4.7 OPERATION TUMBLER-SNAPPER. Operation TUMBLER-SNAPPER, conducted from 1 April to 5 June 1952, was the third series of nuclear weapons tests at the NTS. The operation consisted of eight nuclear detonations, identified below: Event ABLE Date Type Yield (kilotons) 1 April Airdrop 1 BAKER 15 April Airdrop 1 CHARLIE 22 April Airdrop 31 DOG 1 May Airdrop 19 EASY 7 May Tower 12 25 May Tower 11 FOX GEORGE 1 June Tower 15 HOW 5 June Tower 14 The detonations were part of two phases of the series, as explained in the next section (9: 1,9). 4.7.1 Background and Objectives of Operation TUMBLER-SNAPPER. As the defense policy evolved in the early 1950s, two particular factors challenged the ability of U.S. Armed Forces to defend American interests and to protect its allies during limited hostilities: e The commitment of U.S. ground forces to the Korean peninsula e The inability of European allies of the U.S. to develop effective military capabilities. In both cases, the United States experienced difficulties because of limitations in military manpower, which emphasized the need for a new U.S. policy based not on large standing armies, but on new technological advances, particularly in nuclear weapons (9: 25). 90