Those ICBM false alarms? Just 4 of 147, report says

October 30, 1980

The country's air defense system received 147 false alarms of a possible missile attack during a recent 18-month period, a Senate report disclosed. Four false alarms led to preliminary action to ensure that strategic forces would survive a nuclear offensive. The report, issued by two members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, followed an investigation into a June 3 incident when a bad computer chip led to a false warning of a missile attack. The report recommended that the missile warning system be consolidated under one commander instead of being divided among three as it now is, and that methods of buying automatic data equipment be overhauled.