Quick study under way on nuclear-missile ban

The Pentagon is rushing to complete a study of the military impact of eliminating all nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles, following last month's proposal by President Reagan that both superpowers discard their missile stockpiles within a decade. Mr. Reagan's offer to the Soviets at the Reykjavik summit was made without advice from the United States military, Adm. William L. Crowe Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Congress this week. The US plan, proposed during Reagan's meeting in Iceland with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, caused ``real concern'' in the Pentagon, the nation's top military leader told the House Armed Services Committee.

Admiral Crowe said Reagan's proposal surprised the five-member Joint Chiefs of Staff, the country's top military body. Since the Reykjavik meeting a Pentagon task force has been analyzing what the impact would be on US defense policy if all ballistic missiles were eliminated within a decade, as Reagan proposed. The study will be completed by mid-January, although its preliminary conclusions will likely be sent to Reagan early next month, Crowe said. The Reagan proposal now serves as the basis for the US position at the arms control talks in Geneva, he noted.