This will increase the height of the tower so that they can observe the ends of the runways and also provide space for new communications equipment. Senator STENNIS. Next item. MARCH AIR FORCE BASE, RIVERSIDE, CALIF. Colonel PARKHILL. March Air Force Base, Calif., page 196. The first thing is we are converting this base for B-52 units and this will require widening of the existing runway and building a heavy-duty keel down the centerline. Senator STENNIS. Yes. Colonel PARKHILL. The next item would be to widen the runway overruns; the third item would be to strengthen the taxiways; next would be to provide the shoulder stabilization I mentioned about, the B-52 outriggers. Wash rack for the B-52's; airport surveillance detection radar, which the Air Force wishes to delete; narrow gage lighting for the runway; and two large maintenance docks. Senator STENNIS. Well, that is rather a large package. General CURTIN. This place is being converted from B-47's to B-52 use, Mr. Chairman. This is about the order of magnitude of the cost of our prior conversions in previous years' programs. It has been running us from $5 to $10 million to make these conversions. These are the standard types of facilities that are involved. Senator STENNIS. All right. The next item. MCCOY AIR FORCE BASE, ORLANDO, FLA. Colonel PARKHILL. McCoy Air Force Base, Fla., page 206, for a program of $786,000. This is a heavy bombardment base. It also has a fighter interceptor squadron. The first item is an operational apron in support of the fighter interceptor requirement; the second item is also for the fighter interceptors, a readiness crew building for pilots on alert. Senator STENNIS. That is the first time in the bill I have noticed one of these buildings for the alert crews that you are asking for here. Don't you have them fairly well supplied with those type buildings already? Colonel PARKHILL. Yes, sir. I think, generally speaking, we are in fairly good shape. There are a few places where I think this prohas not more than one or two in it. gram Senator STENNIS. All right. MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, IDAHO Colonel PARKHILL. Mountain Home Air Force Base is on page 209. The planned use of this base is for a Strategic Air Command medium bomber mission, including medium bomber and air-refueler aircraft, a Strategic missile mission, and other Strategic Air Command activities. The program requested for Mountain Home totals $695,000 and consists of two items: The first item is for the installation of 1,500 feet of U.S. Standard approach lights (without strobeacon flashers) at the secondary end of the primary runway. These lights are essential to the safe and efficient operation of the high performance military aircraft at this base since more than 35 percent of all aircraft landings use this runway approach. The second item is for an 18,400-square-foot airbase group headquarters to replace existing theater-of-operation type, tar-papercovered structures, and provide an adequate facility in which to perform the activities of the combat support group. Senator STENNIS. Next item, please. OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, OMAHA, NEBR. Colonel PARKHILL. Offutt Air Force Base, Nebr., page 212. This is the headquarters of SAC, and it also has a heavy tanker squadron as well as an ICBM squadron. The program calls for $3,458,000. The first item, $1,872,000, is to modify the underground control center to provide space for electronic data processing and new communications equipment required for the SAC control system. Senator STENNIS. That is new gadgets and new facilities that have come into being, is that it? Colonel PARKHILL. Yes, sir. General CURTIN. New and additional equipment, Mr. Chairman, high-speed handling, and—well, I would prefer to discuss it further, if I may, in the classified hearings. Senator STENNIS. Yes. All right. Dining hall, additional airmen's dormitories, and so forth-why do you have to have these additional dormitories? Čolonel PARKHILL. Well, we have a deficiency of 385 spaces, and we are programing 200 here. General CURTIN. You will notice up at the top, Mr. Chairman, under "Personnel strength," with the additional missiles and other activities being based in and around Offutt, the strength is going up. Senator STENNIS. What about your family housing this year? You have this down for 500 units. Colonel PARKHILL. That is right, sir. General CURTIN. Yes, sir. You may remember last year, Mr. Chairman, we came in, as I recall, for 900 and I think we finally got 400 approved. This is coming back again to see if we can do better on the remaining 500. Senator STENNIS. Well, you had some opposition out there, didn't you? General CURTIN. That is correct, sir. Senator STENNIS. By the local groups. All right. We won't stop on that now. Next item. PLATTSBURGH AIR FORCE BASE, N.Y. Colonel PARKHILL. Plattsburgh Air Force Base is located 1 mile southwest of Plattsburgh, N.Y. Its planned use is for Strategic Air Command medium bomber and tanker missions. 54781-60-30 The one item requested for this base amounts to $80,000 and provides for installation of 1,500 feet of U.S. standard approach lights (without strobeacon flashers) at the secondary end of the primary runway and is essential to the safe, regular, and efficient operation of the mission at this base. More than 35 percent of all aircraft landings use this runway approach. Senator STENNIS. Page 223. I think that is covered all right. Next item. TURNER AIR FORCE BASE, ALBANY, GA. Colonel PARKHILL. Turner Air Force Base, page 225. Its intended use is for a Strategic Air Command heavy bomber mission and for the Military Transport Command mapping and charting activities. The program requested for Turner amounts to $2,464,000. The items include the following: The first item is a photographic laboratory facility of 16,900 square feet to support the Military Transport Command mapping and charting activities. There is no existing facility which can be converted to satisfy the requirement of this special function. The next item provides for a 4,000-square-foot target intelligence facility for the training of Strategic Air Command crewmembers so they can perform their assigned wartime duties. The next item is for dismantling and moving two large aircraft maintenance docks from Donaldson to Turner and reerecting and modifying them to provide aircraft maintenance facilities to accommodate the heavy bomber and tanker aircraft. Adequate maintenance of the aircraft at this base has established a requirement for a total of seven large-type maintenance docks. Four of these docks were included in a previous program. There will be a deficiency of one dock to be included in a future program. The next item is a refueling vehicle shop. Nothing exists at this base for accomplishment of this function. Vehicles are maintained outdoors. The next item for an automotive maintenance facility of 27,999 square feet. The four existing mobilization-type structures consisting of approximately 17,133 square feet are beyond economical repair. Rehabilitation and maintenance costs of these buildings will be, and are, excessive. The next item provides for a 4,452-square-foot installation engineer pavement and grounds facility for proper maintenance and administration of pavement and ground equipment. This project will replace four small buildings consisting of 2,312 square feet which are mobilization-type structures constructed in 1941 and 1942 and are beyond economical repair. The next item is for storage of 20,000 barrels of jet fuel. The requirement for storage is 81,507 barrels. Existing facilities and those under construction provide for 60,222 barrels. The last item provides for dining hall space for 800 airmen to replace a substandard and uneconomically repairable facility. Another remaining existing unusable facility will be replaced by an 800-man hall authorized in the fiscal year 1960 military construction The substandard mobilization-type facilities will be disare beyond economical repair. Authorization is requested in section 304 of the bill for construction of 430 units of family housing under the provisions of title VIII of the National Housing Act. Senator STENNIS. Pardon me. Do these new items here on pages 225 and 226 pertain to the heavy bomber program? Colonel PARKHILL. Yes, sir. Senator STENNIS. Altogether? Colonel PARKHILL. Yes. The first item will support the photomapping and charting wing. The others are all in support of the SAC unit. Senator STENNIS. All right. Next item. VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, LOMPOC, CALIF. Colonel PARKHILL. Vandenberg Air Force Base, page 236. We have two items here for a total of $1,284,000, the shop parachute and dinghy is a new requirement, and the water supply addition. Senator STENNIS. Why is that such a big item with you out there, $1.1 million additional? Colonel PARKHILL. The project provided for the production of 3 million gallons of water per day, the construction of a pressure pipeline with a capacity of 3 million gallons, and the construction of a 3-million-gallon-per-day water treatment plant and booster station. This is to satisfy a deficiency. General CURTIN. Since the initial plant was designed and developed out there, there has been a considerable and continual increase in the mission, both technically as well as in numbers of people. There have been requirements for air conditioning and specialized uses of water in connection with all the activities out there. This will really fill in the deficiency as we understand it to be. Senator STENNIS. You mean deficiency of supply, sir? General CURTIN. Yes. Senator STENNIS. It says here treatment, not supply. General CURTIN. That is right, in supplying treated water, this is correct. There is a pipeline involved in this one, 22,000 feet of a 16-inch pipeline. Senator STENNIS. All right. Next item. WALKER AIR FORCE BASE, ROSWELL, N. MEX. Colonel PARKHILL. Walker Air Force Base, N. Mex., page 239, a heavy bombardment wing and fighter-interceptor squadron. These three items, totaling $847,000, are first, a squadron operations to replace mobilization-type World War II structures; the next it Senator STENNIS. Pardon me, on that first one you are going to ask for the money on that one to be appropriated? Colonel PARKHILL. Yes, sir. Mr. GIBBENS. Yes, sir, that is in the appropriations now. Senator STENNIS. All right. Colonel PARKHILL. Control tower, this will replace an open-frametype tower which is too small for the new communications equipment. Senator STENNIS. Next item. Colonel PARKHILL. Auto maintenance shop, replacing mobilizationtype buildings. Senator STENNIS. Why? Was this one of the new shops you have to have? Colonel PARKHILL. No, sir. This is basically replacing some old mobilization-type buildings that are deteriorated. Senator STENNIS. All right. WESTOVER AIR FORCE BASE, MASS. Colonel PARKHILL. Westover Air Force Base, page 243. The program for this base amounts to $177,000 and provides for replacement of the existing control tower, a substandard facility of only 255 square feet, located on top of a hangar. Visibility to the north end of the runway is very limited, making it difficult to control takeoffs and landings from that direction. The tower is considered unsafe in winds of 50-knot velocity or more. The second item would provide 180 units of Capehart family housing. Senator STENNIS. All right. Next item. WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, KNOBNOSTER, MO. Colonel PARKHILL. Whiteman Air Force Base, page 246, medium bombardment wing, heavy air refueling squadron. The program totals $561,000. We have a runway overrun and approach lights for the secondary end of the instrument runway. Senator STENNIS. Runway overrun, you mean it says here corrosion control. Mine is turned around here. Colonel PARKHILL. 246. Senator STENNIS. That is all right. I can find it. All right; that is Whiteman. Colonel PARKHILL. Yes, sir. Senator STENNIS. Lighting approach. Next item. WURTSMITH AIR FORCE BASE, OSCODA, MICH. Colonel PARKHILL. Wurtsmith Air Force Base, page 249. Colonel PARKHILL. This is another typical case that we have discussed often today. It was built as a fighter-interceptor base, and we started converting it for B-52's with the B-58 program. The total program amounts to $2,565,000. All of these items are in support of the SAC mission. The corrosion control facility is actually a covered washrack. We are putting these in some of the northern tier bases because of climatic conditions. Approach lighting is on the secondary end; the SAC crew mission ttraining building, two large docks, addition to the AE building; we have an addition for the cold storage. They have only 2,820 square feet, and we are proposing to add 3,292 square feet. The same is generally true of the store commissary; it is about half of the requirement. |