Evening star., 1961-06-07
TALKING OF BUSH IS
D. c. Think Firm Plots Angles
On War Breokout for Air Force
BY TRUMAN r. TEMPLE
Star Staff Writer

BY TRUMAN r. TEMPLE
Star Staff Writer
Tucked away on an upper
1oor of the D. C. Transit build
ng at 5000 M street in George
town, overlooking the Potomac,
Is a wing Of rooms with long
olackboards.
Most any day a visitor can
lind executives busy scrawling
mathematical symbols on the
boards, when they aren't run
ning computers.
Neither classroom nor bank,
.he industry is a cash business,
md about as serious as you'll
lind anywhere. For the prod
let" is a mock air war Of the
tuture.
The company is Technical
Operations. Inc, a youthful
concern with a penchant for
exotic projects. It has no con-
1ection with D. c. Transit,
>ther than sharing its quarters,
and even locks the doors to
make sure no errant motor
men wander through.
Some Exotic JOhS
Tech/opS, as it calls Itself,
has designed an undersea ex-
aaust muffler for Navy sub
marines to kill giveaway
Iounds.
1t dreamed up a friendly
and mine for Army maneuvers.
Instead Of blowing off a tanks
rack when run over, the mine
.lectronically slips the tanks
gear into neutral, to indicate
gently that the driver has
Eoofed.
At present Tech/ops is run
hing a study for the Internal
Revenue Service to find at
what point it's worth the
agency's time and money toI
collect back taxes owed by
John @. Citizen. (AnSwer sol
'ar: Somewhere between 81 and
$1,000
Another Buck Rogers job for
The Air Force. just announced
his spring, involves advice on
now to punch a hole through
aeavy clouds over an airport,
Using chemicals, to let planes
and.
Mostly Technical Studies
Though the company pro-
1uces some hard goods such as
Photographic and electronic
equipment, much of its work
falls in the category of so-called
paper factories" whose sole
products are technical studies
for industry and Uncle Sam.
Unlike other think centers
such as RAND Corp, which is
argely controlled and subsi-
died by the Pentagon, Tech
ops is private enterprise, CIV
ng advice and sending bills
for it.
The firm is decentralized,
With Washington operations de-
voted to industry and govern
nent studies. Manufacturing
goes on at company head
quarters in Burlington, Mass.
and in a Stamford, Conn.
plant. There also are facilities
in Fort Monroe, Va, and Ha-
Eaii.
The Georgetown office, en-
ploying so scientists, mathe-
naticians, and secretarial help,
goes under the name of Prof.
ect Omega, an abbreviation of
Operations Model Evaluation
Group Air Force.
Omega uses computcrS to
simulate a large-scale sided
global air war, or more precis-
ely, the first 72 hours of that
war, since many generals fig
ure the first few days will be
decisive. The mathematics help
in estimates that involve
bomber and missile mixes, Sc
lection of routes, airborne fuel
ing. time schedules, and host
of other factors.
According to James L. Jenk-
ms, Omega director, it's the
largest and most detailed war
game to be realized on / high
speed digital computer. The en-
tire program handles $4,000
instructions" for the mock
battle.
Across town at 1875 G street
N. w. another branch, the
Washington Research Office,
keeps Is employees busy putting
air traffic control information
into a computer for the Fed
eral Aviation Agency. Its pur-
pose: To help sort and feed
air traffic data to the airliners
that need it fastest; e.g., those
where storms are brewing.
Founded on ShOestring
Tnob /oYoe r,oe fA,,YIaI 0,o1H,