Evening star., 1939-04-09
BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.

greatest auiation effort since the
World War;
BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.
Frontier Outposts of the Ameri-
can air defense system will be
pushed out 1000 miles southeast of
the Florida coast, to tropical Puerto
Rico and into the frozen Alaskan
interior, as a result of the Nation S
military expansion program.
Decision to plant one of the five
great new Army Air Corps bases
proposed under the program in
Puerto Rico gives grim realism
to the military policy announced by
President Roosevelt that the United
States, for its own security rs much
as for the protection of its good
neighbors among the Latin Ameri-
can family of nations, must expand
its defenses to cover the New World
Entry of the United States Army
permanently into the West Indian
theater marks a spectacular new
departure in American military af-
fairs. 1t establishes an outpost
against European aggression, not
only against the United States and
its military lifeline" the Panama
Canal, but also guards against any
foreign effort to establish a mill
tary foothold within effective air
bombardment range of our country
1t forms an assurance of protection
to our Latin American neighbors.
Just as radical departure is the
proposal to establish a great air
base in Alaska. It's obvious purpose
would be the prevention of enemy
air attacks by way of the Great Cir
Gle route from across the Pacific
and it would afford protection not
primarily to Alaska. but to the
Northwestern United States and,
incidentally, to Western Canada.
S62,O00,00O for Construction.
The air defense program calls for
use of s62,000000 of the total $780,
100000 fund for the construction of
five new air bases and for enlarge
ment and Improvement of existing
Air Corps stations Two of the five
new bases are TO be constructed in
the United States and one each in
Puerto Rico. Alaska and Panama
The Hawaiian air base also will be
greatly strengthened.
Exact locations of the five new
bases have not been determined
An Army board recently left here
for Puerto Rico. empowered to select
a site for the new West Indies base.
This board is composed of Col.
Hugo E. Pertz, Quartermaster
Corps: 1t. Col. Joseph T. McNar-
ney. Air Corps. and Mais. Karl S.
AXtater and George C. Kenney, Air
Corps.
Similar boards Will study sites in
Alaska, chief of them near Fair
banks: in the United States and at
Panama.
In view of the European situation
unusual interest is attached to the
establishment Of the Puerto Rican
base. It's function will be to secure
the sea passes through the West
Indies against foreign naval attack.
to counteract possible enemy air
activities in the Caribbean area. and
to prevent establishment of enemy
bases anywhere within striking
range of the Panama Canal.
Near South America.
Approximately 1000 miles south
east of Miami. the new Puerto Rican
base is about $50 miles from the
northern coast of South America
From this base air missions can be
assigned for the protection of the
passes through the Leeward and
WindWard Islands and the impor-
tant Mona passage. between Puerto
Rico and and the Dominican Re
public. to the northwest.
More than any other Of our air
bases, with the exception of that in
Hawaii. the new Puerto Rican base
is intended to function in support
Of the United States Fleet 1t is in
tended to secure the Caribbean
possession of which is absolutely
essential to our naval security in
case of war with any European
power.
Remote from any other Army
base, the Puerto Rican air base
must be practically a elf-contained
establishment. possessed of all that is
needful for the operation of large,
we'll balanced air force. Construc-
ton there, and probably in Alaska
as we'll. must include housing for
all or virtually all of the personnel.
as we'll as a complete technical
building program.
Temporary Buildings Planned.
To keep the construction expense
at a minimum, the Air Corps has
adopted policy calling for tempo
rary construction of the kind found
in Civilian Conservation Corps
camps, unless climatic conditions re-
quire a more substantial type of
building. In Alaska and Panama
permanent construction is planned.
In Puerto Rico, Honolulu and the
Southern United States, the C. c. c..
type of construction is contemplated.
while at northern posts in this
country it probably will be necessary
to employ type of construction
somewhere between these extremes.
1t is planned to have all five of
the new bases in operation by the
time the airplane construction pro-
gram is completed, two years from
now Enlisted personnel must be
obtained, trained and moved to the
new bases.
Despite the extension of it's
range of operations into the mid
Atlantic and into the Arctic, the
Army Air Corps expansion plan
IS purely defensive in character. it
is pointed out. Although it is not
undertaken with a view to threat
ening any other nation, it is in
tended to demonstrate to the world
that the United States is prepared
to protect itself and it's interests,
to insure our territorial integrity
against aggression from any source,
to lend weight to our voice at the
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