European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 19, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The stars and stripes wednesday february 19,1986page 2 of a experts disagree on nuke War towers network would be vulnerable some say Washington not a new net work of radio Lowers designed to Send warn ing information and retaliatory orders . Nuclear forces in Case of War is the focus of a dispute among experts Over whether it could survive the opening min utes of a nuclear  c. Latham the senior Pentagon official in charge of command and communications programs said in an interview that he believes the system could survive and should be expanded beyond current air Force plans to help the United states direct nuclear weapons in a War that could last Days weeks or longer he said that More of the towers should be built in the United slates and that consideration is being Given to extending the network into Alaska and Canada to communicate with bases for aircraft that intercept  other Pentagon officials and some non governmental experts questioned the need for a Large network saying that both the radio system and the bases and com Mand facilities linked to it would be among the first targets struck in a nuclear  if the system somehow remained intact it would not have anyone to talk to said Bruce g. Blair an expert on strategic communications systems who recently worked for the defense communications  the heart of the debate is the ground wave emergency network of in staffed radio Lowers that will transmit data using Low frequency  air Force plans to have 56 of the 300-foot relay towers operating by the end of this year along with additional receiving and transmitting equipment at military Sites a spokesman  entire network of 130 radio Sites already under construction is to be completed by the Early 1990s at a Cost of $750 million. It would link bomber and Aerial refuelling Tanker bases missile launching centers warning radars facilities for air borne command posts and ground based command  of the towers Are to be placed in regions that Are Remote from military Cen ters and the plans have aroused controversy in some communities under consideration for towers such As Amherst mass. Protesters there have complained that the system would make their town a target and they have charged that the system reflects the View that a protracted nuclear War is  for the ground wave emergency network began in the Early 1980s when Theair Force sought a communications system to provide warning information to its bomber forces that would be resistant to Jam Ming and the disruptive effects of nuclear blasts. But Over the Yean the plans became More ambitious. The system is now in tended to transmit retaliatory orders As Wellas warning messages. Franklin c. Miller director of strategic forces policy in the defense department s office of International Security policy said that the system would deter the soviet Union from pursuing a strategy of interrupting . Communications Early in an attack with High Altitude nuclear blasts to disable electronic  system is important for the first 35 minutes of an attack he , while Many Pentagon officials agree with this the Pentagon has not spoken witha single voice. Initial air Force plans had called for a least 240 of the relay towers instead of the 130 now planned for an additional Cost of$160 million according to an air Force spokesman. And Pentagon officials had talked of an eventual network of 400 to 500 radio , the senior defense department official in charge of command and control programs said in an interview that the cur rent plan is an air Force temporary Posi Tion that i absolutely do not agree with. They came in and briefed me and sent them Back to the drawing boards to do a lot More analysis to show that they have not covered All the possible needs said Latham who added that the plan for 130towers reflected budgetary concerns. Latham contended that the system needs to be expanded to make it More resistant to attack adding that the Pentagon is review ing a proposal to extend it into Alaska and Canada to link up with air defense unit there. A Pentagon official who asked not to be identified said that Latham s vision of a Large network that could extend into Canada has not yet been formally endorsed. The official who supports other communications systems intended to endure a nuclear strike questioned whether the ground wave system would contribute to the Amer ican ability to fight a Long nuclear War. French air strike Force moved of capital of Chad Affer bombing reports say Paris up a suspected Libya plane monday dropped a single bomb on n Ndjamena Airport in Chad prompting France to station an air strike Force in the chadian capital news reports quoting French military sources said. A soviet built Tupoljev Tu-22 bomber Fly ing at High Altitude dropped a bomb on the runway Early monday causing slight damage and no injuries. The attack came 24 hours after French Jaguar fighter bombers destroyed a libyan Airstrip at Wadi Doum in the rebel controlled area Northern area of Chad. The Exchange of bombings followed week of intense fighting Between president his Sene Habre s government troops and libyan backed rebels who crossed a cease fire line last monday to attack government held towns mainly along two key North South highways. News reports from n Ndjamena quoting military sources said chadian rebels do not have any Tu-22s, but Libya keeps seven of the planes which Are capable of making the 1,700-mile round trip without refuelling Ata base in North Chad. A spokesman in Paris for the rebel Cha Dian government of National Unity said the rebels and their allies would make tit for Tat responses to any attacks on Northern Chad by French  after the attack on n Ndjamena de sense ministry sources in Paris said an airstrike Force made up of jaguars Mirage Al fighter jets and Kc-135 in flight refuelling planes would be stationed in the capital to give the French air Force Power to make Quick strikes anywhere in the Central african nation. French defense minister Paul quil Essaid two Mirage Fly and a Jaguar were sent to n Ndjamena. News reports said four jaguars also arrived at the Airport. However Quiles said he did not foresee retaliatory bombing against another libyan  200 French ground personnel were sent last weekend to guard n Dja Mcna air port where French planes have been land ing for nearly a week to deliver arms an supplies to chadian government forces. It marked the first French military intervention in Chad s 20-year-old civil War in 18 months. France sent about 3,500 troops to Chad in August 1983 to Block an and Vance from the North by former  Weddeke s libyan backed rebel forces. The troops were withdrawn in sep tember 1984 after France and Libya agreed to a simultaneous troop withdrawal. President Francois Mitterrand suffered apolitical embarrassment two months later when is. Satellite pictures showed Libya forces never left North Chad. French government officials said the Wadi Doum strip was used As the main support base for the recent rebel offensive across the cease fire line. Official chadian radio saturday said government forces re pulsed the attacks killing More than 300 insurgents and capturing Large quantities farms and equipment. If the soviets wanted to attack the sys tem they could do  still have enough warheads left he said. Some experts agree with this. Blair said that some defense department studies justified scepticism that the network could function coherently in the Wake of any at tack involving significant numbers of weapons unless the attacker decided not to tar get the relay towers. He said that the relay towers could trans Mit signals about 200 Miles and that tens of weapons directed at specific relay Tow ers would be sufficient to dismember the network into essentially useless  Blair said that he saw a role for the sys tem in providing warning information to bombers but he argued that there was no persuasive rationale for trying to build a system for a Long nuclear War. Because the bomber bases missile Fields underground command posts and radar installation linked by the system Are important and vulnerable targets and would be  missile carrying submarines consid ered the element of the american strategic forces most Likely to survive attack Are not served by the network. But Latham argued that defense plan ners have gone to extraordinary Means to make the system More survivable so that it could function after an attack. Suck a capacity he said would help deter an initial attack. Such measures involve equipping to towers with auxiliary diesel generators that would operate the transmitters for up to week after regular Power was lost. News update White supremacist Seattle a a Man de scribed by of Detal prosecutors As the banker for the order has been sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the White supremacist group s crime Campaign . District judge Walter to govern sentenced Ken Loff one week after he sentenced 10 order Mem Bers to prison terms of As much As 100 years for their part in the racketeering conspiracy. Mcgovern bid presided Over the 3to-month trial that ended dec. 30 in convictions of the 10.Loff pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy before the trial in return for a recommended 10-year prison sentence. Mcgovern said he would recommend that Loff spend his Pris on time at a minimum Security facility near Spokane Loff was among a dozen former order members or associates who testified at the trial of the 10 Racke Teers. Iraq uses missiles in try to retake port by United press International Iraq used ground to ground missiles against iranian forces occupying the port of port Fao Iraq at the Mouth of the Shatt Al Arab waterway As iraqi forces continued to Advance on the City monday reports from the Region said. Iranian radio said that heavy fighting continued at port Fao where iranian forces beat Back an iraqi attack killing 500 enemy troops and injuring Many  iraqi casualties including both killed and wounded mounted to 14,000 on the eighth Day of the latest flare up the radio said. The iranian forces were consolidating their positions the radio said using a term it often employs when Iran s forces Are under heavy enemy pressure Abu Dahabi s Gulf news Agency said the iraqis had deployed medium Range missiles in Mobile units around Basra Iraq about 53 Miles Northwest of port Fao and bad already used them. In Tehran Iran prime minister Mir Hossein Musavi said the Only Way the . Security Council could end the 5v4-year conflict would be to Issue a Resolution condemning Iraq As the  he was replying to an Appeal by Secretary general Javier Perez de Cuellar calling on both sides to end hostilities to promote conditions for peace moves. A military communique in Baghdad Iraq said the iraqi forces at port fab were advancing in an organized manner destroying iranian positions and their de lenses on the second Day of a three pronged offensive aimed at pushing them off iraqi soil. Iranian units used anti tank rockets to deliver heavy blows against iraqi Armor in the Battlefield Bania radio quoted a military statement As saying. The iraqis began their latest push at Dawn on Sun Day at port Fao where Iran s forces last week Cap tured 315 Square Miles of territory around the port. Iran said its forces shot Down seven iraqi warplanes monday bringing to 36 the number of jets the Irani ans have downed in the past eight Days. Iraq said its forces shot Down an iranian Jet but Iran denied the report saying its warplanes carried out three raids to bomb enemy troop positions in the Battle zone