To: All Msg #12, Jun-08-93 01:15AM Subject: follow up on black budget -- lots of info! NOT
From: Paul Vincent McGinnis
To: All Msg #12, Jun-08-93 01:15AM
Subject: follow up on black budget -- lots of info!
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
From: TRADER@cup.portal.com (Paul Vincent McGinnis)
Message-ID: <82964@cup.portal.com>
Newsgroups: sci.skeptic
NOTE: the following article contains material extracted from
public documents -- don't flame me for "violating national
security!!!" It discusses the "Aurora" spy plane, military
"black" budgets, and even includes neutron beam weapons!!
This is a follow-up to previous messages I had posted on the
subject of the "Aurora" hypersonic spy plane and the Dept. of
Defense's "black" budget. In an earlier posting I mentioned that
Item #15 in the Defense Critical Technologies Plan was for "pulsed
power". This was based on a one-page summary in Aviation Week &
Space Technology magazine, p. 57, May 20, 1991. I had assumed
that "pulsed power" referred to the pulsating engines of "Aurora"
I tried to get the document in question, for 1992, as mentioned
in the article. I guess the local document depository has a
limited budget, because they didn't have it. However, I did
read the Defense Critical Technologies Plan for fiscal year '91
(DOD document # AD-A219 300). Item #15 (Pulsed Power) describes
high-energy weapons including rail guns (electromagnetic launchers
in DOD terminology) and neutral particle beams (which I had thought
were impossible). But back to "Aurora" - Item #14 in the Defense
Critical Technologies Plan describes air-breathing propulsion
systems and includes this remark on page A-154 : "Hypersonic
aircraft have the potential to enhance military capability to
make high-speed intercepts and timely reconnaissance. Hypersonic
air-breathing technology is the second highest priority effort
in this area."
To get more of a feel for how "black" programs operate, I read
several reports prepared by the House Armed Services Committee
about defense procurement, the Navy's cancelled A-12 Stealth
fighter (the drawing of it looks like a two-man flying pizza
slice), and the B-2 Stealth fighter (which indicated that key
members of Congress knew a good deal and appear to have supported
it because subcontracts were given in 46 states and affected 383
Congressional districts). Unfortunately a lot of the testimony
had phrases like "we can't discuss that in open session, we'll
have to talk about it in the vault at the top of the Capitol"
particularly when discussing how the B-2 wasn't as stealthy as it
was supposed to be. Reading the budget documents shows me that
the aerospace press may be mistaken in identifying "Aurora" as
"Senior Citizen". According to the '93 budget, "Senior Citizen"
is listed as a tactical aircraft (presumably the TR-3A) while
another project (under intelligence funding) describes "Senior
Year" operations. So, "Aurora" may actually be "Senior Year"
Without further adieu, here's a list of really secret Defense
research & development programs taken from the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1993 (House of Representatives
Report 102-527). I bet you could have all sorts of fun asking
military types what these things are at a cocktail party... Note:
code names such as "Senior Citizen" are given in quotes.
Agency Description Program element #
------- ----------- -----------------
****** Technology base programs ******
Army "Tractor Field" 0602123A
Army electronic warfare technology 0602270A
****** Strategic programs ******
Army special programs 0102814A
Army classified program 0102830A
Army classified program 0102831A
Army world-wide military 0303152A
communications & control system
Air Force "Olympic" 0603105F
Air Force special evaluation program 0603110F
Air Force "Meridian" 0603115F
Air Force advanced strategic programs 0101815F
Air Force classified program 0102830F
Air Force classified program 0102831F
Air Force special applications programs 0305124F
Air Force special analysis activities 0305892F
****** Tactical programs ******
Army nuclear munitions - advanced 0603604A
development
Army armament enhancement initiative 0603639A
Army electronic warfare development 0604270A
Army classified program - advanced 0603754A
development
Air Force technical evaluation system 0603107F
Air Force joint tactical fusion program 0604321F
Air Force "Constant Help" 0207137F
Air Force "Seek Clock" 0207169F
Air Force special tactical unit 0207248F
detachments
Air Force "Copper Coast" 0207424F
Air Force tactical improvement program 0207433F
Air Force "Omega" 0207591F
Air Force "Have Flag" 0208042F
Air Force "Centennial" 0305142F
Air Force "Senior Citizen" 0401316F
****** Intelligence and communications ******
Army special Army program 0301359A
Army foreign counterintelligence 0305127A
activities
Navy technical reconnaissance 0301327N
& surveillance
Navy communications security (COMSEC) 0303401N
Navy special activities 0304111N
Air Force intelligence production 0301305F
activities
Air Force foreign technology division 0301310F
Air Force infrared/electro-optical/directed 0301314F
energy weapons
Air Force missile & space technical 0301315F
collection
Air Force "Senior Year" operations 0301317F
Air Force "Forest Green" 0301324F
Air Force intelligence telecom & defense 0301339F
special security
Air Force NUDET detection system 0301357F
Air Force communications security (COMSEC) 0303401F
Air Force special activities 0304111F
Air Force defense reconnaissance support 0305159F
DOD cryptologic activities 0301011G
DOD general defense intelligence 0301301L
DOD communications security (COMSEC) 0303401G
DOD defense reconnaissance support 0305159G
DOD computer security 0305167G
DOD intelligence planning & review 0305884L
DOD tactical cryptologic activities 0305885G
Now that I have budget info, I will try and work backwards through
the budget to get a ballpark cost for these programs. As can be
seen above, the Air Force is the worst offender for hiding their
programs, with the Navy only hiding the cost of programs that need
to be really secret. Now, I have some material to put together a
FOIA request as a taxpayer!!
Paul McGinnis / TRADER@cup.portal.com
E-Mail Fredric L. Rice / The Skeptic Tank