Now here, gentlemen, in a few boxes we have the broad, overall picture of the United States Air Force. You will notice that under the Secretary we have our headquarters and we have 18 subordinate commands. Each one of these 18 subordinate commands contributes its share to our overall mission. The primary phase of that is air operations. Correlative phases are material, logistics, intelligence, communications, research and development, and so forth.

In a broad sense our headquarters develop the overall plans, policies, and programs. These 18 subordinate commands translate those into plans of action. Now for the purposes of our discussion we shall categorize these 18 commands into 3 broad areas: Our overseas commands, our domestic commands, and those commands which are worldwide in scope.

Now first of all, our overseas commands. These are the Caribbean Air Command, the Far East Air Force, the Alaska Air Command, the Northeast Air Command, our Air Forces in Europe those are the five.

Now the specific mission of each one of those.

Our Alaska Air Command first.

Our mission in Alaska is to conduct the effective defense of Alaska and to provide early warning to the United States and Canada. This mission also includes the protection of the United States from air attack through Alaska and the Arctic regions and the support of the Strategic Air Command in their operations.

I shall get to the Strategic Air Command briefly in a few moments. Our second Overseas Air Command

Mr. BLANDFORD. May I interrupt you for just a moment, Colonel, to remind you that anything you are saying which may be classified should be stricken from the record, but that you may give classified information, bearing in mind that it will be your responsibility to remove it from the record when it comes over to you.

Lieutenant Colonel BURKE. Right.

When it comes over, we can. All right, sir. Thank you.

Mr. RIVERS. This meeting this morning is executive; isn't it? Mr. ARENDS. That is right. So you feel free to talk, with that privilege of course of deleting when the time comes.

Lieutenant Colonel BURKE. All right. I thank you, sir.

Now our next overseas air command is the Caribbean Air Command. Our main mission here is to support the MDAP for Latin America and to conduct our Air Force school for Latin America. We maintain a flow of supplies to and communications with all Latin American air missions of the Air Force.

Mr. RIVERS. Where are the headquarters for that? Brookley? Lieutenant Colonel BURKE. No, that is I believe at Albrook Air Force Base, Panama Canal Zone.

It directly supports and supervises the air bases under its control. It provides for air rescue service and aircraft control in the Panama area for its own units and those of the Strategic Air Command in the Military Air Transport Service.

Now our Northeast Air Command

Mr. BLANDFORD. May I interrupt you there?
Lieutenant Colonel BURKE. Yes, sir.

Mr. BLANDFORD. I notice with interest that one of its assignments is not the defense of the Panama Canal.

Lieutenant Colonel BURKE. It is quite conceivable, sir, that in the

event

Mr. BLANDFORD. That is not one of the missions assigned to the Caribbean Air Command?

Lieutenant Colonel BURKE. Right at the moment that is a secondary mission; yes, sir.

Mr. BLANDFORD. And yet its headquarters are at the Panama Canal.

Lieutenant Colonel BURKE. Yes, sir; that is correct.

Now the third overseas command which I shall discuss is our Northeast Air Command. This command maintains and operates air bases, communications, and weather facilities, navigational aids and air rescue service in order to support the Strategic Air Command, the Military Air Transport Service, and other commands in and operating through this area. In coordination with the Canadian Force, its mission includes the defense of these installations against an attack. Now our Far East Air Force.

In the Far East we are conducting tactical operations in Korea. We provide for the air defense of Japan, the Ryukyu's the Mariannias and the United States installations in the Phillipines.

The mission of our Air Force in Europe: our prime mission here is to provide tactical air power and necessary administrative and logistic support for our Air Force in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

Now, gentlemen, I shall turn to our domestic commands. They are nine in number. We have the Air Force Finance Division, the Air University, the Continental Air Command, the Air Defense Command, the Tactical Air Command, the Air Proving Ground Command, the Air Training Command, the Air Research and Development Command and the Headquarters Command.

Now a brief word about the mission of each of those nine.

Our Air Defense Command provides for the air defense of the United States.

Our Finance Center: The mission here is to execute and supervise financial functions of the Air Force which require centralized control. Our Proving Ground Command: Here the assigned mission is to develop improved operational techniques and to determine through field testing the operational suitability of our Air Force equipment. Our Research and Development Command: Our mission here is to attain and maintain qualitatively superiority of material and to conduct or supervise scientific and technical studies required for the accomplishment of Air Force missions, to seek new basic knowledge from which improved aeronautical equipment, material, weapons, and techniques can be developed, to undertake the development and recommend the adoption of appropriate new and improved devices and systems for the conduct and support of air warfare, including aircraft, missiles, weapons, techniques, and procedures applicable to Air Force purposes.

Our Training Command: The mission of our Training Command is to provide flying training leading to an aeronautical rating, air-crew training, technical training leading to an Air Force speciality, basic military training, mobile training, and such training as may be directed by the Chief of Staff, United States Air Force.

Our Air University: The mission of the Air University is to prepare officers for command of large Air Force units, for wings, for groups and squadrons, and for staff duties appropriate to those command positions; to provide education to meet the scientific requirements of the Air Force; and to provide instruction and aviation medical services and to administer our Air Force ROTC program.

Mr. RIVERS. Could I ask him a question there, Mr. Chairman? Mr. ARENDS. Yes, Mr. Rivers.

Mr. RIVERS. What are the basic qualifications for admission to the Air University?

Lieutenant Colonel BURKE. It depends to what school, sir. The Air University consists of a variety of schools.

Mr. RIVERS. All right.

Lieutenant Colonel BURKE. Medical schools. We have a senior command staff school, for senior officers.

We have the Air War College, still a higher level, full colonel and so on. It would depend on the school.

Mr. RIVERS. Then you got your staff schools.

Lieutenant Colonel BURKE. Yes, sir.

Mr. RIVERS. Isn't that pretty competitive? Hasn't a fellow got to be tops to get in there?

Lieutenant Colonel BURKE. Yes, sir, he does.

Mr. RIVERS. And he is selected, or he is screened pretty much before he gets in?

Lieutenant Colonel BURKE. Yes, sir.

Our Continental Air Command is another one of our domestic commands. Here our mission is to provide the Reserve forces for the Department of Air Force, including supervision and inspection of the Air National Guard of the United States, administration and training of engineering aviation units, and in the event of war or other emergency, such as a civil disaster, to mobilize these units and our individuals of the Air Force Reserve that are assigned to CONAC, the Continental Air Command.

Our Headquarters Command provides support for headquarters, United States Air Force, and for those Air Force units whose inherent organizational structure does not permit self support. These include all Air Force foreign missions, except those in Latin America, worldwide Air Force Attaché posts, headquarters of the Civil Air Patrol, Auditor General activities, special communications organizations, joint medical activity, and so forth.

Now our last domestic command is the Tactical Air Command. Here our mission is to provide for the Air Force cooperation with the land, naval, and our amphibious forces and operational training of all Air Force units therefor.

Now we come to those commands which I mentioned whose sphere of activity is worldwide in scope. These are our Strategic Air Command, our Military Air Transport Service, our Air Material Command, and our Air Force Security Service.

Now a brief word about the mission of each of these.

First the Strategic Air Command.

Our mission here is to organize, train, administer, and prepare a force capable of conducting strategic air operations. This command, gentlemen, is our Sunday punch, with its capability of carrying our

atomic offensive to any part of the globe. Some day it may be demonstrated that the existence of this command was the only deterrent to the unleashing of the full power of Soviet aggression during this time. Our Military Air Transport Service.

Our mission here

Mr. GAVIN. Would you repeat that, again? What did you just say? Lietutenant Colonel BURKE. The mission of the Strategic Air Command, sir, is to organize, train, administer, and prepare a force capable of conducting strategic air operations. This command is our Sunday punch, with its capability of carrying our atomic offensive to any part of the globe. Some day it may be demonstrated that the existence of this command was the only deterrent to the unleashing of the full power of Soviet aggression.

Mr. RIVERS. That is your opinion?

Mr. GAVIN. Might have put the Army and the Navy in there, too. Mr. ARENDS. Here we go.

Lieutenant Colonel BURKE. I am speaking for the Air Force, sir. Mr. ARENDS. That is a good answer, Colonel.

Mr. RIVERS. You better while you occupy that billet.

Mr. VAN ZANDT. Good answer, Colonel.

Mr. ARENDS. Proceed, Colonel.

Lieutenant Colonel BURKE. Now the next command whose sphere of activity is worldwide in scope is our Military Air Transport Service. Here our mission is to provide airlift required in support of approved joint war plans, scheduled airlift for the Department of Defense within the continental United States, between the continental United States and overseas areas, and between and within overseas areas worldwide air transport, air weather services, airways and air communications services, air rescue service and documentary photographic and charting systems, and flight service within the zone of the interior. Mr. BLANDFORD. Documentary and air photographic service? Lieutenant Colonel BURKE. Documentary photographic and charting systems or service, yes.

Mr. BLANDFORD. Does MATS do its own air mapping and -Lieutenant Colonel BURKE. One of the divisions under this command, the Military Air Transport, are Air Force Photographic and Mapping Service; yes, sir.

The mission of our Security Service is to assure the security of the Air Force communications system.

Mr. NELSON. Colonel, which branch of the Air Force develops combat intelligence, target data, and stuff like that?

Lieutenant Colonel BURKE. Which specific branch?

Mr. NELSON. Which command.

Lieutenant Colonel BURKE. Well, no specific command, sir.

Mr. NELSON. Does the Strategic Air Command, for instance, have its own mapping service and target intelligence?

Lieutenant Colonel BURKE. No, sir. They do not. They do not. But they have a staff section, which I will come to later and explain to you how intelligence fits into the overall staff section.

Now the fourth of our commands, worldwide in scope, is the Air Material Command. Our mission is to provide adequate and efficient systems of procurement, production, maintenance and supply for the Air Force; to provide general overall logistic support for all activities

and agencies of the Air Force; to train specialized units for the accomplishment of specific logistic functions in overseas areas and theaters; to train individuals requiring a long lead training time to fill requirements of the air depot type units scheduled for activation.

Now, gentlemen, with an overall picture of the Air Force behind us, I would now like to turn to a chart of our own immediate headquarters of the Air Staff.

Here we have a chart which portrays our Air Staff. This is our headquarters here in Washington. You will note that the relationship is the Secretary of the Air Force, then the Chief of Staff, General Vandenberg, then the Air Staff.

Now we need an Air Staff, all these people here, to insure that that portion of the Nation's economic, material, and manpower resources which are allocated for Air Force use are properly administered and utilized.

Now what is the function or how does this bunch of boxes operate? Briefly, in this manner. We have what we call-this level-this we refer to as the Deputy Chief of Staff level, broken down to five main fields: Comptroller, Personnel, Development, Operations and Materiel.

Now these five men here acting for the Chief, General Vandenburg, are the bosses of the Air Force within their sphere of activity. The