Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-09-30
INTERPRETIVE REPORT


payload-the satellite itself.
And under the new decision.
control of each future satellite
system is up for grabs by the
three services.
The Air Force believes that
the old interservice nattle over
roles in outer space now may
break out stronger than ever.
One Pentagon observer re-
called today that when the
Army was ordered to turn its
Jupiter missile over to the Air
Force three years ago. the re-
action of one four-star general
on receipt Of the directive from
his superior was the ringing
cry, IF that S. o. B. thinks
this settles it, he's crazy"
And, sure enough. some Army
people continued to fight for
the Jupiter.
Some space arguments were |
settled last week, however. The |
Defense Department, by start
ing to ease the Advanced Re-
search Projects Agency (ARPA) |
out of the space business APP
parently foreclosed the pos
sibility that ARPA would be-
come a fourth service" fight |
ing in space.
Military operations in space
will be carried out by the exist |
ing services.
And the Air Force will launch |
all the space vehicles.
1t was decided also that the :
Air Force will be refused its /
request that it be the sole space .
force. And the Navy appar-
emily will be turned down on .
its counter-request that space |
be a "joint" operation in which I
all three services would have
an equal say.
1t was decided that space
will be divvied but not how the |
divvy will be made.
Army Accept Edict
This, says the Air Force. |
will lead to hard infighting
over each separate future space |
project.
Army and Navy spokesman
say the Air Force is unduly |
worried.
The Army says 1t accepts the |
fact that the Air Force has |
squeezed the ARMY out of |
space and insists the decision |
will be accepted. Army mis- |
sile and rocket experts at |
Huntsville. Ala, men like DR.. |
Wernher Won Braun, will SIM
ply hire out one way or an
other to the Air Force, Army |
Spokesman say.
The Navy says the decision |
to let the Air Force launch all |
military space vehicles was a
natural one and that the initial |
assignment of satellites met |
with Navy approval. No seri-
GUS arguments over satellites
are expected, official Nav
spokesman say.
But the Air Force points out
that only four satellite projects
have been assigned-two to the |
Air Force and one each to the |
Navy and Army. The Air Force
will get Midas, an early warn
ing system, and Samos, a re-
connaissance system. The Navy
will get Transit, a navigation
system, and the Army Notus,
a communications system.
Future projects, however,
whether in these areas OF
others, will go to the service
which can make the best claim
for them. This, the Air Force
says, will result in fights among
the Joint Chiefs of Staff, more
public conflicts for the Secre-
tary of Defense to settle and
a new wave of sneak attacks by
one service against another'S
projects.
Last weeks decisions on
space indicate the Air Force
will have predominant role,
as it does now in the air, but
that the other services will have
their own space forces as they
now have their own air forces
This is something of a dis
appointment, as the Air Force
wanted to be alone in space,
but Air Force leaders believe
1t is the best compromise it
reasonably could hope for.
But they don't believe other
services will accept it without
a bitter new series of fights.