Nation: THE DEFENSE BILL: Flexibility for the Atomic Age

“THE U.S. House of Representatives last week passed President Kennedy’s $42.7 billion defense bill—the biggest since World War II and a sum representing more than half of the total budget for fiscal 1962. The House vote was 412-0, and at no time during the brief debate was a suggestion made to cut the appropriation on a major point. Since the Senate is virtually certain to approve the bill in much the same form, it is perfectly plain that the 87th Congress is ready, willing and eager to give President Kennedy whatever he thinks he needs for the military defense of the U.S. and the free world.

That defense is based upon the sound precept that the U.S. must have more military flexibility than it has had in recent years. The U.S. will continue to rely basically on the potential for massive nuclear retaliation, but it will also attempt to increase the capacity for fighting so-called “limited” or “conventional” wars, which the Communists have become so adept at pushing.

The bill’s chief provisions:

Limited Warfare. In all, the U.S. will spend more than $1 billion more this year than last on new weapons and techniques for fighting limited wars. To give its 14 divisions more mobility and firepower, the Army will get large quantities of armored personnel carriers, 51-ton M-60 tanks, self-propelled artillery and a new super-jeep. The Army will have an increased tactical atomic punch, with assault missiles ranging from the 500-mile, solid-fuel Pershing down to the Davy Crockett, which can be carried by two G.I.s. The Marine Corps will increase in size from 175,000 to 190,000 men, get two new battalions, two new helicopter squadrons, and more A4D attack bombers and all-weather F4H fighter bombers for close air support. In testimony before a House subcommittee, Marine Commandant General David Shoup complained: “We have more fight than we can ferry.” To ferry in marines and G.I.s when the brush fires begin to burn, the bill calls for 119 new null and C-135 Air Force transports.

Missile Deterrent. The U.S. will continue to rely on liquid-fuel Atlas and Titan intercontinental missiles. The bill will complete the Air Force’s 13-squadron Atlas program (with a total of 135 missiles), allow for twelve squadrons of Titans (with a total of 108 missiles). But the future of strategic deterrence clearly belongs to two solid-fuel missiles: the Navy’s submarine-carried Polaris, and the Air Force’s Minuteman, which can be fired from concrete “silos” buried in the ground, eventually will also be carried on special trains roaming at random through the U.S. and perhaps non-Communist Europe. Kennedy’s bill will spend $1.8 billion to double the yearly production of Polaris subs from five to ten, put 29 into the water by 1964, instead of by 1967 as scheduled by Eisenhower. In all, the present bill will buy 60 Minuteman and 160 Polaris missiles.

Bomber Deterrent. Despite the surge in missiles, manned bombers will continue to play a major role in strategic deterrence. The bill will create the 14th wing of long-range, 650-m.p.h. B-525 and the 2nd wing of mediumrange, 1,300-m.p.h. B58 Hustlers. Kennedy wanted to drop production of both the B-52s and the B-58s in 1962. but the House added $448,840,000 to continue purchase of the bombers and to step up study of the highly controversial 2,000-m.p.h. B-70, which is now in mock-up form. In addition, the bill speeds up development of the 1,000-mile, nuclear-tipped Sky-bolt missile, which will increase the punch and range of the B-52. The bill will also keep nearly 200 of the Air Force’s 1,500 bombers in the air at all times, armed and ready to attack, while half of the remaining planes are on ground alert (15 minutes to take off).

Sea War. In addition to the Polaris program, the Navy will get delivery of the 60,000-ton Constellation, the conventional carrier that was swept by fire last December while still in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the 75,700-ton Enterprise, first nuclear-powered carrier, and the 14,000-ton Long Beach, first nuclear-powered cruiser. The Navy also will get seven new guided-missile frigates (one nuclear powered), which will be used largely in anti-submarine warfare.

Air Defense of U.S. The bill accelerates construction of the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System, which will give 15 minutes’ warning of an attack. To speed detection by priceless minutes, the program also steps up work on Midas, a satellite-borne, spy-in-the-sky warning system. To counter an enemy’s manned bombers, the bill will improve the Nike-Hercules and Bomarc ground-to-air missiles, beef up the F-101, F-102 and F106 interceptors.