NAS, Quonset Point.

ANTARCTICA PROGRAMS

Mr. SIKES. What is the Navy's interest in Antarctica? Why are you there!

Admiral SYLVESTER. Mr. Chairman, the Department of Defense is charged with the logistics support of the entire Antarctic program.

I have here Captain Durant, who has been the agent of the Department of the Navy in connection with the Deepfreeze operation. He has been a member of the coordinating committee and now is working with the Departments of Defense and State in connection with the Antarctic program.

Captain DURANT. I am quoting from a classified document at this point, Mr. Chairman.

(Discussion off the record.)

We act for the Department of Defense, which is charged with the logistics support of all Antarctic projects.

We have 9 ships, about 26 planes, 3,000 men.

Mr. SIKES. For what length of time are they there?

Captain DURANT. About 195 of that total winter over, and that is their tour, 1 year.

(Discussion off the record.)

Mr. SIKES. How many permanent camps are there in the area?
Captain DURANT. We have four.

Mr. SIKES. I refer to camps of other nations.

Captain DURANT. On a wintering-over basis, Mr. Chairman, year round, the Russians at Myrny and the United States are the two largest on a year-round basis. In addition, New Zealand, Australia, Belgium, and Great Britain have small wintering-over parties there. Mr. SIKES. Is the size of their party comparable to ours?

Captain DURANT. It is smaller. They do not have the number of bases we have. We have four permanent bases-Cape Hallett, McMurdo, Byrd, and Amundsen-Scott.

Mr. FLOOD. What about the fire at McMurdo?

Captain DURANT. It was not too serious. We lost some aviation materials.

The Russians had a fire at Myrny last year. They lost eight men. Mr. FLOOD. What about the bad storm last week?

Captain DURANT. We lost about $100,000 worth of material. They have to off-load onto the ice, and the storm broke away the ice and these supplies went out to sea.

There

Mr. MINSHALL. Were the icebreakers freed? Admiral SYLVESTER. They were, but one became stuck again. may have been some propeller damage to the one that is in the ice now.

DEFERRED MAINTENANCE

Mr. SIKES. Now, will you tell me this: What is the significance of the reduction of $1,198,000 in deferred maintenance projects? Will that come back to us as a $2 million increase a year or two from now or is this an actual saving?

Admiral PELTIER. Our deferred maintenance at the activities under my Bureau's management control is something on the order of about $33 million, referring now to the backlog. We are funding only $2,717,000 this year, whereas last year we funded a greater amount. It is one of those things which has been squeezed down.

Mr. SIKES. Is this a practical solution or is this a necessary thing for which you will have to pay later?

Admiral PELTIER. You always have to pay later in deferred maintenance, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. SIKES. What type of maintenance is being called normal deferred maintenance as a result of this deduction?

Admiral PELTIER. This is replacement of steam lines, deferring painting, repairing piers, dredging, and in some cases, say in the steam lines, you perhaps lost a little more steam. It costs more to operate.

We try to pick out the items we will repair or spend the money which will give us the greatest return, but there are always a great number of good projects that do not get funded every year.

ROLE OF SEABEES IN RECENT CRISIS

Mr. SIKES. Your justification refers to the role of the Seabees in such actions as the Korean war, Lebanon, and Taiwan crises, Arequipa and Chilean disasters. Tell us something about the actual effort provided by the Seabees in those instances, and do that for the record, please.

Admiral PELTIER. All right, sir.

(The information requested is attached :)

SEABEES-THE NAVAL CONSTRUCTION FORCES

The naval construction forces and the naval construction battalions (Seabees) are the Navy's mobile military construction units for use primarily at oversea locations where conditions make it impractical to use civilian contract forces. They are employed as designated in Navy plans for cold war, limited war, or general war. The naval construction force units are an integral part of the naval operating forces and the fleet command to which assigned.

The primary functions of these forces are construction, alteration, rehabilitation, and maintenance of facilities, together with the operation of utilities and other common services, at outlying or advanced bases supporting Navy and Marine Corps operations.

Under conditions short of emergency or war, the assignment of construction projects to the naval construction forces is made with primary consideration to the training of the unit for its wartime mission except when overriding military requirements take precedence.

The amphibious construction battalions (amphibious Seabees) are specialized units which build and operate pontoon causeways, barges, and ship-to-shore fuel lines to land Marine and other ground forces with their combat equipment and supplies during an amphibious assault. Also, these units have a capability of performing some construction as the need arises.

World War II.-The accomplishments of the famed World War II Seabees have become a part of the glorious history and tradition of the U.S. Navy. The World War II Seabee was an experienced constructionman, averaging 33 years in age, and he possessed outstanding skill, ingenuity, and the "can do" spirit. Over a quarter of a million officers and men were rapidly organized, trained, and moved out to accomplish the tremendous construction task. They were organized into 12 brigades, 54 regiments, some 200 construction battalions, and approximately 250 smaller units. These Seabees constructed over 400 bases worth billions of dollars in Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, South America, and the chain of large bases across the Pacific which made the final assault on Japan possible. Korean war.-The Seabees expanded rapidly to meet the emergency of the Korean war. The oversea construction requirement for advance bases was reaffirmed and rapid mobilization provided 10 additional mobile construction battalions. The amphibious battalions increased greatly in numbers and scope of operations. As a specific example, the 103d Naval Construction Battalion on Guam increased from 650 to 1,750 personnel to meet the construction workload.

67438-61-pt. 2- -32

Two construction battalion maintenance units in Japan constructed two major airfields and port facilities (equivalent of two battalions). Amphibious Construction Battalion 1 participated in the Inchon landing supporting Marine and Army beaches. They also accomplished essential construction in the Inchon Port area, even operating the Korean railroad. ACB 1 also participated in the Hungnam evacuation, the largest successful, reverse-order amphibious operation ever accomplished in the annals of history.

The Korean war emphasized the requirement for advance bases in the WESTPAC area resulting in extensive construction by the Seabees in the Philippines, Guam, Midway, Kwajalein, Okinawa, Adak, and Kodiak following the Korean war.

Lebanon affair.-Amphibious Construction Battalion 2 actively participated in the beach landing of this crisis. The four mobile construction battalions of the Atlantic Naval Construction Forces were alerted and in an alert status during this situation. Further developments in the Lebanon crisis would have caused Seabee construction at the Lebanon area (air and port buildup) and in the Mediterranean area (Rota, Port Lyautey, Naples, Sigonella, etc.). The Seabees were ready to meet these fleet construction requirements.

Taiwan emergency.—Amphibious Construction Battalion 1 actively participated in this crisis. The five mobile construction battalions of the Pacific were in alert status. The Taiwan situation caused the buildup of our WESTPAC bases, resulting in Seabee construction at Okinawa, Guam, and the Philippines. Recent threats.-In recent months, there have been threats which have endangered world peace in the Caribbean area and in southeast Asia. The Seabees of both fleets have been alerted to these threats and have the necessary readiness as members of the Navy-Marine balanced fleet force to counter the threats to world peace.

New tasks and missions.-Under the continuing climate of the cold war, there has been the requirement to be ready to cope with the disaster situation, natural or manmade. There has also been the need for assistance to other nations, military and civil. With their unique construction ability, the Seabees were a natural choice for a role in these endeavors. The naval construction battalions are trained, mobile task units available to assist in the recovery from atomic, biological, or chemical attack; and also, to assist in the natural disaster situation. Seabees recently received commendations for their disaster efforts at Agadir, Morocco, and at Miragoane, Haiti. Military and socioeconomic assistance has been one of their more recent accomplishments. Individuals and units of other nations have been trained in the construction skills. A small team of Seabees has been training local naval and civilian personnel in Ecuador, resulting in the construction of the Ecuadorian Naval Academy. People-to-people type projects have provided a school for retarded children on Guam, playgrounds and community facilities on Okinawa, and direct aid to orphans in Spain. The Seabees have demonstrated their ability to live and work, shoulder to shoulder, with the native sons of these remote nations.

Today's Seabees.-The Seabee of today is devoting all of his efforts to the development of improved readiness for himself, his unit, and the naval construction forces of each fleet. He is somewhat younger than his World War II counterpart, averaging 21 years of age instead of 33 years. He has had limited technical training in his trade prior to entering the naval service; but, he is receiving excellent training in his chosen trade and he has tremendous enthusiasm and interest in his work; i.e., the enthusiasm and drive of youth. Although he is young in years, he and his battalion are experienced in achievements.

Today's Seabee is achieving the necessary readiness by training; in school .courses, technical training on construction projects overseas, and by military training and military field exercises. The naval construction battalions have that unique construction ability or capability:

1. To build the complex and complicated peacetime finished product for our new weapons systems where emphasis is on quality such as a station of the Atlantic missile chain or an advanced underseas weapons building.

2. To build the mass construction of wartime, advance base structures where time is of the essence.

3. To defend what they build.

Today's naval construction battalions are backed-up by a strong Reserve program including the organized divisions of the Selected Reserve, the Ready Reserve, and the Active Status Reserve.