jwm@stda.jhuapl.edu (Jim Meritt) (01/08/90)
From: jwm@stda.jhuapl.edu (Jim Meritt) In article <12757@cbnews.ATT.COM> tdrinkar@cosmos.acs.calpoly.edu (Terrell Drinkard) writes: }Strategic weapons? What strategic weapons? Only the Air Force has }Strategic weapons. I wonder how accurate the rest of your posting is. One third of the strategic triad, and quite enough to incinerate the world quite nicely, has absolutely NOTHING to do with the air force. Have you ever heard of a ballistic missle submarine?!?!? "In these matters the only certainty is that nothing is certain" - Pliny the Elder These were the opinions of : jwm@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu - or - jwm@aplvax.uucp - or - meritt%aplvm.BITNET
GA.CJJ@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU (Clifford Johnson) (01/10/90)
From: "Clifford Johnson" <GA.CJJ@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU> > }Only the Air Force has Strategic weapons. > > One third of the strategic triad, and quite enough to incinerate > the world quite nicely, has absolutely NOTHING to do with the air > force. Have you ever heard of a ballistic missle submarine?!?!? Both right and both wrong, I think. Over half the U.S. nuclear arsenal is on submarines ... BUT those submarines may be commanded by CINCSAC (now General Chain). He is of course an air force officer, and he also is in charge of the targeting of those missiles (as chairman of the Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff). De facto, the air force won out over the navy in 1960 for overall control of U.S. strategic weapons. On the other hand, the navy refused to accept such weapons with a Permissive Action Link. That is, the navy retains physical launch capability, without requiring external codes to be transmitted to them. This would enable them to retaliate if CINCASC was snuffed in a surprise attack. But for first strike and launch on warning, CINCSAC is the boss. Naturally there is a fuss when a nuclear submarine officer on such a ship misbehaves, as happened last week, when one such officer took pot shots into the water. A single submarine could destroy every major city in the U.S.S.R. To: MILITARY@ATT.ATT.COM
dfkling@cs.washington.edu (Dean F. Kling) (01/11/90)
From: dfkling@cs.washington.edu (Dean F. Kling) >Over half the U.S. nuclear arsenal is on submarines ... BUT those >submarines may be commanded by CINCSAC (now General Chain). He >is of course an air force officer, and he also is in charge of >the targeting of those missiles (as chairman of the Joint >Strategic Target Planning Staff). De facto, the air force won >out over the navy in 1960 for overall control of U.S. strategic >weapons. Missile submarines are not commanded by CINCSAC; but are under the operational control of CINCPAC and CINCLANT: the unified (joint force) commanders in the Atlantic and Pacific regions (both Navy officers). Strategic targeting for all forces is coordinated by JSTPS, (a joint command with several naval officers on the staff); but the operational control of the platforms has no connection to them. No one service has "overall control" of U.S. strategic weapons (probably a good idea). Dean F. Kling dfkling@cs.washington.edu
GA.CJJ@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU (Clifford Johnson) (01/12/90)
From: "Clifford Johnson" <GA.CJJ@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU> dfkling@cs.washington.edu (Dean F. Kling) writes: > Missile submarines are not commanded by CINCSAC; but are under the >operational control of CINCPAC and CINCLANT: the unified (joint force) >commanders in the Atlantic and Pacific regions (both Navy officers). But these may be under CINCSAC's orders. Thus, the air force's judge advocate general wrote, with especial regard for the submarine force, (OpJAGAF no.42, 1981): "CINCSAC could, in our opinion, be legally authorized to command all strategic nuclear forces of the United States." I am not of the opinion that this opinion was academic. > Strategic targeting for all forces is coordinated by JSTPS, >(a joint command with several naval officers on the staff); but the But this joint group is chaired by CINCSAC. The fact that this gave the air force de facto control is not seriously disputed. They fought hard for this top hand in 1960. To: MILITARY@ATT.ATT.COM