A SAC Alert Concept for the Immediate Future
Abstract
The maintenance problem is one of the major bottlenecks which impede a high state of alert for SAC bomber forces. It has manifested itself in the small number of aircraft on short-notice alert and in the substantial time it has taken to bring the remaining aircraft to an alert status. In the past, this did not degrade SAC's deterrent strength to an unacceptable level, since the enemy's first-strike capabilities were so limited that a good many SAC bombers would have been able to take off even five or six hours after the enemy blow. In the future, however, the enemy's increasing missile force will mean that none of SAC can count on the luxury of hours of warning. This paper makes two basic proposals for mastering this very dangerous situation: a maintenance policy intended to push aside some maintenance impediments to a high state of alert; and an alert policy which would help minimize the effects of the remaining maintenance impediments.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 05, 1959
- Accession Number
- ADA596200
Entities
People
- R. A. Levine
- R. B. Rainey
Organizations
- RAND Corporation