The administration of the Army and the War Department is effected under the Secretary of War through the Chief of Staff by various bureaus or offices, as follows: the Coast Artillery under a chief with the rank of Major General; the Adjutant General’s Department under an Adjutant General with the rank of Major General, which is the department of records, orders and correspondence of the Army and the Militia; the Judge Advocate General’s Department, under a Judge Advocate General with the rank of Major General, which is the legal department of the Army; the Inspector General’s Department under an Inspector General with the rank of Major General; the Quartermaster Department, under a Quartermaster General with the rank of Major General, which has charge of supply and transportation; the Medical Department, under a Surgeon General with the rank of Major General; the Corps of Engineers, under a Chief of Engineers with the rank of Major General; the Ordnance Corps, under a Chief of Ordnance with the rank of Major General; and the Signal Corps, under a Chief Signal Officer with the rank of Major General.
The Sea Forces.—The sea forces of the United States consist of the regular Navy, the Marine Corps, the Naval Militia of the several States and territories when mustered into the service of the United States, and the Coast Guard and Lighthouse Service when transferred to the jurisdiction of the Navy Department in time of war or when war is imminent, including in each case both the vessels and the personnel pertaining to them, afloat and ashore. The vessels of the Coast and Geodetic Survey and of the Bureau of Fisheries may also be transferred to the jurisdiction of the Navy in time of war.
The vessels of the Navy are organized into fleets which are divided for purposes of administration and tactics into forces, squadrons, divisions, and sections.
A “Fleet” is an aggregation of vessels of various classes in one organization under one command.
Fleets are subdivided into “Forces,” each “Force” being made up of the vessels of a fleet that are of the same class or type that are assigned to perform the same duty.
A “Force” is subdivided into “Squadrons,” and in turn, a “Squadron” is subdivided into “Divisions,” and a “Division” is subdivided into “Sections.”
A “Section” consists of two vessels of the larger classes or three vessels of the smaller classes; a “Division” normally consists of two “Sections,” and a “Squadron” usually consists of two “Divisions,” although the numbers in each subdivision may be varied to suit special occasions or duties.
A squadron of torpedo vessels is called a “Flotilla,” in deference to long established custom.
A completely organized Fleet is composed of a Battleship Force, a Scout Force, a Cruiser Force, a Destroyer Force, a Submarine Force, a Mine Force and a Train Force, the latter consisting of the supply ships and repair vessels and transports and being usually referred to as the “Train.”
The Navy is administered ashore by a bureau system, consisting of a number of bureaus and offices having charge of the various activities required for the building and upkeep of the fleets at sea, and all directed by the Secretary of the Navy through the Office of Naval Operations, the Chief of Naval Operations with the rank of Admiral being the senior or ranking officer of the Navy.