02950cam a22003373u 4500 77534 UtSlPG 20260610134809.0 m cr n 260607r20251916utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d 16015681 UtSlPG en iso639-1 UA Fortescue, Granville, 1875-1952 Fore-armed Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg, 2025 1 online resource : multiple file formats text txt rdacontent computer c rdamedia online resource cr rdacarrier Release date is 2025-12-22 deaurider, chenzw and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) "Fore-armed" by Granville Fortescue is a treatise on military preparedness and citizen-soldier organization written in the early 20th century. It compares the defense systems of several nations to extract practical lessons for building a democratic, economical U.S. citizen army. Grounded in recent wartime observations, it advocates universal, field-focused training tailored to American traditions. The opening of the work frames preparedness as a civic necessity, then surveys foreign models to guide U.S. policy. It first details Switzerland’s compulsory militia: strict physical selection, modest but intensive field training, universal marksmanship culture, low costs, and officers promoted from the ranks. It then outlines Germany’s universal service and layered reserves, rigorous barracks discipline, industrial integration, railways under military logic, and the dangers of a domineering military caste. The French section highlights a democratic army ethos, three years’ active service with deep reserves and territorials, and a strong officer–soldier bond that fosters battlefield initiative. Australia’s scheme shows universal training built through school cadets into short, annual militia camps that still yield high combat value. England’s experience contrasts a superb but small professional army with fragile reserves, illustrating why volunteers and thin territorials failed and why conscription became unavoidable. A chapter on the new era in warfare stresses trench stalemate, mass artillery, and the rise of airships, aircraft, and submarines, urging American technical innovation, and the section’s close begins a discussion of how shrinking global transport lines sharpen the United States’ strategic exposure. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Originally published: Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Company, 1916 United States -- Defenses Armies https://archive.org/details/forearmedhowtobu00fortrich https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/77534 118254 118254