Overkill

A word coming more and more into Pentagon usage is "overkill"--a blunt but descriptive term implying a power to destroy a military target not once but many times more than necessary. On Defense Secretary Neil McElroy's desk last week lay the paper plans that will soon add up to a problem of overkill: each of the services is ready to offer one or more complete weapons systems, each one promising to achieve nuclear annihilation of Russian targets. McElroy's problem: How much is enough--or to put it another way, how many times do you buy the capability of killing the same area? Items in McElroy's future book of plans and proposals:

P: Strategic Air Command's 2,000 bombers; a SAC squadron of 20 B-47s can drop the explosive equivalent of several hundred million World War II heavy bombers; SAC wants $2.5 billion for more bases, bombers and tankers.

P: Navy's program for ten atomic carriers, each to be equipped with nuclear bombers that can reach Russian targets from the sea; cost: $3 billion.

P: NATO's plan for 16 U.S.-financed Thor and Jupiter intermediate-range missile squadrons; cost: $1.2 billion.

P: Air Force's plans for nine squadrons of Atlas liquid-fueled ICBMs, eleven squadrons of Titan ICBMs; cost: $6 billion.

P: Navy's Polaris-nuclear-submarine network, geared to launch missiles from underwater stations at 1,500-mile range; estimated cost: $7 billion.

P: Air Force's projected second-generation 3,000-4,000 Minuteman missiles (TIME, March 10), which, when launched from underground hangars, could blast city-sized holes from distances of 500 to 5,500 miles; estimated cost: $3.5 billion.

Not all of these projects would come along at the same time; some will phase out as others are perfected; e.g., SAC will give way to ICBMs. In fact, McElroy has firmly laid down the law to the Navy and Army, advised them that henceforth research and development of land-based IRBMs and ICBMs is to be the exclusive province of the Air Force. Even so, there is still enough overlapping both today and in the future to make overkill a very real problem. Before he can decide how much is enough, McElroy needs an overall, unified strategic war plan, has ordered the Joint Chiefs of Staff to draft one, is considering the appointment of a strategic warfare chief who will delegate roles and missions so as to prevent duplication of effort.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.