FOR FREEDOM

In the Making

ALREADY well dug in, and well prepared to defend U.S. commitments around the world, the U.S. Army will get $1,440,000,000 of President Kennedy's new $3,454,600,000 defense request, spend it mainly for the manpower and firepower of conventional warfare. Behind the request is President Kennedy's decision, long advocated by Presidential Adviser Maxwell Taylor (TIME cover, July 28), to make U.S. defenses flexible enough to meet a Communist attack on its own terms--wherever it hits, whatever its weapons--from rifle bullets to nuclear missiles.

In a year's time, the Army will build up from 870,000 to 1,000,000 men by relying mainly on the draft. Already the Army has increased its August quota from 8,000 to 13,000, has plans to take about 20,000 every month after that for the rest of the year. At present the Army has no plans to add any new divisions to its total of 14, instead will use many of its new troops to flesh out the three stateside divisions of the Strategic Army Force: the 2nd Armored, the 1st Infantry and the 2nd Infantry, all now used largely as training cadres. In addition, new troops will serve to beef up the Seventh Army's five divisions now in Europe. The Army will also put more muscle in the Seventh Army's punch--already explosive with tactical nuclear weapons--by spending $150 million for artillery and combat support units. The new military budget puts aside another $107 million to move a sixth division to Europe if the Administration so decides. The division at the ready: the 4th Infantry, now stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash.

Equally important, the new appropriations will give the Army another $552 million to buy the weapons of conventional war, bringing the total procurement budget for 1961 up to $2,543,000,000--nearly twice what Eisenhower had allowed and just about what the Army, and Maxwell Taylor, have been requesting for years.

Across the globe, U.S. supply dumps are perilously low--lower, some Pentagon experts claim, than they were before the Korean War. The new funds will buy mountains of ammunition and fleets of new tactical support vehicles, such as armored personnel carriers and the highly-mobile 50-ton M-60 tanks, which are badly needed to match the powerful Russian armor now deployed in Europe.

TO carry the strengthened Army to the fighting front, the Navy will shake the mothballs out of some 20 transport ships and amphibious vessels, increase its sea-lift capacity from 1 1/2% divisions to 2 divisions at a time. To make sure the troopships get safely to their destination, the Navy is strengthening its anti-submarine-warfare forces by adding one aircraft carrier, putting an undisclosed number of sub-killing submarines back in service, ordering to active duty some ASW reserve squadrons, and retaining a dozen destroyers that were scheduled for retirement. In addition, the Navy will keep on duty one attack carrier that was slated for conversion to ASW, use it to bolster the Pacific's Seventh Fleet, which has often had to manage with no carrier at all. To man its expanding fleet, the Navy will take aboard 29,000 additional men, increasing its complement to 649,000.

Many admirals are grumbling that President Kennedy's new proposals do little to solve the Navy's two main problems: replacing rapidly obsolescing ships, and replacing the skilled personnel that are being sucked up by the augmented Polaris program with its trusted weapons of nuclear retaliation--six

Polaris subs now in service with 16 missiles apiece, and 23 more subs scheduled for completion by 1964. But the Navy is delighted by its new allotment of $709 million for procurement--the biggest package given any armed service. Most of the money will be spent for strengthening the carrier aircraft squadrons of nuclear-armed Douglas A4D-2N attack bombers and 1,400-m.p.h. McDonnell F4H-1 and Chance Vought F8U-2N jet fighters, plus Bullpup air-to-surface missiles, Tartar and Terrier surface-to-air missiles and torpedoes.

The Marine Corps, primarily organized to fight conventional or limited wars, plans to continue to form its fourth division, previously requested by Kennedy. By 1962, the Corps will have built up from 177,000 to 190,000 men, including three air wings to back up its foot sloggers with close tactical support. In addition, the Corps will get another $67 million for hardware, increasing its procurement allowance to $266 million--nearly double the sum allowed in Eisenhower's budget. The Marines will spend heavily for communications gear, ammunition and 106 mm. recoilless rifles, which can be fired in battle from small, maneuverable vehicles.

UNDER the Kennedy program of increased flexibility, the Air Force will increase its airlift capacity--now one of the weakest links in U.S. defenses--by calling up an unannounced number of reserve squadrons flying C-124s, and Air National Guard squadrons equipped with C-97s. In addition, the Air Force will keep in service some C-118s that were scheduled for deactivation. By squeezing more mileage out of these aging, prop-driven planes, the Air Force will boost its airlift capability by 25%, will be able to fly two divisions to Europe in about two weeks. Looking ahead, the Air Force will buy more Lockheed C-130 transports, order additional machine tools so that production of the turboprop, 360-m.p.h. C-130s can be quickly speeded up.

As a further help to the Army, the Air Force will get more of Republic Aviation's F-105 fighter-bombers, which can provide withering support to ground troops. In all, the Air Force will spend $425 million for new aircraft and equipment, including $111 million for conventional armament.

Throughout all of President Kennedy's defense messages, the basic job of the Air Force has remained the same as it was under the Eisenhower Administration: to deliver the nuclear deterrent that is still the keystone of U.S. defense. That deterrent now rings the world, includes three U.S. bases containing 27 Atlas intercontinental missile sites and 73 manned-bomber sites in the U.S., plus a network of overseas bomber bases and five European bases for intermediate-range nuclear missiles. To make this deterrent even stronger, President Kennedy wants to give the Air Force another $86 million to retain two or three air wings of medium-range B-47 bombers (which had been marked for deactivation). In addition, the new proposals will speed up the program to put half of SAC's bombers on 15-minute ground alert.

Many an Air Force general would far prefer to spend the money for more of Boeing's intercontinental B-52s, the backbone of the bomber force. The Administration now plans to stop buying the B-52 in 1962. The Air Force was also disappointed that President Kennedy did not ask for any step-up in design studies of the 2,000-m.p.h. B70 bomber.

In all, the new buildup will give the Air Force 63,327 more men, raise its service strength to 883,327.

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