MISSILES GO TO SEA
Document Type:
Collection:
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST):
CIA-RDP70B00338R000300100047-3
Release Decision:
RIFPUB
Original Classification:
K
Document Page Count:
1
Document Creation Date:
December 19, 2016
Document Release Date:
January 10, 2006
Sequence Number:
47
Case Number:
Content Type:
NSPR
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CIA-RDP70B00338R000300100047-3.pdf | 87.19 KB |
Body:
Approvlwlg~ es 0?C 01/3?:C RRDPP70B00338R000300100047-3
By HANSON W. BALDWIN
The nuclear age has gone to
sea. Last week's news from the
Pentagon that the Navy is study-
ing a ship-based anti-ballistic mis-
sile system emphasizes once again
-in modern context-Alfred
Thayer Mahan's "influence of sea
power upon history."
In mobility and in weapons, the
marriage of the "Nuke" and the
ship has transformed the two-
dimensional navy with control of
the seas as its objective to a
three-dimensional navy with the
added objective of attack against,
and defense of, the great continen-
tal land masses of the world.
Strategically and tactically the
role of the Navy has been trans-
formed by the nuclear age; the
depths of the sea, the space above
the atmosphere and every part of
every land mass on earth are now
accessible to modern naval power.
Today, the single most impor-
tant nuclear contribution of the
Navy is its fleet of 41 missile-
firing submarines, each equipped
with 16 missiles, each capable of
destroying with its megaton nu-
clear warhead any city on earth.
Nuclear-powered engines-which
require no air-enable these sub-
marines to remain completely sub-
merged for indefinite periods and
their mobility and invisibility give
them unequaled defensive invul-
nerability.
Plans for Poseidon
The submarine-launched ballistic
missile has, moreover, another ma-
jor asset; it draws the lightning
of enemy nuclear attack toward
the seas rather than-as land-
based missiles do-toward the
the populated land.
In the next few years the Po-
laris family of missiles will be
succeeded by the fourth-generation
Poseidon, a missile with greater
power, capable-alternatively-of
carrying a larger warhead for a
longer distance or several war-
heads, as well as various devices
known as penetration aids to help
the missile break through the en-
emy's defenses.
This submarine missile force,
which is an important part of the
nation's strategic nuclear offensive
capability, may become even more
important in the next step of
the arms race. If the Russians de-
velop MIRV-Multiple Individual-
ly guided Reentry Vehicles-or
several warheads for each missile,
each capable of maneuvering
ne o
along a different trajectory to its missiles could be made during
may become so great that the de-
fensive answer may have to be to
put more missiles at sea.
In addition to the Navy's ballis-
tic missile bombardment force, the
Navy's planes, flown from carrier
decks, have a definite role in nu-
clear war. However, the nuclear
role of naval aviation is now
more "tactical" than "strategic";
the targets of naval aircraft are
primarily near the periphery of
the enemy's territory-submarine
bases, airfields, radar and missile
sites-rather than targets deep in
the interior.
Nuclear Depth Charge
The Navy, like the other serv-
ices, has developed so-called tac-
tical, or smaller, nuclear weapons
for specific purposes. A nuclear
depth charge, which can be pro-
jected from plane or surface ship,
is designed for use against enemy
submarines. Small atomic bombs
for taking out point targets-such
as a strongpoint on a beach, are
available. As far as is known, the
Navy has no nuclear shells, but
its short-range missiles-fired from
surface ships or from planes-can
carry nuclear warheads. Develop-
ment of a naval model of the
Army's 175 mm. gun is under way,
and a whole "family" of new naval
guns, some with rocket-assisted
shells, others with devices to mul-
tiply present ranges many times.
are under study. Any or all of
these could utilize nuclear shells
or warheads.
The Navy has also pioneered in
the use of nuclear power for sur-
face ships; the nuclear-powered
aircraft carrier Enterprise has
chalked up records in combat off
Vietnam. Nuclear power for sur-
face ships provides virtually un-
limited high-speed cruising range,
frees the ship of dependence upon
oilers, eliminates stack gases and
provides so many other advantages
that despite Secretary McNamara's
reluctance (based on greater costs)
a nuclear powered fleet for all
major vessels seems certain.
The Navy's seagoing anti-ballis
tic missile system would work this
way. A number of ships-some
with powerful radar, others as
launching vessels-would position
themselves across the "window"
or angle of approach of missiles
launched against the United States
from bases in Communist coun-
tries. Such a sea-based system
would provide an outer li
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