Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-02-12
Long-Ronge Missile Race
Spurs Interest in Defense

the added worry that smaller ma
tons would try threatening each
other-or the big powers-with A
bombs and H-bombs Of their own.
They would not necessarily need
missile delivery systems. The Cen
trail Intelligence Agency's job APP
parently is due for expansion.
EARLY WARNING
The principal early warning sys-
tenn now consists Of three radar
lines. one inside the Arctic Circle.
in Canada. Alaska and Greenland;
another across the waist Of Can
ada, and the third along the
Northern United States border. IN
addition there are airborne radar
picket planes, Navy picket ships
and Texas towers"-flxed pickets
in the Atlantic, Pacific and Gull
Of Mexico approaches. The gaps
In the system are big.
AS for later. the plan originally
was to complete the early warning
system by 1860. But the fiscal year
1857 budget, Just presented, falls
hundreds of millions Of dollars
short Of meeting the planned pace
Of equipment procurement. BY the
time 1t Is finished-if ever-the So
Wet ionosphere-traveling missile Of
Tense Is likely to force q stable
modernization program.
Advanced warning of the APP
proach Of submarine missile
launchers also is inadequate for the
threat. Snorkels and atom power
may eventually force Q SONAR picket
line" into existence.
CRITICAL AREAS
Now, the need In protecting crit
ical areas is for supersonic fighters:
surface-to-air missiles like the
short-range Nike to cope with the
subsonic, intercontinental Soviet jet
bombers; air-to-air missiles like the
Falcon and Terrier: submarine kill
ers; anti-aircraft guns for hedge
hopping bombers, and atomic shells
to insure even more positive kills.
In the Air Force there Is consid-
cradle apprehension over the
"stretchout Of the stretchout" In OBJ
tanning modern aircraft for CONT
mental defense. In the next four
years. between $1,000 and $4,000
American aircraft Of all types viii
become obsolescent or obsolete; only
1900 up-to-date craft are on order.
Interceptors. being most numerous.
will suffer the most in the stretchout.
Some Of the slack will be taken
UP by the Nike guided missile. the
Army's bid to stay in the anti-air-
craft business. Air Force critics
say the Mixes short. 20-mile range
and placement Of these batteries
close to critical areas makes Its
usefulness doubtful. But the Mixes
range is being increased.
It will probably be the Air Forces
Falcon and the Nays Terrier air
to-air missiles which will be the
first to carry atomic weapons In
continental defense missions. Both
are launched from interceptor air
craft. These delivery systems
supersonic piloted aircraft. with
rockets or with air-to-air missiles,
and surface-to-air guided missiles
seem to be adequate to meet the
present Soviet threat-the subsonic
intercontinental jet bomber.
Last week Senate Armed Services
Committee member Henry NJ. Jack
son, Democrat Of Washington. gave
support to this estimate. He was
quoted Is saying II am confident
we may well be ahead in defensive
missiles"
Later, when the Soviet Union gets
supersonic bombers. either piloted.
guided or ballistic, the United States
will have to be ready with long
range surface-to-air missiles like
Bomarc. now being developed. and
with supersonic interceptors equip
ped with air -to-air missiles.
For the intercontinental ballistic
missile, often referred to as the
ultimate" weapon, there Is today
no known defense. But scientists
believe they can find one.
CIVIL DEFENSE
Few would disagree with the prop
osition that the United States would
not be likely to surrender even II its
major cities were completely deva-
stated In the first stages Of an all
out nuclear war.
Recovery amidst the devastation
will pose tremendous organiza-
tional problems. so staggering. in
fact, that there has been little sue
cess in interesting the general pub
lie In the problems of fire storms"
and similar after-effects Of big nu-
clear attacks.
Is 1t Worth LII
With all these holes. and pros
poets for holes. is q costly CONT
mental defense effort worth itp All
sides believe 1t Is.
As long as the defense can pro-
tect enough Of the deterrent force
necessary to devastate the Soviet
Union, the Communists would be
foolish to initiate q war.
Forcing the enemy to overcome
tenacious opposition also can re-
duce his effectiveness markedly, can
conversely increase the power of
ones own deterrent, and, at the
same time, can increase chances
Tor winning the "broken-back"
phase.
It 10 still true, Of course, that
major reliance Is still On the de-