Word: shield
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...they do every year at this time, the NATO and Warsaw Pact powers last week were playing war games in Europe. Fully 100,000 troops engaged in a giant maneuver called Shield '72, which presupposed a lunge from the West and a Communist counterattack. Mean while, NATO assembled 64,000 men, 300 warships and 700 aircraft off the coast of Europe, from Portugal to Norway, for its own games, dubbed Strong Express. Their purpose was to demonstrate NATO's efficiency in coming to the aid of an ally invaded by Communist troops...
Both sides could also read political meaning into the games. The Warsaw Pact exercise was held in Czechoslovakia, which was invaded by the Soviets in 1968; if anyone had any doubts, Shield '72 made the point that the Soviets were prepared to do the same again if a satellite got out of line. NATO'S exercise could reassure the Norwegians that they can vote in favor of joining the Common Market during their referendum this month, despite the disapproval of the Soviet Union, whose navy is beginning to dominate the sea approaches to Norway. Or, read another...
...laser defense against enemy missiles. Once the system's long-range sensors picked up the ICBMS, batteries of lasers would unleash a barrage of beams. Packing millions upon millions of megawatts, the rays would destroy every one of the ICBMs, and give the U.S. a virtually impenetrable shield across its skies...
...talk was not cheap, neither was secrecy. To shield its doings from unauthorized eyes, the Committee for the Re-Election of the President spent heavily (it will not say how much) to rent paper shredders and to surround its headquarters at the Doral Hotel with security guards. Wackenhutt Corp., which supplied security personnel, had to hire about 250 extra guards at $2.25 to $2.75 an hour for each gathering...
...cultural bias against childless couples is so strong that husbands and wives cannot choose non-parenthood freely; they know they will be branded selfish, shallow and neurotic. In fact, the organization stresses, motives for parenthood are not always what they seem. Some parents use children, like drugs, to shield them from the realities of life. Others want offspring only to fulfill their own frustrated hopes, to have someone to possess and control, or to ensure financial support in their...