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Show Rep. King Predicts Increase for Minuteman Missile The administration may en-? en-? large the total Minuteman fleet by 50 per cent "as a logical consequence con-sequence of th cancellation of the mobile Minuteman," Rep. David S. King said Saturday. "I am urging the administration administra-tion to build more Minutemen, I in line wit hthe general buildup in national readiness," he said. thus boost the retaliatory punch of the nation's ICBM fleet." "When Senator Wallace Ben nett takes issue with this decision, deci-sion, he pits his judgment and his limited knowledge of complex com-plex security considerations with the concerted judgment of the best planners, engineers, strategists strate-gists and intelligence officers in the nation's vast military establishment," estab-lishment," Mr. King said. "The senator's opposition essentially es-sentially amounts to reckless guesswork. National security can s "If the Air Force produces 50 per cent more Minutemen, the Thiokol Chemical Corp. and the I Hercules Powder Co. operations v in Utah could be expanded and their production schedules extended. ex-tended. "In other words, the Utah economy may realize substantial gains through the cancellation of the mobile Minuteman," he said. The administration dropped the mobile Minuteman in "the interest of buying more bang with the defense buck." "By dropping the plans for the costly mobile units the Air Force can buy more Minutemen, and not be left to guesswork." "This is another example of Mr. Bennett's gross inconsistency on economy. "His loud cries about spending will never cover a record which shows that he supports economy in federal programs only when the economy measures do not touch Utah. "But even by this standard he 'cannot justify his opposition to the cancellation of the mobile Minuteman, because the decision may give the Utah economy a boost," he said. Utahns should understand, the congressman said, that if the Air Force does increase Minuteman production, the Utah plants will not automatically get larger contracts. con-tracts. "This is a highly competitive field and other companies will be bidding on any increases the Air Force makes in this program. pro-gram. However, the Utah companies com-panies will have the inside track because they've already proven their capabilities at producing major Minuteman components," Mr. King said. i |
