National Defense Act of 1920

E372826

The National Defense Act of 1920 was a U.S. federal law that reorganized and expanded the post–World War I Army, firmly establishing the framework for a larger peacetime force and a strengthened National Guard and Army Reserve.

Try in SPARQL Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
National Defense Act of 1920 canonical 3

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States federal law
military reform law
amends National Defense Act of 1916
appliesTo Army National Guard
Organized Reserve Corps
United States Army
authorizes Citizens’ Military Training Camps
Reserve Officers’ Training Corps expansion
branch United States Army
clarifies dual state-federal status of the National Guard
codifiedIn United States Statutes at Large
componentOf interwar U.S. military policy
country United States of America
surface form: United States
creates position of Chief of Air Service
position of Chief of Cavalry
position of Chief of Coast Artillery
position of Chief of Field Artillery
position of Chief of Infantry
dateEnacted 1920-06-04
definesStructureOf United States Army
surface form: Army of the United States
effect expanded the role of reserve officers in the Army
institutionalized the National Guard as the Army’s primary reserve
provided legal basis for U.S. Army organization until World War II
establishes Reserve Component
surface form: National Guard as primary reserve component

Organized Reserves as federal reserve component
Regular Forces
surface form: Regular Army as first line of defense

system of three-component Army (Regular Army, National Guard, Organized Reserves)
governs peacetime organization of the Army after World War I
historicalPeriod interwar period
influencedBy lessons learned from World War I mobilization
legalStatus in force as amended by later legislation
longTitleIncludes An Act To amend an Act entitled "An Act for making further and more effectual provision for the national defense"
presidentAtEnactment Woodrow Wilson
purpose establish a larger peacetime army
reorganize the United States Army after World War I
strengthen the Army Reserve
strengthen the National Guard
reaffirms citizen-soldier concept
recognizes National Guard as a component of the Army in time of war
relatedToConflict World War I
requires War Plans Division
surface form: War Department to prepare mobilization plans

standardized training for Regular Army and National Guard
setsMaximumStrengthFor United States National Guard
surface form: National Guard

Organized Reserve Corps
surface form: Organized Reserves

Regular Army
signedBy Woodrow Wilson
strengthens federal control over National Guard training and organization
typeOfChange major reorganization of land forces

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

National Defense Act of 1916 relatedTo National Defense Act of 1920
Organized Reserve Corps legalBasis National Defense Act of 1920
Air Corps Act of 1926 relatedTo National Defense Act of 1920