US Farmland and Food Aid

Use military capabilities for reliefRegarding the opinion-page column "US Troops and Relief Operations," July 29: What other agency, on a worldwide basis, has the command structure, discipline, access to transportation facilities and services, and equipment resources of armies, navies, and air forces? Should part of military service and training involve a contribution to the nonmilitary benefit of a nation? For example, the Soviet Army could support additional railway and highway construction. Frequently, logistical, climatological, and topographical conditions call for military capabilities and discipline. Relief efforts, often calling for rapid response with inadequate knowledge, may involve risks equal to armed conflict. What better way to develop a heuristic response capability than to help the world? David C. Taylor, Slippery Rock, Pa.

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