Buildup

Under the direct heat of the Berlin crisis, but hoping to build U.S. force levels to meet crises wherever else they may occur, the Army, Air Force and Navy last week announced these manpower moves: sbARMY. Some 84,000 active-duty enlisted men who would have returned to civilian life between October 1961 and June 1962 will have their tours extended by four months. Another 4,000 Reserve officers now on active duty for six months, will be kept an additional twelve months. Also, 113 Reserve and National Guard units with a total of 23,626 men were told to be ready for a call to duty. Instead of the six months that has been common for newly commissioned ROTC officers, 4,500 were ordered to serve two years' active duty. The draft will take 25,000 men in September, 20,000 in October. sbAIR FORCE. Up to 28,000 officers and men with special skills, such as missile handling, electronics and weapons maintenance, will be frozen for another year. The actual number of those frozen will depend on how many such specialists voluntarily extend their service. The Air Force had previously alerted 28,000 members of Air Reserve and Air National Guard units (mainly fighter interceptor and tactical groups) for possible service. The Air Force also abandoned plans to retire 240 air tankers and B-47 bombers, will keep them combat ready.

sbNAVY. In the next ten months, 24,000 men and 2,800 officers who were due to be released from active duty will have to stay another six to twelve months. The hold order includes enlisted men ranging from jet mechanics to parachute riggers and boatswain's mates, along with line officers, and pilots up to the rank of lieutenant commander. So far, the Marine Corps is relying for its buildup on voluntary action. As manpower grows, so do material needs, and the Navy announced that it will add 42 ships to its fleet within five months. It will get the new supercarrier Constellation, take 22 amphibious vessels out of mothballs, reactivate eleven supply ships, delay the inactivation of one carrier, six destroyers and one transport. Mainly, this will provide added troop transport and antisubmarine strength.

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