhor Defense Executive, for example, become a casualty before
D-day and hecome not a director exactly hut the individual from whom
all enemy information and defense casualty reports will be received.
This director, as we will call him for purposes of discussion, would