The White Falcon - 27.05.1961, Qupperneq 2

2
WHITE FALCON
Saturday, May 27, 1961
Future Offers Choices
(This is the final in a series of articles based upon testimony
before Congress by the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air
Force, covering Air Force policy. Editor.)
X? THE
L^omman
CALLS
One of General White’s last major points concerned future
strategy, future choice.
“There are a number of strategic choices open to us — and
to an enemy — and these will increase as the aerospace weapon
inventories of both sides grow,” he said. “These weapons will in-
clude advanced aircraft, ground, sea and air-launched missiles and
space weapons. As a result, we cannot afford to base our force
structure on the premise that any one particular strategy will
be followed.
“In this light, I am deeply concerned with the need to main-
tain a proper mix of manned and unmanned weapon systems in our
future aerospace forces .
“There is no question, for example, that this country’s defense
posture will be greatly improved by the phase-in of effective and
reliable intercontinental ballistic missiles. They are exceptional
weapons.
“Nevertheless, they cannot perform all essential combat tasks.
We will have to rely upon manned weapon systems to perform vital
war functions which require on-the-spot, trained human judgement.”
And General White concluded: “In any future war, there is
the almost certain probability that events will not unfold exactly
as planned. Thus, there will be a tremendous premium on systems
which can look, and find, and report, and attack, and return, and
attack again. We will always need systems which can search out
and destroy mobile targets, as well as fixed or rapidly developing
targets whose positions are uncertain or unknown until observed.
We will also need a post-strike reconnaissance capability to assess
the results of our attacks and to show the way to the most effective
employment of succeeding strikes.”
★ ★ ★
A Time For Pride
Memorial Day every year has been a poignant experience for
Americans of all races and creeds. It has added meaning for us
this year, perhaps, because it was born of the war that began
100 years ago and is now being commemorated by Centennial events.
But May 30 has long since come to be a day of tribute to all of
our war dead, when their graves are green with spring and bright
with flowers. In Arlington National Cemetery the bugler sounds
Taps and it is the pure distillation of the nation’s feeling — grati-
tude to these men who died for what they believed in.
Is this to say that each and every one of them gave his life in
a spirit of burning affirmation? Not at all. Most of them were
ordinary men and a good many would not have been able to put
their beliefs into words. Quite a few were foreign-born; they
didn’t die for their native land. But they did share with Americans
by birth the feeling that America was a place where a man could
be 10 feet tall and walk upright.
This feeling is latent in all of us. It goes so deep, it is so basic
to our being, that very few of us can attempt to define it without
embarrassment. The men we honor on Memorial Day did not go into
battle to die; they were not dedicated martyrs burning with a Cru-
sader’s passion. They did know, however, that men get killed in
battles, and each of them gave plenty of thought to his own chances
of coming out alive.
In other words, these men were afraid. But they fought for
their country anyhow. They wanted to live. They didn’t. But the
possibility of dying did not make them swerve from duty, so they
were, perhaps, impelled by some spirit of devotion they only dimly
sensed. We all have that spirit; we can be proud they had it. For,
if they hadn’t, would we be its inheritors? (AFPS)
★ * ★
Air Force Assigned
Research, development and operation of all military recon-
naissance satellite systems has been assigned to the Air Force
by Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara.
DOD Directive 5160.34 spelled out further that the Air Force,
in the field of non-satellite mapping and geodetic systems, will
be responsible for “research, development and operation of all
cartographic, photographic, and geodetic systems (excluding data
processing, other than field computations) requiring the service
of high performance aircraft in accordance with the requirements
and schedule provided by the Department of the Army.”
In a nutshell, USAF has a space role to develop and operate
means of getting reconnaissance data. Once obtained by the Air
Force, it’s then the Army’s job to process this into actual charts
and maps.
Similiarly, the U. S. Navy has been assigned the research,
development, and operational mission of gathering data for survey
of ocean areas. The Navy will then turn over this information to
the Army for map-making.
THE WHITE FALCON
Col. Benjamin G. Willis, USAF
Commander, Air Forces Iceland
The WHITE FALCON <* an official Class II Armed Forces newspaper published weekly at
Keflavik Airport, Iceland by Air Forces Iceland of the Military Air Transport Service for
all contingents stationed at Keflavik Airport. The WHITE FALCON receives AFPS and
AFNS materials. Views and opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the
Department of Defense.
Information Officer..............Capt Warren J. Papin, USAF
Editor ............................. TSgt Wylie Mason, USAF
IsafoldArprentsmlAja h.f.
MATS units set the lowest
AWOL rate in the command’s
history during the first quarter
of calendar year 1961 with less
than one man on AWOL lists for
each 2,000 assigned.
According to Security and Law
Enforcement officials at MATS
headquarters, MATS men during
February established a single
monthly low AWOL rate of .36
per 1,000 men assigned. The pro-
vious low mark for a single month
was set last August when MATS
recorded a .46 AWOL rate per
1,000 men.
Early in 1958, MATS had five
men AWOL for every 2,000 men
and this prompted officials to set
a MATS goal of 1.50 per thous-
and. This was reached in Nov-
ember that year and by 1960 a
new mark was set which was just
half of the 1958 goal.
The Security and Law Enforce-
ment officials said the steady
downward trend is attributed to
the cooperation of commanders
and supervisors through concen-
trated study, and an effort en-
abling potential AWOL to be
identified and preventive measur-
es taken.
When MATS became a major
command in 1948, the command
had 29.1 man days lost per 1,000
men, while this past March,
MATS showed 3.9 man days lost
per 1,000 men through AWOLs.
MATS officials have stressed
the vigorous pursuit of low AW-
OL goals to enhance the stand-
ards of performance and reliabil-
ity within MATS and ensure ful-
fillment of all missions at lower
costs and higher production.
* * *
Scientists have measured ener-
gy from Venus at the very short
wave length of 4.3 millimeters.
They believe that this is the first
time such measurements have
been made.
Their findings may help re-
solve the question of the surface
temperature of the planet and
might influence plans for future
space probes to Venus, estimated
previously to be 600 degrees (F)
hot.
H= *
The Military Air Transport
Service recently awarded contracts
totaling more than $4.8 million to
11 civilian airlines. The contracts
cover overseas transportation of
military passengers and cargo
during March, April, May and
June.
MATS buys commercial airlift
for all branches of the armed
forces as agent for the Secretary
of the Air Force.
* * *
Kansas’ first Atlas ICBM was
placed in its launch complex Apr.
12 for checkout at Forbes AFB.
It is assigned to Forbes’ 548th
Strategic Missile Squadron.
Senators Are Briefed
Top Air Force planners appeared before the Senate Armed
Services Committee to give full details about the $6,079,000,000
needed in fiscal year 1962 for aircraft and missile procurement.
USAF officials were specifically concerned with over $3.2
billion earmarked by a House of Representatives bill (H.R. 6151)
for airraft and nearly $2.7 billion for missiles.
Congressmen looked at a large chunk of the Defense De-
partment budget for 1962—about $12 billion—as they examined
the appropriation authorization for missiles, aircraft and naval ves-
sels submitted by the Air Force, Army and Navy.
While Congress has closely examined the Armed Forces “hard-
ware” budgetary items in the past, this represents the first time
that Congress has taken up aircraft, missile and naval procurement
for the Armed Forces as a whole. Congress stipulated in Public
Law 86-149, Section 412 (b), that after Dec. 30, 1960 such pro-
curement be considered in its entirety to reduce the cost of defense
and be of assistance to the Committees on Appropriations in their
consideration of the Defense budget.
Therefore, the 412-b hearings, as they are popularly known in
Washington governmental circles, reflect top-side military thinking
on trends in various hardware. And the Air Force generals giving
concentrated “hardware” testimony for the first time followed this
approach.
* * *
Maj. Gen. Prescott M. Spicer, director of programs, Hq. USAF,
gave a summary of trends: “There is a decrease in combat units
during the program period; however, the capability of the program-
med units is increasing in modernization of the forces continued.”
“In the strategic manned forces, although modernized with
B-52s and B-58s, there is a continuing decrease in the number of
manned wings and squadrons while missile wings and squadrons
continue to increase as the Atlas, Titan, and Minuteman become
operational,” General Spicer continued.
“The air defense aircraft and missile squadrons are at a fairly
well stabilized level. A Missile Defense Alarm System (Midas)
is programmed to come into the force. The tactical force decreases
as the force is modernized.”
Lt. Gen. Mark E. Bradley, Jr., deputy chief of staff, materiel,
broke down the Air Force requests for FY 62 funds needed in
the aircraft and missile procurement programs.
* * *
On $670 million for aircraft modification he said, “the rapid
technological changes and corresponding increase in enemy capabil-
ity make it mandatory that our strike, defensive and support forces
be constantly upgraded to cope with the changing threat.
“This program provides our forces with the necessary improve-
ments to maintain them in the required technical and operational
configuration to meet such threats.”
General Bradley also briefed Senators on $82 million requested
for items of common procurement, $46.7 million for component im-
provements, $875 million for modernizatin and upkeep of industrial
facilities, and $26 million for other items such as aircraft tip tanks.
“With regard to the missile procurement program our request
totals $2.8 billion dollars, he said. “The direct support programs
provide the same type of support programs for missiles as pre-
viously explained for aircraft; that is, spares and spare parts for
operational missiles; common ground support equipment for in-
service missiles; modification; component improvement; and in-
dustrial facilities activities.”
Hi Hi
Maj. Gen. John K. Hester, deputy director of operations, Hq.
USAF, told senators about the actual hardware.
Talking of air refueling, he said that “increasingly effective
enemy defenses require more flexible tactics. Some of these involve
low altitude penetrations, while others involve end runs around
enemy defenses, or a combination of both. Adequate tanker support
is essential to these tactics... .The KC-135 jet tanker is the present
answer to the inflight refueling problem.”
On F-105s, he said: “This airplane is needed to replace obsolete
tactical fighters and bombers which do not have the performance
or fire power essential for combat in the mid-1960s. Furthermore,
our older fighters have a very limited ability to deliver weapons
under adverse weather conditions. Prompt modernization of the
tactical fighter forces is essential.”
* * *
He discussed T-38, T-39, T-40 trainers and air-to-air infrared
and radar homing missiles, and then took up the B-70 program. “The
B-70 improvements in performance are not measured in percentages
but by factors, almost four times in cruise speed, two times in
altitude, ground reaction time equal to or better than our present
fighter aircraft.
“This kind of performance, plus the ability to carry a large
load of different sizes and types of nuclear munitions, will give
this weapon system the versatility so necessary to do the job which
we cannot do with missiles alone,” he declared.
* * He
“The revised budget provides $218 million for the continued
development of this item,” General Hester continued. “The current
program will lead to a demonstration of the technical feasibility of
a B-70 type aircraft, and the design and demonstration of a bombing
system. Discussions are now going on between the contractor and
the Air Force regarding the number of prototypes to be produced.”
General Hester also discussed modernization of the Military
Air Transport Service fleet with C-130E cargo and troop carriers
and the new C-141 jet-fan plane just off the drawing boards.