Military Programs 



(b) physiological studies in deep chamber dives, (c) helium speech transla- 

 tion techniques, (d) acquisition and installation of research equipment at 

 both in-house and civilian laboratories, and (e) preparation of a long-range 

 development plan. 



Activities of the Advanced Research Projects Agency 



To improve our ability to detect, locate, and identify underground and 

 underwater nuclear explosions, the Advanced Research Projects Agency 

 (ARPA) has for a number of years conducted a project called VELA. Some 

 of ARPA's significant marine science efforts during the past year included : 

 — a seismic calibration experiment off Amchitka Island involving deto- 

 nation of a 250- ton slurry charge at a depth of 3,000 feet; 

 — experiments to evaluate the influence of turbulent diffusion and cur- 

 rents of large subsurface bodies of contaminated water by tagging 

 subsurface, open-ocean waters with fluorescent dye and following the 

 resulting pool for five days; 

 — design, fabrication, and testing of equipment for detonation of 



10- to 1,000-ton underwater chemical explosions; and 

 — -collection and analysis of sea water samples to determine back- 

 ground levels of radionuclides in selected areas of the Arctic Ocean. 

 Research and development on detecting, locating, and identifying nuclear 

 explosions in the ocean has been successful, and this part of the project 

 VELA is now being phased out with virtually all work directly concerned 

 with ocean properties to be completed in FY 1969. Other parts of the 

 VELA project are continuing, including seismic calibration experiments 

 in the oceans intended to provide information on the earth's crust and 

 upper mantle. 



ARPA will be engaged in advanced marine science and technology as 

 part of the Agency's mission to demonstrate the feasibility of emerging 

 technologies for possible military application. ARPA is particularly inter- 

 ested in technologies which could drastically change our defense posture in 

 such critical areas as anti-submarine warfare (ASW), forward basing, and 

 control and use of the sea surface. ARPA will be working closely with the 

 Navy, although projects of interest tend to have a multiservice applicability. 

 Two $8 million projects are under serious consideration at this time: 

 — demonstration of the feasibility of a cost effective, large, ultra-stable 



floating platform with potential for advance support; and 

 — demonstration of the feasibility of very high speed surface effect 

 vehicles with potential for ASW and convoy protection, and for opera- 

 tions over shallow water, in certain coastal areas, and over ice. 



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