Mr. SIKES. The assumption is if there is a possibility of such a need in the future, from the past history of this country, which shows that land goes up in value instead of decreasing, this is the time to buy the land for it will cost us more if we wait and buy it later?

Secretary TALBOTT. I think so; yes.

Mr. SIKES. It is your feeling that these additional 2,500 acres are all that foreseeably could ever be required? Secretary TALBOTT. Yes.

Mr. MAHON. Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

Secretary TALBOTT. There is a road, the main highway, a six-lane highway. We have bought 500 feet on the other side of the highway. We do not need that, but we bought it for the protection of the Academy so you would not get unsightly billboards and possible honkytonks in there. That 500 feet runs into a lot of acreage. Mr. SIKES. I think you were wise to do that.

Mr. MAHON. Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

We will rely upon your assurance this is going to be planned and so constructed that the Academy will be provided within the limits of the authorization of $126 million. Secretary TALBOTT. Yes.

FRIDAY, JULY 1, 1955.

AIR MATERIEL COMMAND

Mr. DEANE. The committee will come to order, and we will resume our hearings.

General Rodenhauser, we shall proceed with the first project in the Air Materiel Command.

BROOKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, MOBILE, ALA.

General RODENHAUSER. Mr. Chairman, the first base in the Air Materiel Command is Brookley Air Force Base, located at Mobile, Ala. This is one of our permanent Air Force bases.

We put permanent-type construction on it. You will note from the header strip on page 83 of the blue book that this is jointly used by the Air Materiel Command and the Military Air Transport Service, MATS being a tenant on the base.

We are asking here for $4,170,000.

The principal item in the program is to widen and strengthen the existing runway to accommodate the heavier type aircraft flying off this very important base.

The second highest dollar item is for dormitories for airmen which are very urgently needed.

The third highest dollar item is for a special-purpose shop, that is, to modify an existing building for a depot maintenance shop which is required in connection with the mission and operation of this depot. The other items, Mr. Chairman, are not unusual in their nature. However, I would like to call your attention to line item No. 8, which is the last item on page 83.

That item covers the modification of those warehouse buildings, and to rehabilitate the electrical lighting system within them.

Mr. Gibbens, could you give the committee some additional details on that project?

Mr. GIBBENS. The project calls for the installation of a flexible lighting system for the various warehouses there, and there are six of the warehouses in all.

The original lighting system is a fixed-type system, and provides only for some five-foot candles of lighting. This new system will provide a flexible lighting system which will in turn provide greater illumination in the warehouses.

Mr. DEANE. Do I understand, General Rodenhauser, that there will not be any new projects to be considered throughout the Air Materiel Command, but these will all be old projects, or bases? These are all old bases?

General RODEN HAUSER. Yes, sir; that is correct.

Mr. DEANE. There will be no new bases anywhere during any of the projects before us under the Air Material Command?

General RODENHAUSER. There will not be, sir.

Mr. DEANE. I notice a considerable unobligated balance of something over 1.8-million-odd dollars.

What is the status of that obligation?

Mr. McCLOUD. That balance, Mr. Deane, is for some warehousing which we plan to put to contract in October of this year. We were held up on that in getting our 4000.8 clearance from the Secretary of Defense, but it is now scheduled for October award, which will substantially wipe out that unobligated balance when that contract is placed under award.

Mr. DEANE. How does that tie in with the warehousing request in this justification?

General RODENHAUSER. This warehousing request, sir, is merely to modify the electrical systems in warehouses existing there, sir.

Mr. DEANE. It has nothing to do with that warehousing project which is proposed?

Mr. McCLOUD. No, sir. This is an approved item in the 1952 program of 320,000 square feet.

Mr. DEANE. Mr. Davis? Mr. DAVIS. Off the record. (Discussion off the record.)

Mr. DAVIS. Back on the record.

What modification of the mission at this base has taken place within the last year?

General RODENHAUSER. There is no major modification of the mission, Mr. Davis.

Mr. DAVIS. Then what is the explanation of the total estimated cost of $79 million in the justification before us, as compared with $106 million in the justification which appeared before this committee last year?

General RODENHAUSER. Mr. Davis, I cannot specifically explain that difference, except in the same terms which I have explained other differences to you. This happens to be a decrease. In other words. the proposed expansion of this depot by the acquisition of certain land which was very expensive off base, and with which I believe you are somewhat familiar, is not the plan at the present time. We are filling in the bay area with hydraulic fill, and our future plans con

template that type of expansion of the base at this time, which makes it less in end cost than originally considered by the command.

Now, I realize that that does not explain the total difference, but the other difference is brought about by recosting and reanalyzing the total items that would go into making up this base. Other than that, sir, I cannot give you any further detail as to why that variation is in

that scope.

Mr. DAVIS. Off the record.

(Discussion off the record.)

Mr. DAVIS. On the record.

Will you please obtain a more complete statement, and additional information, in order to explain this change, in estimated cost and supply it for the record?

General RODENHAUSER. We shall be glad to furnish that information for the record, Mr. Davis.

(The information requested is as follows:)

BROOKLEY AIR FORCE BASE

The ultimate cost of this base is estimated to be $79,444,000, which represents a decrease of $27,052,000 under the previous estimate. The original estimated ultimate cost of this base was predicated upon acquiring sufficient land for the necessary base expansion. A portion of this cost has been reduced by placing the extension of the runway on a hydraulic fill in Mobile Bay. Other facilities which will require construction in future programs may also be placed on this type "made" land which is considerably cheaper than the purchase of real estate adjacent to Brookley Air Force Base. There are other items which have been revised in our estimate of the needed cost of this base. Modification of the present test cells will mean a saving of several million dollars over the cost of replacing them with metal cells capable of testing aircraft engines now under production or design. The aircraft parking requirements of this base have been revised in scope and a restudy of the depot warehousing requirements amounts to a considerable reduction in the ultimate base cost.

Mr. DAVIS. That is all, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. DEANE. Do you have any questions, Mr. Scrivner, on this base? Mr. SCRIVNER. Off the record.

(Discussion off the record.)

CARIBOU AIR FORCE STATION, LIMESTONE, MAINE

Mr. DEANE. We shall now proceed to consideration of the next base, General Rodenhauser.

General RODENHAUSER. Yes, sir, Mr. Chairman.

The next base is the Caribou Air Force Station at Limestone, Maine. This is an aviation depot group station located 334 miles from the main base at Limestone.

We are asking here for $170,000 for the motor-vehicle storage, heated.

Off the record, sir, if I may for a moment.

Mr. DEANE. Surely.

(Discussion off the record.)

Mr. DEANE. What amount did you request last year for this base? General RODENHAUSER. Mr. Turner, have you the figures on our request of last year for Caribou?

Mr. TURNER. I believe it was $1.2 million, although I do not have it broken down here for this particular base.

Mr. MAHON. Off the record.

(Discussion off the record.)

Mr. DEANE. Will you please give the committee an analysis of that previous appropriation for the record? General RODENHAUSER. Yes, sir.

(The following was submitted later:)

An amount of $1,215,423 has been funded for Caribou Air Force Station. This is a portion of the authorization and appropriation for classified storage provided by Public Law 910, 81st Congress, and Public Law 911, 81st Congress, respectively.

Mr. DEANE. Does this station have any connection with the Air Defense Command?

General RODENHAUSER. It does not, sir.

Mr. DEANE. How far is it from that station?

General RODENHAUSER. It is quite some distance from Presque Isle, Mr. Chairman. It is very close to the bomber base at Loring, however. Mr. DEANE. What is the situation in regard to your housing there? General RODENHAUSER. The personnel at Caribou are using the same housing which is used at Loring Air Force Base, sir; that is, the family housing.

GRIFFISS AIR FORCE BASE, ROME, N. Y.

Mr. DEANE. Please proceed, General Rodenhauser, to the next item. General RODENHAUSER. The next base, Mr. Chairman, is Griffiss Air Force Base located at Rome, N. Y. This is a permanent Air Force station of permanent-type construction.

You will note from the header strip the variety of missions at this station. I call your attention to the fact that it is not only a depot, but it also cares for two fighter interceptor squadrons in this section of the country.

Off the record.

(Discussion off the record.)

Mr. DEANE. Why do you need to purchase 578 additional acres of land?

General RODENHAUSER. Colonel Price, will you please cover the realestate items for the committee, please?

Colonel PRICE. The 578 acres of land in this program are needed to permit the extension of the runway, and the relocation of research test facilities, plus the area required for jet-fuel storage.

The other two items include 3.5 acres of easement for an access road to the test site, and the easement item is to provide clearance for the extended runway.

General RODENHAUSER. Mr. Chairman, I believe you will note that the first item here is for a new primary runway at the Griffiss Air Force Base, and I feel obliged to inform the committee of it, because it involves the construction of an entirely new runway.

The reason for the requirement is that the existing runway at its present location cannot be extended nor widened satisfactorily to accommodate this other mission which I spoke of involving the heavier type aircraft.

In regard to the way we have designed this project, you will note there is no taxiway included in connection with this runway which. normally, we do have when we build a new runway. We are going to use the existing old runway as a taxiway in connection with the new

unway. That will enable us to not interfere with the fighter defense nission there during the period of construction of the new runway. They will still be able to use the old runway, and continue their operations while we construct the new runway.

This will give us a capability of space of a longer term life for use n connection with the tactical units, and because of the heavy investnent in this station, and its importance to the Air Force, particularly in this section of the country, we feel that this project is not only urgently required, but very soundly justified from the viewpoint to which I have just addressed myself.

Mr. DEANE. Do you have your maximum fighter strength there now? General RODENHAUSER. Colonel Moore, will you please check that? Colonel MOORE. Yes, sir.

Mr. DEANE. While he is looking for that information, have you put on a special effort to obligate the unobligated balances within recent months at this base?

General RODENHAUSER. Mr. McCloud, would you answer the chairman's question in regard to the unobligated balances at Griffiss?

Mr. MCCLOUD. We made a large award in the month of May in the amount of $1,129,000 which approximately wiped out the balance. Mr. DEANE. My records indicate that you have $1.5 million; is that right?

Mr. TURNER. We will have approximately $1.5 million carried over from fiscal year 1955 into fiscal year 1956.

Mr. McCLOUD. Mr. Chairman, any balance left beyond June is either savings or funds to be reserved for contingencies and administration of the going contract.

Mr. DEANE. You have not earmarked the $1.5 million, then?

Mr. McCLOUD. We have nothing scheduled for award. Everything is under contract except one small project which we plan to put under contract in July in the amount of $115,000, and that will complete the Griffiss program.

General RODENHAUSER. That is for prior years it will complete the

program.

Mr. McCLOUD. Yes, that is for 1955 and prior years.

Colonel MOORE. Mr. Chairman, I have the information which you requested in regard to our fighter strength there.

Mr. DEANE. You may proceed.

Colonel MOORE. We have one fighter-interceptor squadron at Griffiss, and the second one comes in during the third quarter of fiscal year 1956.

Mr. DEANE. Mr. Scrivner?

Mr. SCRIVNER. No questions.

Mr. DEANE. Mr. Davis?

Mr. DAVIS. Last year we covered this under another command other than the Air Materiel Command.

Has there been any actual change, or does that simply reflect that the facilities you are asking for this year are primarily for the Air Materiel Command, rather than for the other command under which we discussed it last year?

General RODENHAUSER. No, sir; this base is now under the Air Materiel Command. That change of assignment has taken place, but the only change in mission, Mr. Davis, which has taken place, is the