U.S. early warning system ‘a $l5 billion bungle’

Press, 3 June 1981, Page 9

U.S. early warning system ‘a $l5 billion bungle’

By CHRISTOPHER HANSON, of Reuter Washington The American multi-billion dollar nuclear attack warning and worldwide, communications network has broken down repeatedly in crisis, according to a United States Government report. The draft report by the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, has yet to be released but a copy has been obtained by Reuter. It says American security has suffered because of bungling and the Defence Department’s mismanagement for more than 10 years of a system which cost between ■ $lO and $l5 billion. The document says the Pentagon (Defence Department) erred in the late 1960 s by buying the wrong computer system for the worldwide command and control system, Wimmex. The Air Force then bungled efforts to correct the problem, and chronic computer failures continue today, the report says. Government officials familiar with the report said that as a result Wimmex computers designed to flash warnings of a Soviet missile attack against North America had often failed. They said the Wimmex system had also failed during .every military crisis of the last decade. ! Wimmex’s purpose is to ’ provide the President and * American military : commanders across the world with the most' up-to-date military

intelligence and early warning data. This information would then be used for decisions on matters such as when, where and how to deploy troops, or whether to retaliate against an apparent nuclear attack. Yet, according to the G.A.O. draft report, many military officers regard Wimmex as “the weakest link in our military reaction posture.” The report cites several recent false alarms of nuclear attack caused by computer errors. According to Government officials, Wimmex early warning computers at , the North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) in Cheyenne Mountain, near Colorado, Springs, Colorado, have failed repeatedly due to power blackouts. In one case in the late 1970 s lightning struck Cheyenne Mountain and all computers were out for more than an hour, some for more than 12 hours, they said. The G.A.O. report says the reason for the blackout's is that Norad lacks a power source which cannot be interrupted. Officials said other reasons for many failures were: the system was outmoded; excessive demands on its capabilities; and poor programming which caused the computers to give incorrect information. Pentagon officials said the GA.O.’s criticism was exaggerated, and that the mission of wanting against • Soviet missile attack would not be

jeopardised by a computer failure because back-up computers were available. But other Government officials say the back-up system is antiquated and that when the computers fail there are gaps during which a real Soviet attack could go undetected for crucial minutes. Missiles launched from Soviet submarines could reach their targets within 10 minutes, they say. Defence Department officials sought to dissociate the Norad command complex from the error-plagued Wimmex system. They said that only five of 87 computers at the .Norad centre were part of Wimmex. But the other officials say those five computers are essential since they are linked to satellites which would flash warnings of an attack to the United States Air Force. The GAO. report says Wimmex has also failed . repeatedly in conventional military crises where it is needed for quick communications of intelligence and instructions between forces in the field and commanders at home. "During times of crisis the system fails because data and information traffic is at its peak,” it said, and the computer circuitry could not cope with the load. Although officials say the system has failed in every recent military crisis involving the United States, the GAO. report provides few details.