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).
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