National Defense Act of 1916

The National Defense Act of 1916 provided for an expanded army during peace and wartime, fourfold expansion of the National Guard, the creation of an Officers' and an Enlisted Reserve Corps, plus the creation of a Reserve Officers' Training Corps in colleges and universities. The President was also given authority, in case of war or national emergency, to mobilize the National Guard for the duration of the emergency.

The act was passed amidst the "preparedness controversy", a brief frenzy of great public concern over the state of preparation of the United States armed forces, and shortly after Pancho Villa's cross-border raid on Columbus, New Mexico. Its chief proponent was James Hay of Virginia, the chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs.

References

Herring, Jr., George C. (1964). "James Hay and the Preparedness Controversy, 1915-1916". The Journal of Southern History 30 (4): 383–404. doi:10.2307/2204278.
World War I: The First Three Years American Military History. 1988, U.S. Army Center of Military History.

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Categories: Law stubs | History of the United States (1865–1918) | 1916 in law | United States federal defense and national security legislation | United States and World War I