WORLD IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Pentagon Plans Told to Ground Air Fleet

The Pentagon plans to halt the Strategic Air Command’s round-the-clock flights of an airborne command post that for three decades has been described as a first line of defense in the event of a surprise nuclear attack. The New York Times said the plan reflects the improved relations between the United States and the Soviet Union and the belief that the threat of a surprise attack is diminishing. Since 1961, the Air Force has continually kept aloft on a rotating basis a fleet of planes commanded by a SAC general based in Omaha, Neb. Instead of being aloft, the planes will be on “continuous ground alert with specificed numbers of sorties per week,” a Pentagon official said.