President’s Air Link to Nuclear Subs Grounded

WASHINGTON — The end of the Cold War and the battle of the budget have grounded the Navy’s 24-hour air link between the President and nuclear submarines, a Pentagon official said Saturday.

The Navy in early 1991 transferred its Tacamo planes--numbering about 15--which have been in the air nonstop for nearly three decades, to “interim ground alert,” spokeswoman Jan Walker said.

The flights, she said, continue on a “random basis” off both the nation’s East and West coasts.

The Navy’s decision to cut back on the flights reflected budgetary shortages and the ongoing review of U.S. strategic needs after the easing of tensions with the Soviet Union, she said.

Tacamo--standing for “Take Charge and Move Out”--planes would be used by the President to relay launch orders to the nuclear submarines in the event of a nuclear war. The Navy uses E-6As and EC-130s trailing miles-long antennae into the ocean for the communications linkups.

The Navy also has land-based hookups with its nuclear submarine fleet.

In July, the Strategic Air Command scaled back its round-the-clock “Looking Glass” mission, which for 29 years had provided a continuous airborne alert against nuclear attack.

SAC officials estimated savings of $20 million a year from reduced fuel and maintenance.

Walker said he did not know how much money would be saved by curtailing the Tacamo flights.