Department of the Air Force military construction authorization program, fiscal year 1959-Summary by command Program objective summary: Following is a summary of the program by the major program objectives for which construction is being requested. Department of the Air Force, fiscal year 1959 military construction General RENTZ. Now, following is a summary of the program by the major command program objectives for which construction is being requested: Strategic Air Command is 40.9 percent of the program. Defense is 14.4. Warning and control is 21.7. Tactical is 0.9 percent. Materiel is 3.7 percent. Research and development, 1.3 percent. Personnel and community facilities, 4 percent Medical, 1.8 percent. And there are various operational and training and support facilities, at 8.8 percent of the program. And unforseen construction, that is the $25 million I mentioned previously, is 2.5 percent of the program. Now, the largest portion of the program, $403 million, or about 41 percent of the total program, provides facilities in direct support of the strategic strike forces. This total consists of facilities for both the manned bombers and their supporting tanker aircraft and for ballistic and other types of strategic missiles. Ballistic missiles: In the basic fiscal year 1958 and prior years' programs, construction was provided for research, test, and training facilities at various locations for both the intercontinental and intermediate range ballistic missiles and to develop the first operational site for Atlas ICBM at Cooke Air Force Base, Calif., and to initiate construction of a second operational site for the Atlas ICBM at Warren Air Force Base, Wyo. The Atlas program has been accelerated by means of the fiscal year 1958 supplemental construction authorization which this committee approved earlier in this session. That construction program accelerated the completion date for the first operational site at Cooke and the operational facilities for the first squadron at Warren Air Force Base. The authorization provided by the fiscal year 1958 supplemental program also has been applied to the construction of facilities for additional Atlas squadrons. It had been planned originally, under the fiscal year 1958 supplemental, to construct additional facilities at Warren Air Force Base for Atlas squadrons prior to proceeding with construction at additional sites. However, upon completion of the planning for these facilities, it was found that the construction activity which would be involved at Warren, under the plan, was of such magnitude that it could not be efficiently or economically accomplished and that completion of operational facilities for these squadrons would be delayed. It was determined, therefore, that to provide a greater number of operational Atlas sites at earlier dates, it was necessary to initiate construction at additional sites. Under this plan, facilities are being provided simultaneously at Warren Air Force Base; Offutt Air Force Base, Nebr.; and Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. The largest package in the strategic portion of the fiscal year 1959 construction program provides $165.9 million for ballistic missiles. This amount includes authorization for construction of operational Atlas facilities at one additional location, not yet firmly selected, and support facilities for both the previously programed and the new Atlas site. It also includes authorization for the construction of hardened facilities for the Titan ICBM. I would like to mention that this is the first program that we have requested any operational type facility for Titan. In addition, the 1959 program provides for construction of operaitonal facilities for the intermediate range ballistic missile at overseas locations and for test and training facilities for both the ICBM and the IRBM at Cooke Air Force Base. Other strategic missiles: $29.6 million are included in the program for strategic missiles other than the ballistic type. This package contains facilities for the Hounddog and the Quail air-to-surface missiles carried by the Strategic Air Command B-47 and B-52 bombers to provide them with greater penetration capability. The package also provides facilities in the United States for the Goose which is a surface-to-surface air-breathing missile with an intercontinental range. Facilities for the Goose missile also were authorized in fiscal year 1958. Manned strategic forces: Although operational missiles are entering into our weapons inventory and promise tremendous additions to our military capabilities, our main offensive punch is still contained in the manned bomber forces of the Strategic Air Command with its fleets of heavy jet bombers, the B-52's, and medium jet bombers, the B-47's. The Soviets possess the advantages of initiative and surprise. Therefore the Air Force must be capable of maintaining its strategic offensive force in the highest state of readiness possible with the least possible vulnerability to attack and from which it can react rapidly upon receipt of tactical warning. SAC's capability to launch its strike force in the event of a surprise attack is dependent upon four basic factors: (1) Warning, (2) alert facilities, (3) dispersal, and (4) personnel. For each of these factors, the availability of sufficient and proper facilities is a vital element in the attainment of the required degree of capability. B-52 facilities and dispersal: To reduce the vulnerability and increase the response capability of the heavy-bomber force, the Air Force, in fiscal year 1957, initiated a program to disperse the programed 33 B-52 squadrons on the basis of a single squadron per base. At that time, 11 bases, which had been the homes for the 11 B-36 wings, were available for adaptation for use by the B-52's. Each of these 11 bases has been adapted, with some necessary additional construction, to the requirements for 1 B-52 squadron plus associated tankers. The fiscal year 1957 construction program provided construction at 11 additional existing Air Force bases, increasing the total B-52 bases programed to 22. In the basic fiscal year 1958 construction program, 5 more existing bases were expanded and adapted, making a total of 27 B-52 bases. The fiscal year 1958 supplemental program, approved by the committee last winter, contained the first increment of construction to adapt an additional 6 existing bases, which would provide the total 33 bases needed for B-52 squadron dispersal and their associated KC-135 jet refueling tanker aircraft. The construction program we are presenting today contains $66.4 million for additional facilities, which will substantially complete current requirements for full dispersal of the 33 B-52 squadrons. It has also been the objective of the Air Force to disperse the medium bombers on the basis of a single wing per base. Under present plans, the medium-bomber force will be located on 20 bases at the end of fiscal year 1961. Construction of one of the bases, Richard Bong Air Force Base, Wis., was initiated with funds provided last year. This program contains $13.2 million to provide a second increment of construction at that base. SAC tanker relocation: In the fiscal year 1958 supplemental program, authorization and funds were provided for construction which would permit the relocation of KC-97 tanker-refueling squadrons from southern bases in the United States to locations in northern areas from which they can operate without delay in support of strike missions by the B-47 medium bombers. Against a current requirement to relocate 11 KC-97 squadrons, the fiscal year 1958 supplemental program provided the first increment of facilities for 9 squadrons on 8 existing bases. The fiscal year 1959 program contains $21.9 million for additional short-lead-time items for the first 9 squadrons and for the facilities needed to relocate a second squadron on one of the first 8 bases, increasing to 10 the number of squadrons relocated out of the 11-squadron requirement. No construction is presently included in this authorization bill for relocation of the 11th squadron. Surveys have been made to determine the location which best satisfies the operational requirements, primarily geographical location, and, at the same time, be economically adapted or expanded to accommodate this additional mission. Negotiations currently are underway with one of the other services, seeking a joint-use agreement which will permit the Air Force to deploy a KC-97 squadron at an existing military installation on a tenant basis. The Department of Defense and the Bureau of the Budget have approved the construction required to add the Air Force mission at that location, subject to the consummation of the joint-use agreement. The Air Force feels that the requirement to relocate the 11th tanker squadron is of such importance that it must request insertion in this fiscal year 1959 authorization bill and the committee's approval of necessary construction authorization if the joint-use agreement negotiations are successfully concluded prior to completion of legislation before the committee at this time. Alert facilities: The advent of an enemy ICBM threat dictates the necessity for capability, after initial warning, of a 15-minute response by the SAC forces to insure their ability to survive and strike back. Under this objective, it is planned that one-third of the SAC forces will be maintained on continuous alert. The achievement of this capability requires construction of special facilities at the SAC bases. Construction of base facilities, which directly contribute to such an alert capability, was initiated in the fiscal year 1957 military construction program. This initial construction consisted only of the provision of a certain portion of the aircraft parking apron in an alert configuration on those bases expanded for the dispersal of the heavy bomber squadrons where additional parking apron was needed. Following this principle, alert parking areas were provided at 7 heavybomber bases by the fiscal year 1957 military construction program and at 5 more heavy-bomber bases by the fiscal year 1958 military construction program. In addition to alert aircraft-parking areas, ready-crew and security facilities, and supporting utilities are needed for full alert capability. The fiscal year 1958 supplemental program authorized the first sizable construction increment for SAC alert, with $24.6 million provided for construction of the first ready-crew and alert facilities, as well as alert pavement at additional bases for both medium bombers and heavy bombers. The $80.9 million included in this request for alert facilities, together with certain alert facilities provided as part of the dispersal package, provides short-lead-time items on certain bases where projects requiring longer times for construction were started in prior years' construction programs. In addition, it provides the full alert construction requirement at bases where no long-lead-time construction is necessary. This fiscal year 1959 alert package substantially completes the construction needed for achievement of the 15-minute response capability as current planned, except for aircraft shelters in northern areas, for which the requirement has not been finally determined, except the shelters I mentioned previously. Other strategic facilities: The remaining $25.3 million under the strategic heading includes various operational and support facilities at overseas locations from which SAC units will operate or through which they will stage in wartime operations and at which they conduct peacetime maneuvers and rotation training missions. In addition, this package provides special ordnance-storage facilities at SAC bomber bases in the United States. Defense facilities: Facilities for active air defense amount to $141.6 million, or 14.4 percent of the total program. Of this total, the major portion, $140.1 million, is for installations inside the United States. Defense missiles: The largest package within this defense grouping is that for the Bomarc missile, amounting to $122 million. Construction of facilities for this missile was initiated in the fiscal year 1958 construction program at four locations. This fiscal year 1959 request will add facilities at 10 additional locations. For the Bomarc missile squadrons, it is planned, where practicable, to place the facilities on or near existing Air Force or other military installations, with the support facilities, including housing, located on the main base. Other defense facilities: The other $19.6 million for defense facilities includes (1) facilities at 4 United States bases to which fighter-interceptor aircraft are being redeployed to improve continental United States intercept coverage; (2) additional facilities at Tyndall and MacDill Air Force Bases, Fla., the 2 Air Defense weapons employment centers, to provide increased capability for the training of fighter-interceptor pilots in weapons utilization and employment and new intercept techniques; (3) storage, assembly, and checkout facilities for air-to-air missiles and rockets, including those with nuclear warheads; (4) installation of electrical outlets in parking aprons to provide instant power for century-series fighter-interceptors; and (5) aircraft shelters for interceptors on 4 Northern United States bases to insure their instant readiness during inclement weather. Warning and control: Directly related to the capability of both the strategic and defense forces for instant response to an attack, and, also, to permit maximum reaction in civil defense, is the provision of |