SUFFOLK COUNTY AFB MISSION Senator STENNIS. What is the mission of this Suffolk County? Colonel SMITH. This base supports the air defense fighter inceptor mission and the air defense missile unit. Senator STENNIS. What kind of missiles? Colonel SMITH. These are BOMARC missiles and F-101 type aircraft. Senator STENNIS. I thought the BOMARC has been largely put in disuse. Isn't that right, that it has been considered to have served its time and obsolete now? General CURTIN. It has not fallen into disuse. Colonel RAEBEL. The BOMARC A is being considered for phaseout in fiscal year 1965 but the BOMARC B will remain in. The difference between the A and the B is that A has a range of about 200 miles. The BOMARC B has a range of about 400 miles and has a low altitude coverage. Senator STENNIS. And it is protection against invading planes. Colonel RAEBEL. Yes, sir. Senator STENNIS. Is there any evidence that Russia is increasing its long-range capability? I have not heard any myself. Colonel RAEBEL. Sir, we are probably getting into a classified area. BOMARC MISSILES Senator STENNIS. Gentlemen, years ago we took nearly all these BOMARCS out of the bill and had a reconsideration of the whole matter. Secretary McNamara testified a year ago that this would reduce the cost $500 million a year. That is, these and some other weapons of this kind. I guess we will have to look at that mighty close. General CURTIN. We also have the fighter interceptor aircraft here, Mr. Chairman. On that phasedown of BOMARC, I believe you are referring to the master air defense plan that the Defense Department presented in which the BOMARCS were phased down. But BOMARC B was retained in the plan. Senator STENNIS. My point is that if you could get along without all of the new ones proposed that were in the bill-that was 7 to 8 years ago. Anyway that was several years ago. It seems to me we ought to be phasing out more of these than we have. Of course, that is just a layman's opinion. But it was the layman's opinion that stopped that program from being expanded. EQUIPMENT AT SUFFOLK COUNTY AFB Senator HRUSKA. If the Senator will yield, what is the relative proportion of the support given to BOMARC and to the F-101 at Suffolk County? General CURTIN. I don't believe we have the equipment that is maintained broken out that way. We could break it out for the record, Senator. Senator HRUSKA. I think that could be helpful. General CURTIN. We can do that. We normally bulk all the station equipment together and we could allocate it to the missions in a judgment decision. (The information referred to follows:) A total of 295 vehicles must be maintained at Suffolk County Air Force Base. Only 34 of these vehicles, 11.5 percent, are specifically committed to support of the BOMARC unit. DEFENSE FIGHTER ORGANIZATION Colonel SMITH. The defense fighter organization that we have there, of course, is getting more important as we go along. Senator HRUSKA. In your reply will you discuss that portion of it. General CURTIN. Yes, sir. Senator HRUSKA. Certainly if one phase is going out and there is an undue proportion given to it in this 27,000 square feet perhaps we would like to take that into consideration. General CURTIN. We will be happy to do so. Senator STENNIS. What phase of that defense is coming into more prominency if you can justify it in open session? Colonel SMITH. The fighter portion of it, sir. Senator STENNIS. Why is that? Colonel SMITH. By the number of aircraft assigned. Senator STENNIS. Is there anything further on this item? If not, let us proceed to the next item. AUTO STORAGE FACILITY Colonel SMITH. The next item is auto storage facilities on pages 20, 21, and 22 of your repetitive briefing. These are to be constructed in the Alaska Air Command, the Air Force Logistics Command, the A.C. & W. stations, and the Strategic Air Command. None of these items has been questioned by the other committee. Colonel SCHERER. Mr. Chairman, these are garagelike facilities built to protect our essential urgent use vehicle. Senator STENNIS. Pardon me. Let us go back to the point you made about the fighters being increased. Did you mean the fighters were being increased in number that were being transferred to this particular location? Colonel SMITH. Sir, could we refer to this off the record? Senator STENNIS. You need not tell it. Maybe we will go into executive session later. General CURTIN. May we hold that one? Senator STENNIS. Yes, let us hold it up. Colonel SCHERER. These items are built in the northern tier and the cold extreme weather areas. Senator STENNIS. Let us get our book here. Colonel SMITH. Pages 20, 21, and 22, sir. The auto storage facility. Senator STENNIS. Very well. Colonel SCHERER. These are built primarily in areas of subzero temperatures, heavy snow, and high wind conditions. As you realize, under those conditions it is rather difficult to readily start a vehicle, to get it in operation, and perform an essential mission. Again this is the type of equipment, like our snowplows and truck equipment that is required in direct support of the operation of the base for the transportation of essential military supplies and personnel. Some of these are heated in the most extreme conditions. Others are equipped with electrical outlets so that the building is not heated but we can use a headbolt heater on the vehicles inside. That is to provide cover against the heavy snowfall. We built five of these in 1962, sir. Senator STENNIS. They are listed on page 21. Senator STENNIS. This chart is in what State? Colonel SMITH. I believe that is in Maine. May I doublecheck that, sir? Colonel SCHERER. That is one of the aircraft control and warning units. That is not in South Carolina. Colonel SMITH. It is 28 miles northwest of Bangor, Maine. Senator BIBLE. Is the $364,000 for the eight new projects that you have listed on page 21 the total cost? Colonel SCHERER. Yes, sir; for the eight projects. Senator BIBLE. This completes the facility in each of those cases? Colonel SCHERER. Yes, sir. Senator BIBLE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. REFUELING VEHICLE SHOP Colonel SMITH. On pages 23, 24, and 25, the refueling vehicle shop is next. These are located within the Alaskan Air Command, Air Defense Command, the Air Force Systems Command, Air University, Tactical Air Command, Strategic Air Command, and two locations in Europe, Bitburgh and Laon. Colonel SCHERER. These again are items that you have seen before. We built 11 of these in 1961. The refueling shop provides a facility for servicing and repairing our refueling tankers and refueling trucks. These trucks and tankers are used for refueling primarily our fighter aircraft and the smaller type aircraft. We use hydrant systems on some of the larger cargo aircraft and bomber aircraft. Because of the explosive nature of the various aircraft fuels that are transported in these vehicles, it is essential that they be handled in a separate area so that we can work on them without having to do a complete defueling on them. In order to work on one of these and completely purge it, it takes approximately 24 hours of continuous purging with steam in order to get rid of all the fumes and the vapors in the tankage. The refueling units themselves feature pumps, strainers, segretators for clearing water and particulate matter out of the fuel so that we always are pumping clean, uncontaminated fuel into the aircraft. This is part of the basic problem in any fuel handling process. Senator STENNIS. How do you get along without these now? Where are you doing these? Colonel SCHERER. Sir, in some of the areas we are using older buildings that have been converted from another use that are in an area someplace that we can get by to get these in under shelter. In some of the milder climate areas we are doing them outside much as we dislike to do this. The problem of blowing dust, mud, moisture, snow is a very real problem in trying to do maintenance work on something that you are trying to maintain a high degree of cleanliness on. NUMBER NEEDED TO COMPLETE PROGRAM Senator STENNI. If there are no questions, let us go to the next item. Senator HRUSKA. I have one question. How many did you have last year? Colonel SCHERER. Last year we had 11. Senator HRUSKA. And 13 this year? Colonel SCHERER. And 13 this year. Senator HRUSKA. How many more will there be in the program before you complete it? Colonel SCHERER. Sir, we anticipate another 18 which we expect to phase from 1966 through 1969 to bring us up to a closeout on this particular item. GROUND SUPPORT EQUIPMENT SHOPS Colonel SMITH. On pages 26, 27, and 28, we have the ground-support equipment shop to be located within the Alaskan Air Command, Air Defense Command, Strategic Air Command, Tactical Air Command, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and in the Pacific. A total of 10 projects, $1,186,000. Colonel SCHERER. These, again, sir, are items that you have seen in the past. Our ground-support equipment has grown in size, complexity, and quantity in the same way that our weapons systems themselves have grown. The ground-support equipment is tied directly to the ground maintenance, the support and the servicing of our highest priority weapon systems. We are talking here about such things as electrical power generating equipment that is used for starting the aircraft, that is used for maintenance in order to activate the various electrically controlled systems, hydraulic carts that are used for doing maintenance on hydraulic systems. Some of these units are self-propelled. tually are driven by gas turbine engines. but they are comparable in nature to the sophisticated fighter aircraft. Some of the new ones acThese are smaller in size jet engine on some of our So, again, these are highly complex units and they are directly tied to mission support of the aircraft. They are tied directly to aircraft standing on alert to provide rapid starting and getting the aircraft off. As I mentioned, in direct support of our fighting weapons systems. These vary also, sir, with the type of equipment assigned the quantities and the type of aircraft that they support. Senator STENNIS. Are there any questions on this item? If not, the next item. FIELD TRAINING FACILITY Colonel SMITH. The next area we will cover is the field training facility located on pages 11, 12, and 13. This will be covered by Colonel Petty. Duluth, the first item in this category, has been questioned by the House Appropriations Committee and I will check for the other three or four as we proceed. Colonel PETTY. Mr. Chairman, gentlemen, these field training facilities are used for training our area and maintenance personnel at their home base. One of the most important parts of this training takes place when the unit is converting to new aircraft. This training starts then 6 months to a year ahead of their receiving the aircraft. By training the people on the base they can maintain their operational capability on the older aircraft and we save the money involved or that would be involved in sending them away to school, travel, per diem. Then, the facilities are also used for continuation training, to upgrade personnel in their skills, controls train them into another skill, if necessary, and to train all the newly assigned personnel. The space requirements depending upon the training equipment primarily, depending upon the complexity of the aircraft upon which the training is being done. Senator STENNIS. Will you go over that again? You say field training? Colonel PETTY. Yes, sir. We call it field training as opposed to resident training at a technical school. Field training in the field at the base where the people being trained are assigned. Senator STENNIS. You mean they are assigned to a particular aircraft. What do you mean by assigned? Colonel PETTY. We have these field training facilities, field training detachments, at over 150 of the bases. Senator STENNIS. That is groups that have already been through the technical training? Colonel PETTY. They have been through the technical training. They are assigned to an operational unit on a base. When this base or when this unit is converting to new aircraft, instead of sending all the maintenance personnel and air crew personnel back to the technical training school we train them right on the base where they are. So they continue to fly and maintain the aircraft that they presently have. At the same time they can be trained in the new aircraft to which they are being assigned. Senator STENNIS. You bring in new aircraft? Colonel PETTY. The new aircraft that are being brought in. That is only part of it. Part of the training is done continuously to keep their skills up to date, to train the people that are newly assigned to the base so that they get the basic training in the technical school and on-the-field training facilities at the base they are trained on the specific aircraft they will be working on. TRAINING OF MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL Senator HRUSKA. Trained for what-for maintenance? Colonel PETTY. All the maintenance personnel, aircraft mechanics, electronics, air crews, pilots, and navigators. Senator HRUSKA. The entire scope of the weapons system or whatever else it might be? Colonel PETTY. Yes, sir. The aircraft itself, the weapons, the ground-support equipment. |