Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-02-12

FUtH VI y SUttS8s
number In the tens Of thousands,
Ia repeatedly being diversified. Some
Of the earlier "blunderbuss" models
Of A-bombs are being converted
into small antiaircraft missiles
and antisubmarine depth charges,
to strengthen the punch Of forces
guarding the air and sea approaches
to the United States.
How seriously the administration
10 thinking Of continental air de-
tense has been shown in two sig
niflcant announcements so far this
year. First there was the unwilling
a few weeks ago of a new electronic
brain called SAGE (Semi- Automatic
Ground ENVIRONMENT, developed
at the Massachusetts, Institute of
Technology in Cambridge. It's price
tag is said to be So billion.
Its Job is to picture, with the
help Of widely scattered radar eyes,
all the aircraft over the United
States and its approaches at any
given time; to identity them as
friendly or enemy; to track them.
and to guide interceptors TO the
enemy craft. It makes its calcula-
tons In q matter OF microseconds.
The second announcement came
last week end at the AIR Force
Association conference here. Gen.
Earle E. Partridge, commander of
the Continental Air Defense COM
mand, said "the day Is not far OF"
when CONAD planes win be carry
ing atomic weapons It Is q fair
assumption that these A-weapNns
will be used In air-to-air guided
missiles, which CONAD fighters pre-
sumably would carry to meet enemy
bomberg.
A-bomb explosions at the heights
bombers would approach would pre-
sent no problems Of fallout, experts
agree.
One Shot Foliies
Two important points III the
philosophy Of continental defense
lie in the background Of these two
announcements.
First. no enemy Is expected to be
foolish enough to launch a "nui-
sance raid"--a piecemeal attack
on the United States. He knows, It
IL assumed. that he must cripple all
Americas widely dispersed retalia-
tory power in the first attack or
face monstrous destruction himself.
The Importance Of wide dispersal In
combination with adequate protec-
ton is Obvious.
Second. there Is no intention Of
ringing the 40 States with an i'm
pregnable air and sea defense. Not
even the United States could afford
1t. Only critical areas viii be pro-
tected. These critical areas are our
retaliatory air force bases; our
stockpiles-nuclear. food, and wea-
pons: and cur major industrial and
urban centers. Our naval striking
forces-aircraft carriers and guided
missile ships-will take their pro-
lection with them.
How good, then, Ia the United
States continental defense? The
answer seems TO be: As good as
Russia's, but not good enough.
It ID well, In an evaluation Of
this kind, to give the Strategic
Air Command and naval air strik-
ing forces their due at the outset.
It Is az true as 1t ever was that the
best defense against enemy bonn
bardment Is to destroy his bombers
at their bases, preferably before
they get a chance to strike. But
since the United States has re-
nounced the initiative In any war,
our CONAD and sea defense forces
are likely to go into action first II
war ever comes.
Our continental defense prob
lens can be divided into four broad
factors with geographical roots:
Intelligence Ito be gathered from
potential enemies: early warning
Ito be provided on the sea, land
and air approaches to the United
States; critical area protection,
and civil defense.
Confusion about the status Of
our defense can be at least par
TALLY avoided by keeping clear on
what we have now and what we
expect to have later.
INTELLIGENCE
Now, q massing Of intercontinen-
tai bombers-in the Soviet Union or
the satellites-would already stand
a good chance Of escaping discovery
by American or allied intelligence
agents.
Later, however, when the Reds
are able to convert to intermediate
and MISUNDERSTANDING ballis-
tic missiles, their launching sites
will be more easily concealed under
ground and the need for tell-tale
above-ground massing will have
disappeared. 1t is dangerous to
rely on any forecast of Soviet ad-
vancement, but most American ex-
perts believe the Reds will need at
least i've years before they have in
termediate and intercontinental
ballistic missiles ready 10 no in op-
irrational numbers.
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