Admiral’s Confidence In Polaris Fleet

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31986, 13 May 1969, Page 17

Admiral’s Confidence In Polaris Fleet

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) WASHINGTON, May 12. The admiral responsible for the United States missile fleet of 41 submarines is confident that the Russians cannot now, and will not in the foreseeable future be able to attack successfully the SUSI3,OOOm underwater nuclear deterrent force.

In a rare newspaper interview, Rear-Admiral Levering Smith, director of the Navy’s strategic systems projects, said: “I am quite positive that Russian submarines can-

not, and are not, following any of our Polaris submarines under water. “I am also quite positive that the new generation of Russian submarines now close to operational status will also not be able to follow our Polaris submarines.”

The Russian., the admiral said, had no specific new antisubmarine warfare methods as far as was known, which would make the Polaris fleet

vulnerable to attack, despite many reports of a superior Russian sonar system or satellite detection capability.

Neither the United States nor the Russians could, or would ever be able to use satellites to detect submarines under the water, because United States tests had shown that the laws of physics would have to be changed to make it practical. Admiral Smith disclosed that although only 50 per cent or 328. of the United States 656 Polaris inter-continental missiles were on station at any one time, and ready to

fire within minutes of a Presidential order, the United States had learned from actual test-firings that their reliability was 85 to 95 per cent.