 This is the Big Picture, an official television report of the United States Army, produced for the armed forces and the American people. Now to show you part of the Big Picture, here is Master Sergeant Stuart Quain. George Washington, in his first annual address to both Houses of Congress in 1790, said, to be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace. At the time of this speech, the regular army of the United States numbered 80 enlisted men and a handful of officers. As a military man and as a political leader, Washington saw the need for an adequate defense establishment in keeping with his country's modest needs even then. Our country has never been a warring nation, and military preparedness is something we have learned only in the harsh crucible of experience. Two world wars and Korea have taught us that though we desire and work for peace as a nation, we can never afford to drop our guard, so long as the threat of aggression continues to exist. In this age of international uncertainty, the defense of the United States extends far from our own borders and embraces the cause of free nations everywhere. The nerve center of our defense program is in Washington, where the funds are appropriated by Congress following the recommendations of the Department of Defense based upon our current need. In the offices of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the policies of the Defense Department are carried out, and all activities of the armed forces are planned and directed. Our forces must be capable of carrying out massive retaliation in the event of attack. They must be ready to protect us against such an attack, and they must be prepared to handle rush fire conflicts anywhere our free world allies are threatened. Our defense is costly. This year more than half of our federal budget will be spent to support it. Defense is costly to be sure, but it is cheaper than war. It is in fact our best protection against the threat of an armed would-be aggressor. This week in a pictorial survey of our military services, the big picture camera will focus on the defense establishment, your investment in American security. We have not always been prepared as a nation. In 1940, when pre-Europe was crumbling before the German Blitzkrieg machine, we worked desperately to change a small peacetime defense establishment into a modern force capable of resisting a determined enemy. Although many men were mobilized well in advance of Pearl Harbor, even the most basic equipment necessary to their training was not available. The nation raced to catch up, and we did. The engine ceased to turn, and the last bomb had fallen. We stacked our arms. In fields and depots around the world, great piles of military equipment were massed, the residue of victory. The war had taught us many lessons, not the least of them, the lesson of preparedness, and those tools of war which might never be used again in defense of our freedom were wrapped up and carefully put away. With the rest of the world, we returned to the business of peace. For five years, disputes arising between nations were settled on the floor of the UN assembly. Not until a fateful Sunday in 1950 when the Communist armies of North Korea invaded the South Korean Republic was the structure of the United Nations challenged. Determined to resist, the United States led other UN members in providing men and materiel to stop the Red Forces. The arsenals and military depots in many parts of the country immediately prepared to take the needed equipment out of mothballs and reconditioned for service. Once it became evident that more than a token force would be needed to help defend Korea. The lesson in preparedness paid off. Much of the materiel required by UN troops was readily available from our mothball stocks, saving precious time and many lives. The United States was able to field and to supply an armed force for the United Nations command, which ultimately drove the Reds from South Korea. We learned that the Communists could fight and they learned from us as well. The years since Korea had been troubled years throughout the free world. As part of our defense concept, the United States has entered into treaties with other free nations in order to deter red aggression wherever it might break out. CETO, the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, presents a United Front of Democratic countries in an area where communist ambition is high. United States' responsibility to such an organization is heavy. Our allies must often rely upon us for weapons and military know-how. Red Square, the hub of world communism, is the scene of a recent demonstration of Russian military strength, which clearly shows the dimension of the Red Fighting Machine. Soviet Russia has a vast missile program, effective nuclear weapons, and the means to carry them to an attack. In the shadow of the Kremlin, these weapons are an ominous warning to any nation which dares to drop its defenses. A large and mobile army, much of it air transportable, stands ready to deliver the Communist doctrine forcefully anywhere in the world if given the opportunity. Russian infantry can be moved quickly by the most moderate means. For free nations to do anything other than acknowledge the reality of Soviet military power and remain constantly on guard against it will be to court disaster. The price of prevention is small compared to the cost of combat. Just how far the Russians have advanced in rocket technology has already been demonstrated. American science had not been standing still. Behind the walls of our laboratories and testing centers, strange discoveries and inventions were quietly being evaluated and improved. The principles they employed were vital to future research and to our national defense. This model aerodyne may resemble a child's toy, but the vertical jet takeoff represents a major advance in the design of combat aircraft. Small one-man aircraft with extraordinary mobility have been developed by our aeronautical designers. Some are patterned after larger prototypes long in use and are just as versatile in the air. The research effort which is necessary to our defense embraces nearly every area of science and technology. The brainwork which may be aimed at producing an efficient and inexpensive rocket fuel may also yield a brake fluid for Arctic vehicles or a chemical useful in preventing frost on truck windshields. Many defense dollars must be spent directly or indirectly to carry on this work. If our armed forces are ever called upon to fight again, they must have the most practical, durable and up-to-date equipment science can provide. Clothing which will protect our men against 50 below zero weather represents a small part of the thousands of items undergoing constant testing and development. In setting forth the minimum requirements for American defense, President Eisenhower emphasized the need for funds to further scientific studies at all levels. That part of the federal budget which pays for American security is based upon our ability to meet any threat from any quarter. In order to do that now and in the future, we must be capable of planning protection for tomorrow while remaining vigilant today. The machinery activated by congressional appropriation of defense funds begins a chain reaction which carries throughout the country. Not only the armed services, but all of our vital industries are effective. While working for peace, we must also remember the lessons war has taught us in the past. All the skills of American technology are utilized in the production of many different kinds of defense equipment. The requirements for quality are high. Everything from the smallest replacement part to heavy weapons used by our modern mobile army are checked and rechecked before they are ready for shipment to the men who will use them. The transportation system which moves the materials of defense from the factory and warehouse to our scattered units and bases as well as to our free world allies is no small part of our defense establishment. It is costly to ship every piece of equipment with the complete assurance that it will arrive in mint condition. But two global wars and the long lifeline to Korea have made us expert in the science of logistics. We have learned through necessity that it is indeed possible to ship almost anything, anywhere, by any means. The final working responsibility for our defense rests on the men and women of our armed forces who do their jobs in many countries. The military air transportation service operated by the Air Force carries them and their dependents to and from their assignments throughout the world. Providing the everyday necessities of a service man's life is costly. Adequate military housing for dependents and essentials such as well-prepared food account for a substantial part of our armed forces budget. But they contribute mightily to the health and morale of service men and their families. Modern medical centers are maintained to provide the finest possible care for every man and woman in uniform. Military dependents too are eligible for medical attention if and when the need arises. Whether minor treatment or major surgery is required the armed forces hospital is equipped to render the most complete service modern science can offer. At a strategic air command base in Africa B-52s leave the ground on a training mission for retaliatory power in the event of a surprise attack. Each one of these aircraft costs as much as forty world war two bombers. With the United States Army in Europe our missiles such as the Honest John which stand ready to repel a surprise attack on the ground. Honest John is now a standard short-range artillery weapon used by our troops in the field. Corporal missiles too are kept ready in case of a European emergency. Fueling crews run through an exercise on a corporal simulating the jobs they would perform under actual combat conditions. Such weapons as these manned by highly trained crews are long-ranging and can deliver a nuclear or conventional payload against any aggressor force. In order to guarantee early warning of an attack should one ever be launched against the American continent from over the North Polar Ice Cap the United States worked with Canada to construct a string of radar stations across the Arctic Wastes. Forming a continuous protective umbrella from coast to coast these stations are able to pick up and track unidentified flying objects in time to alert air defense centers further south. Many of these stations can be supplied only by air. Linked with them, fleets of radar picket aircraft help defend our coastline. Far at sea the bulbous antennae of a Texas tower tie in with cruising warships which also scan the skies for our protection. Efficient communications networks can quickly relay any information to air defense centers where it is carefully interpreted by a large staff of specialists who work as a coordinated team. The moment the path, direction and speed of an unknown object is determined the information is dispatched to interceptor bases which will investigate the intruder. Preparedness means constant training. Ships of the modern Navy like the two hundred million dollar giant forestall are kept in a state of continual combat readiness. One of these floating air bases near a world trouble spot could prevent a conflict which could cost the United States many times the price we pay to keep such vessels operating at peak efficiency. The submarine-born Regulus missile is a part of the Navy arsenal. The atomic-powered Nautilus can sweep the oceans of the world without refueling. Operational rockets and missiles such as Weapon Able and Terrier are in regular use. But the missile's spectacular performance is clear to see. Training men in all phases of the military art is one of the most important aspects of our defense program. Demonstrations of the latest fighting weapons are held regularly for our own personnel as well as representatives of free world nations allied with them. The pentamic concept of an air transportable army moving rapidly with massive fire power is dramatically demonstrated. These new divisions are trained and equipped to fight on a nuclear battlefield if necessary. Overseas, our allies show that they are prepared to stand up against any conventional ground attack a communist army might try to deliver. In large-scale exercises and in small demonstrations their forces perform with an expertness which is one of the greatest single guarantees of international security. From the beaches of Europe to the sandy plains of the Middle East their existence is as much a part of our defense as it is of their own. Many of these allied countries such as the tiny African nation of Ethiopia depend heavily upon the United States for arms and technical aid. Military assistance advisory group personnel as represented by this American instructor train allied officers and men to use the weapons and tactics best suited for their own defense. This same Ethiopian army fought against Benito Mussolini's troops with spears and muskets as recently as 1935. In the far east, nations such as Japan are linked closely to the United States in the common purpose of defense. The dramatic launching of the Soviet satellite last October focused national attention on our own missile program. Research and development teams which had been quietly working to perfect the weapons that keep us safe were suddenly in the public eye. The giant rocket engines which are our key to early exploration of outer space fired the popular imagination. Science has equipped us with a wide variety of missile weapons paid for out of our national defense budget. Valid proof that the effort expended by our missile men yielded impressive results. Along with our work on military missiles, enormous progress has been made in laying the foundations for our rocket future. Inky missiles are old stand-byes, operational use. Jets use the small but deadly sidewinder. The great intermediate range ballistic missiles such as Jupiter and Thor now being tested and the projected Polaris which the Navy is developing are not only mighty tools of war. They are among our most valuable instruments of defense. The trial performances of Jupiter and Thor bear witness. Used by the all-weather jet interceptors of the Air Force. Missile research paid off in another way for common defense of three people everywhere. In all parts of our country, we work to ensure the fruits of a safe and lasting peace. The ordinary pleasures of our lives have been challenged before and they could be challenged again. Our faith in ourselves is the principle safeguard of our future. But if we are to guarantee the rights of our people to live freely in an untroubled world, we cannot afford to relax now. An adequate national and international defense is necessary to all peaceful way of life. It is only through constant vigilance and technological progress that our defense can remain secure. So long as the threat of aggression exists, we shall maintain our capacity for self-protection and our ability to retaliate if necessary. Our strength is costly but we are prepared to bear the cost for we are and shall remain free. Now this is Sergeant Stuart Queen, your host for the Big Picture. The Big Picture is an official television report for the armed forces and the American people produced by the Army Pictorial Center, presented by the United States Army in cooperation with this station.