The Russians on Africa's Horn

Outside of Eastern Europe, perhaps the Soviet Union's most notable satellite in the world today is the African republic of Somalia. A drought-stricken country of 3 million people, which achieved independence in 1960, Somalia has a 1,700-mile coastline on the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, hard by the shipping lanes over which oil from the Persian Gulf is carried to Western Europe and the U.S.

Testifying before Congress recently, U.S. Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger disclosed that the Soviets were building an important missile facility at the Somali port of Berbera. Although Schlesinger backed up his charge by releasing U.S. reconnaissance photos of the Berbera buildup, the Somali government denied the accusation and invited U.S. Congressmen to see for themselves. Last week, after a trip to Berbera, Oklahoma Republican Senator Dewey Bartlett concluded that Schlesinger's facts were essentially correct. Among those who accompanied Bartlett to Somalia was TIME'S Nairobi bureau chief Lee Griggs. His report:

The missile installations at Berbera are only the tip of the Soviet iceberg on the hot horn of Africa. Over the past several years, the Russians have transformed Somalia's 17,000-man armed forces into some of the strongest on the continent. Of the 3,000 or so Russians in Somalia today, fully 1,400 are assigned to the army and air force. The Somali army, less than half the size of neighboring Ethiopia's, now has far superior firepower—and the largest tank force south of the Sahara. The air force boasts a squadron of Ilyushin-28 bombers and at least 50 MIGS, including seven MIG-21s that were presented to Somalia by Soviet President Nikolai Podgorny when he visited the country last year. All top officers of Somalia's highly efficient National Security Service have been trained by the KGB.

The most important aspect of the Soviet presence, however, is the missile facility now under construction at Berbera —a project that the Somalis as well as the Soviets have steadfastly denied. To be sure, Berbera has no silos or concrete launching pads for ballistic missiles. But it will definitely have major installations designed to maintain, arm and fuel ship-to-ship missiles with a range of 30 miles. It will also be capable of handling mobile ground-to-air missiles. Among the facilities under construction: three 1,000-ft.-long bunkers for storing missiles, a center for arming Soviet ship-to-ship missiles (something that cannot be done at sea), huge fuel storage facilities, a 13,000-ft.-long runway and two Soviet-manned radio installations. Most of the work has taken place since Podgorny's visit a year ago.