Page:Joseph Davies Memorandum regarding Military Strength of the Soviet Union.djvu/5

 pursued in a higher educational institution, or the conscripts may be held liable for a few weeks of training each Summer.

13. About 500,000, men complete their active service annually. In addition, for every conscript selected for service in the Red Army, two men are given brief summer training in military fundamentals. The Red Army is therefore building up its reserves at a rate of about three reserves for each man in the ranks of the Red Army.

14. The rate of accumulation of reserves during the past twenty years has not been uniform, but it is probable that the Soviet Union possesses approximately 5,000,000 trained men who could be used to fill up reserve divisions. An additional 6,000,000 men partially trained are estimated to be available for subsequent draft requirements. The total pool of physically fit males from which the armed forces must be drawn is estimated at 15,000,000.

15. The period 1934-1938 has been one of extraordinary growth for the Red Army. During this time, the strength of the army has been increased from less than half a million to a present total of 1,300,000. The increase in budget estimates for military purposes during this period has been no less startling. The military budget -5-