This 1960s special takes a look at the barren flats near
Desert Rock, Nevada, where the atom bomb was tested. Since
this was the early age of the atom, the importance of the
Army and its mission, seizing and retaining control of the
land took on a new meaning.
And while the land may be
scarred and seared by weapons which stun the power of
reason, as long as it remains vital to victory ... it is the
task of the soldier to secure it and hold it. The
battlefield of the future, if it exists, may well be an
atomic battlefield.
As explained in this film
presentation, the brutal fact forced the Army the
absolute necessity of testing both men and tactical concepts
under atomic conditions. In test blasts over these years,
the Army learned much about the response of the individual
soldier. Out of the special needs imposed by atomic
conditions ... the need for wide dispersion of forces, for
instance ... the structure of a combat force in the field has
been developed to provide a mobility and a fluidity which
troops in warfare have never had before.
Episode from The Big Picture series (1950-1984)
Video courtesy of U.S. Army / Department of Defense
