DEFENSE: Turning Off The Radars

When it comes to military cost cutting, the sky’s the limit. Starting July 1, the Pentagon will save $38 million a year by shutting down the radar command center at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, one of the two major monitoring facilities that constantly scan the heavens for Soviet bombers flying toward North America. The other center, at Bangor Air National Guard Base in Maine, will continue operating, but on a part-time basis. “I think it’s better than nothing,” says Republican Senator William Cohen of Maine, who lobbied to keep the Bangor radar working. But he expects it to provide only a minimal safeguard. U.S. military officials insist, however, that the country will not be caught with its guard down. The Pentagon plans to rely more on its vast network of sensors and intelligence operations to protect North America against the possibility of a Soviet air attack.