Diverted facilities now used will be returned to their designed use upon completion of the project.

The second item is an air items storage building of 5,000 square feet and costing $52,000.

It is required to provide storage for air items such as cargo parachutes, heavy drop platforms, and rigging for one battle group in a central location at the point of departure. These items are essential in the air movement of weapons, equipment, and vehicles in airborne training exercises and for STRAC commitments. This requirement is now being met through utilization of portions of several buildings located at the main post over a mile away and by use of outside storage. The existing mobilization buildings will be demolished.

Next are three motor repair shops and facilities estimated to cost a total of $554,000.

This project is required to provide unit maintenance and repair facilities for a minimum of 375 vehicles and parking space for a minimum of 500 vehicles. Upon construction of this facility temporary shops containing 33,663 square feet in 13 buildings will be demolished. The next item is for a nursery ward in the U.S. Army Hospital. The nursery alterations will cost $92,000.

This project provides for a newborn nursery at the U.S. Army Hospital, Fort Campbell. The existing nursery facilities are dangerously overcrowded and inadequate, having been constructed to handle a workload of 60 to 70 deliveries per month while current requirements have increased to 150 deliveries per month. The project will be accomplished through the conversion of the first floor of one end of an existing semipermanent hospital ward building by changing the interior floor plan, utilities and hospital equipment, and by installation of air conditioning. Existing space will be utilized by the delivery and labor rooms.

The last item at Fort Campbell is for 10 battalion headquarters buildings of 25,780 square feet and costing an aggregate of $723,000. This item is required to provide unit administrative space for the 101st Airborne Division. The accommodations now in use are the existing 13 permanent battalion headquarters buildings plus permanent barracks space diverted to administrative purposes.

When these battalion headquarters buildings are constructed, space utilized for administrative purposes will be returned to troop housing.

FORT GORDON, GA.

Fort Gordon, Ga., is the next installation. We are requesting one item here at an estimated cost of $7,100,000. Fort Gordon is the home of the U.S. Army Southeastern Signal School. The purpose of this construction is to provide 336,000 square feet of permanent academic facilities for the school. The school conducts one of the largest and most highly technical training programs within the Army. This facility will provide qualified specialists for all U.S. armed services and 23 allied nations. The average training load is 5,200 enlisted students and 175 officer students. The need is now being met by using temporary wooden buildings formerly barracks and messhalls. No facilities exist on site of the proposed construction. A total of 79 existing temporary buildings, with an aggregate area of 339,393 square feet will be demolished upon construction of the proposed facility.

Chairman RUSSELL. Senator Thurmond?

Senator THURMOND. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. General, I notice that at Fort Gordon, Ga., the House deleted $1 million from the estimate for the Southeast Signal School facility. I believe that Defense has requested $500,000 be restored. Why $500,000, if it is going to take $1 million to do the job, or do you plan to do it in increments? General SHULER. Senator Thurmond, in working with the preliminary plans and the estimates during the time of the initial estimate up to now, we have been able to reduce the estimated cost of the requirement from the $7,100,000 down to the $6,500,000, so we are requesting this committee, sir, to restore that part of the $1 million cut that the House made. This will give the same facility, sir, as we have been asking for all along.

Senator THURMOND. In other words, you can now take a half million dollars and do the job that you have in mind?

General SHULER. Take $6.5 million, instead of $7.1 million, yes, sir. Senator THURMOND. If the Senate restores a half million dollars, you can complete the Signal School?

General SHULER. The first increment of it, yes, sir, which is about half of it, a usable increment.

Senator THURMOND. That is a very important school and I was just wondering why you didn't ask for all of it, but as I understand it, you are not going to try to complete it all at one time. This is the first increment, and you will later ask for the rest to complete it.

General SHULER. That is correct, Senator. We intend to ask for the second increment either next year or the year after. This will be a usable increment. This will give us 110 conference and lecture rooms and 98 laboratory-type classrooms and we need a total of 175 conference and lecture rooms and 226 laboratory-type classrooms, but we will be able to run the school, sir, very fine as a usable increment on this first increment.

Senator THURMOND. This installation is not in South Carolina, but it is an adjoining State and our people are interested in it. It is in the State of the distinguished chairman, but we are interested in it, too, and as a member of the Armed Services Committee, I think it is a very vital installation.

Chairman RUSSELL. I thank the Senator for that proud, patriotic spirit, but this is an installation that is used by the entire Nation.

Senator THURMOND. That is right. It is a very vital installation, too, of our Defense Department.

FORT JACKSON, S.C.

Genral SHULER. Fort Jackson, S.C., provides command, training, and logistic support of a major recruit training center and support of Reserve component summer training. The program includes a single item for an eight barracks complex with a total capacity of 2,608 enlisted men and estimated at $9,045,000.

This item will provide an increment of the total permanent barracks and other troop support facilities required at this installation. No permanent facilities of this type exist. The facilities now used were built in 1941 and except for 6,956 barracks spaces which were improved in 1958, they have had no rehabilitation or modifications. They have no interior finish and the sheathing, studs, joists, and other framing

members are exposed. These buildings have reached the age at which the overstressing of structural members is resulting in deformation of the members and in failure of the nailed connections. A number of these buildings have collapsed due to structural failures. A total of 108 temporary buildings, totalling 181,892 square feet, will be demolished.

Senator THURMOND. General, I just want to commend you for making these recommendations with regard to Fort Jackson. We have been striving for years and years and years to get what you have recommended at this time. I just wanted to commend you for making this recommendation.

As I understand it, you have made a thorough study of the situation there and it is your conviction that these barracks ought to be constructed.

General SHULER. Yes, sir, by all means.

Senator THURMOND. I don't know how they have gotten along there in years past. They have been greatly crippled. It is your plan to go forward with this construction as soon as the money is provided? General SHULER. Yes, sir.

Senator THURMOND. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

FORT MCPHERSON, GA.

That is all.

General SHULER. Fort McPherson, Ga., is the headquarters of the 3d U.S. Army. We are requesting two items at Fort McPherson which are estimated to cost $358,000.

The first item is a 64,000-cubic-foot refrigerated warehouse costing $192,000.

This warehouse is required to provide a permanent cold storage facility constructed as an integral part of the commissary warehouse, to support post activities requiring 72 tons per month storage and offpost activities in the amount of 38 tons per month. The existing cold storage plant was accommodated in a temporary frame building constructed in 1943. This building suffered structural failures and has deteriorated beyond the stage of being economically repairable. It has been condemned and was vacated during October 1962. Present cold storage activities are being accommodated in a commercial warehouse remote from the station resulting in an inefficient operation at excessive cost to the Government. Existing condemned facility is scheduled for demolition.

The other item is for improvement of two enlisted men's barracks buildings have a capacity for 318 men at an estimated cost of $166,000. The buildings proposed for improvement are two of four permanenttype buildings presently being utilized as enlisted men's barracks. These barracks were constructed in 1889 and 1891 and the interior plaster, wood wainscoting, and interior trim of the original construction has been repaired to the point where further repair is impossible. Heating and lighting systems are antiquated and inefficient. Two buildings of the four existing were renovated under DA sponsored program for fiscal year 1961, using O. & M.A. funds then legal for such work. The state of repair of the two buildings is detrimental to the morale of troops billeting in these buildings since the other two have been modernized.

FORT RUCKER, ALA.

We are requesting five items costing $5,825,000 at Fort Rucker, Ala., the home of the Army Aviation Center.

An instrument trainer building at auxiliary field No. 3 (Shell Field) is the first item. This 4,865-square-foot building is estimated at $108,000. It is required to house eight instrument trainers which are now housed in a building at Lowe Field. Because of lack of an instrument trainer building at Shell Field, students are transported for this training to Lowe Field, which takes approximately 11/2 hours of time each day a student is scheduled for this instruction. Currently this shuttle of students between airfields requires 3,885 miles of travel per month. The building to be vacated at Lowe Field will be used by another department of the school for storage.

Next are two hangars with total floor area of 45,422 square feet. This project is required to provide additional maintenance facilities. at Hanchey Army Heliport. Approximately 40 percent of maintenance work is now being performed out of doors because of lack of maintenance facilities. Flight briefing rooms and instructor work areas are needed to relieve overcrowding in building No. 102. If the space is not provided, maintenance and instruction will continue to be carried out under undesirable and uneconomic conditions.

The third project is a parachute repack building containing 14,652 square feet and estimated at $242,000.

This facility is required to provide drying, first echelon maintenance, repacking, and storage of all parachutes used at Fort Rucker. The current inventory contains about 2,160 parachutes and pieces of related equipment. Presently, personnel parachute maintenance is being performed in 1,600 square feet of the operations building at Cairns Field. Cargo parachute and aerial delivery container maintenance is being done in 750 square feet of building 9318. These facilities are inadequate. Repacking areas are not sufficiently large. Storage space is acutely limited and the capacity and type of drying facilities is not adequate.

Upon construction of this item, the space presently used in the operations building will revert to office space and building 9318 will be demolished when permanent facilities are provided for other activities presently using the building.

A 75-bed hospital containing 105,082 square feet and costing $3,513,000 is next.

The existing hospital and other medical and dental buildings were constructed in early 1942, with life expectancy of 5 to 10 years. They were low-grade construction with wartime equipment and utilities. All activities are presently carried on in these mobilization-type facilities which, in addition to being costly to maintan, do not lend themselves to modern efficient performance of medical and dental activities. This project provides for the replacement of these obsolete buildings with a modern, well-integrated health facility of permanent construction. The temporary structures will be demolished upon completion of the proposed hospital.

The last item provides bachelor officer quarters for 120 men at a cost of $996,000.

This item will overcome part of the deficiency in permanent bachelor officer spaces at this installation. Presently all bachelor officers at Fort Rucker must live in outmoded, inadequate structures which are not conducive to morale, efficiency, or keeping young well-qualified officers in the Army. These BOQ's were constructed in 1942. Less than 50 percent of these buildings have received any renovation since that date and even those renovated remain inadequate. Eighty permanent BOQ spaces were approved in the fiscal year 1963 program. Upon construction of this item, 4 buildings with 148 unimproved BOQ spaces will be demolished.

FORT STEWART, GA.

Fort Stewart, Ga., has three items in this program at an aggregate cost of $430,000. This installation is responsible for operation and maintenance of the Armor and Artillery Firing Center for the Eastern United States and support of Reserve component summer training.. The first item includes two motor repair shops at 4,800 square feet each at a total cost of $187,000. These shops are required; one each for the 169th Engineer Battalion (Construction) and the 4th Medium Tank Battalion. These shops will provide maintenance for 398 wheeled vehicles assigned to these battalions. World War II mobilization buildings are now being used providing 6,256 square feet of total space. To adequately accomplish maintenance the units require a total of 9,600 square feet. The existing buildings are inadequate from the standpoint of size of bays, ceiling heights, and lack of proper tool storage. Their renovation and/or enlargement is not warranted due to age and condition. Three buildings now used will be demolished upon completion of replacement facilities.

The second item is a tank repair shop of 8,100 square feet and costing $146,000.

This project is needed to provide a battalion size tank repair shop. At present the shop requirement is met by using an existing company size shop.

The battalion has 95 tanks and track vehicles, 72 of which are tanks, assigned for repair and maintenance. Without the facility covered by this project, adequate maintenance cannot be accomplished by either the battalion or the companies whose facility it uses.

The company-size building now being used as a battalion repair shop will revert to its intended use as a tank repair shop, company size. The last project covers fuel conversion estimated to cost $97,000. This item is required to replace 4 existing coal-fired furnaces, which have deteriorated beyond economical repair, and to convert 32 existing furnaces from coal to oil. The heating requirement is now being met by manually operated, coal-fired furnaces installed in 1941. Four of the furnaces have deteriorated to a degree that they can be kept in operation only through costly makeshift maintenance. The cost of operation of the 36 furnaces at present is $54,000 per year. After conversion it will be $39,000, a saving of $15,000 per year. Amortization will be realized in 6.5 years. Ten enlisted men are detailed full time to furnace firing duty each winter. Approval of this project will permit release of these men to their primary duty, military training. This completes the 3d Army area.

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