Word: enthoven
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...Human Factor Sir: The articles "Sighted Sub, Surfaced Same" and "The Whizziest Kid," which appeared June 28, bring up a real question: Is Mr. Enthoven able to translate into figures or code to be fed into one of his machines the very human factors of ingenuity, perseverance and judgment to be found in the crew of a ship like the U.S.S. Charles P. Cecil? I, for one, think not. 1984, here we come! (MRS.) ELIZABETH F. MCCLANE Bayside...
...somewhat simpler terms, what Enthoven really does is prepare McNamara's shopping list. He welcomes, indeed he solicits, recommendations about weapons systems from professional military men. But as often as not, those recommendations do not stand up under his own independent analysis; in whiz-kid terminology, professional military "experience" often translates as "emotion." In his analyses, Enthoven considers service missions, examines the weapons systems that might best fit those missions, computes costs v. performance, offers alternative answers to McNamara for final decision...
Cost is of prime consideration when Enthoven strikes items from the Pentagon shopping list. On his recommendation, the Skybolt missile was killed for a gross saving of $3 billion. However, to replace the missing Skybolts, the U.S. is spending an additional $1 billion for supplementary Minutemen, so the net saving is $2 billion. Enthoven's recommendations knocked off an estimated $10 billion with the B-70, but his 26-man "shop" did not participate in the controversial TFX decision...
...positive side, Enthoven influenced the expansion of the Air Force's Tactical Air Command. At present, Enthoven is examining the Navy's carrier program to see if all those flattops are really necessary...
...Uphill Fight. How does one get to be a pre-eminent whiz kid? Alain Enthoven was born in Seattle, the son of a French mother and a British father with a Dutch name. He majored in economics at Stanford, went to Oxford as a Rhodes scholar and, as a lanky 6-foot 4-incher, rowed No. 4 on the New College crew. As a mathematician and economist he spent four years with California's think factory, the Rand Corp., just pondering military strategy. And then, in 1960, he went to the Pentagon...