Design for Survival excerpt#6 :SAC Budget
During the 1950s, SAC received 47 percent of the U.S. military budget.
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"SAC's share of the defense budget, which was 13 percent in Fiscal Year 1962, countinues to decline. The figures for the nation's entire strategic nuclear deterrent went from about 18 percent of the defense budget in 1962 down to some ten percent in Fiscal Year 1965 and are likely to decrease considerably more in future bugets." - Thomas S. Power's Design for Survival page 197
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Index of Power
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Fiscal 1964.
He also mentioned that as far as the military aspects of space are concerned, we are not going fast enough.
General LeMay emphasized that his biggest worry is in the strategic field and that the trend is bad. He felt that the trend is toward an all-missile force, and he has two or three objections; first, with an all-missile force we were simplifying the Russian program; secondly, we were moving away from the flexibility that we now have in our strategic forces; and third, intelligence estimates indicate that more flexibility is needed, not less. He stated that he had given all these arguments to the Secretary and had been properly heard, but his misgivings were still strong.
The President then questioned the group in regard to the number of Minutemen, Polaris and Titan missiles, and opened a discussion on the Soviet missile capability. All this was discussed at some length and General LeMay pointed out again that our main objective was not to match missile for missile but to deter any war from starting. The basic question to answer is: what will deter the Soviet Union? His own answer was that the flexibility of the mixed force was much more potent in deterrence--especially in deterring the conventional war--than an all-missile force.
$44 billion up to $49 billion and that we are now at $52 billion
The President pointed out that he had two concerns about this budget: transport, both sea and air, and communications.
There was some discussion about the lead time on the C-130. The Chiefs felt that it is roughly eighteen months, but Secretary McNamara believes that it is more like 9-12 months lead time.
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"SAC's share of the defense budget, which was 13 percent in Fiscal Year 1962, countinues to decline. The figures for the nation's entire strategic nuclear deterrent went from about 18 percent of the defense budget in 1962 down to some ten percent in Fiscal Year 1965 and are likely to decrease considerably more in future bugets." - Thomas S. Power's Design for Survival page 197
----
Index of Power
--------------------
Fiscal 1964.
He also mentioned that as far as the military aspects of space are concerned, we are not going fast enough.
General LeMay emphasized that his biggest worry is in the strategic field and that the trend is bad. He felt that the trend is toward an all-missile force, and he has two or three objections; first, with an all-missile force we were simplifying the Russian program; secondly, we were moving away from the flexibility that we now have in our strategic forces; and third, intelligence estimates indicate that more flexibility is needed, not less. He stated that he had given all these arguments to the Secretary and had been properly heard, but his misgivings were still strong.
The President then questioned the group in regard to the number of Minutemen, Polaris and Titan missiles, and opened a discussion on the Soviet missile capability. All this was discussed at some length and General LeMay pointed out again that our main objective was not to match missile for missile but to deter any war from starting. The basic question to answer is: what will deter the Soviet Union? His own answer was that the flexibility of the mixed force was much more potent in deterrence--especially in deterring the conventional war--than an all-missile force.
$44 billion up to $49 billion and that we are now at $52 billion
The President pointed out that he had two concerns about this budget: transport, both sea and air, and communications.
There was some discussion about the lead time on the C-130. The Chiefs felt that it is roughly eighteen months, but Secretary McNamara believes that it is more like 9-12 months lead time.
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