Page:Legislative History of the AAF and USAF.djvu/111

 �This Page Declassified lAW EO12958 The Air Force requested an authorization of $3,530,000,000 and an appropriation of $2,400,000,000 dollars for the fiscal year 1952. This was to provide the minimum number of bases required for a 95-Wing Air Force. TM General Yandenberg stud, in a statement to the subcommittee of the Sen- ate Committee on Appropriations, on 15 August 1951, that t was in its base.con- struction program that the USAF had had the greatest difficulty in meeting its needs. He pointed out that the increasing size of modern planes and the comptemty of thexr electronic equipment had greatly increased the size and complexity of the bases from which they must operate. Most of the bases existing were of temporary wartime con- struct[on, and were inadequate in size, num- ber, and eqmpment for the expanding Air Force of 1951-52. Finally General Vanden- berg pmnted out that an effective air force consisted of three things, modern planes, bases on which these planes could be used, and trained people who could use them. Among these three essential elements the one in the most crucial need for attention was the planning and implementation of an adequate program of base construction 2] In the fall of 1951 Congress took action to grant practically all of the public works authorizations requested by the Air Force. The Military Construchon Act of Septem- ber 28, 1951 reflected the expansion of the USAF and the other two services resulting from the outbreak of the Korean War. Ths legislation was necessary in order to provide the armed forces with adequate installa- tions and facilities to meet the operational requirements of the approved forces, and to permit the utilization of the new types of equipment now coming off the pro- duction lines. Congress had authorized rmli- tary public-works items to the amount of $1,861,000,000 in the fiscal year 1951 to meet the operational requirements of the armed services. This legislation included most of the additmnal operational facih- ties required to support and make effective the 3,500,000-man orce provided for in the 1952 budget. -s In testifying before the Senate Commit- tee on Armed Services the Secretary of the Air Force stated that the specific projects listed in Title lIl, the Ar Force section of the bill, represented the minimum facili- t[es needed by the Ar Force for the 95. Wing program (which had been approved after the outbreak of hostilities in Korea). As already pointed out the USAF requested an appropriation of $2,400,000,000 out of the apprommately $3,500,000,000 author- ized m this htle in order to proceed with those projects m the fiscal year 1952. The installations to be provided by these au- thorizations were to be utilized for strategic air operations, air defense operations, and tactical air operations. The Strategic Air Commahal's base struc- ture, being built up at this tme, required bases within the continental United States and in foreign countries. These bases were necessary for the development of the capa- bility of SAC to carry out retaliatory attacks and to neutralize the oneroy's war poten- tial. Air Defense Command installations and faclitfes included the construction of interceptor aircraft baes at strategic loca- tions and the mstallaton of high-speed re- fueling and readiness acilities. Another derease item was the extension of the radar fence. As the Tactical Air Command sup- ports ground forces in their operations, the authorization for its installations and fa- cilities was closely tied in with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, particularly with respect to bases in foreign countries. As finally enacted by Congress and ap- proved by the President on 28 September 1951, Ttle [II of this defense publie-works legislation authorized the expenchture of $3,480,661,800 for the construction of Air Force installations and facfiities at more than 130 locations m the zone of the in- terior and overseas. Of this sum $1,993,603,- 800 was authorized for public works inside the continental United States, $415; 420,000 for pubhc works outside the con- tinental United States, and $1,071,638,00) for classified aci!ities. Title iV authorized up to $38,000,000 for Air Force construction or development of joint military installa- tions and amhtxes and up to $25,000,000 for post exchanges, theaters, cafeterias and other facilities intended primarily for mo- THIS PAGE Declassified lAW EO12958