4.  Demobilization of our armed forces

The cessation of active campaigning does not mean that we can completely disband our fighting forces.  For their sake and for the sake of their loved ones at home, I wish that we could.  But we still have the task of clinching the victories we have won—­of making certain that Germany and Japan can never again wage aggressive warfare, that they will not again have the means to bring on another world war.  The performance of that task requires that, together with our allies, we occupy the hostile areas, complete the disarmament of our enemies, and take the necessary measures to see to it that they do not rearm.

As quickly as possible, we are bringing about the reduction of our armed services to the size required for these tasks of occupation and disarmament.  The Army and the Navy are following both length-of-service and point systems as far as possible in releasing men and women from the service.  The points are based chiefly on length and character of service, and on the existence of dependents.

Over 5 million from the Army have already passed through the separation centers.

The Navy, including the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard, has discharged over one and a half million.

Of the 12 million men and women serving in the Army and Navy at the time of the surrender of Germany, one-half have already been released.  The greater part of these had to be brought back to this country from distant parts of the world.

Of course there are cases of individual hardship in retention of personnel in the service.  There will be in the future.  No system of such size can operate to perfection.  But the systems are rounded on fairness and justice, and they are working at full speed.  We shall try to avoid mistakes, injustices, and hardship—­as far as humanly possible.

We have already reached the point where shipping is no longer the bottleneck in the return of troops from the European theater.  The governing factor now has become the requirement for troops in sufficient strength to carry out their missions.

In a few months the same situation will exist in the Pacific.  By the end of June, 9 out of 10 who were serving in the armed forces on Ve-day will have been released.  Demobilization will continue thereafter, but at a slower rate, determined by our military responsibilities.

Our national safety and the security of the world will require substantial armed forces, particularly in overseas service.  At the same time it is imperative that we relieve those who have already done their duty, and that we relieve them as fast as we can.  To do that, the Army and the Navy are conducting recruiting drives with considerable success.

The Army has obtained nearly 400,000 volunteers in the past four months, and the Navy has obtained 80,000.  Eighty percent of these volunteers for the regular service have come from those already with the colors.  The Congress has made it possible to offer valuable inducements to those who are eligible for enlistment.  Every effort will be made to enlist the required number of young men.