Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 25, 1955)
N i ' t . . .Statesman Salem;Ofe.,-FrL,-Nov,'53-(S;ec. 3)4': gams ' .. nization Builds Maintains a L X t a .. - - v. - n AX . Wur A If i .fll (P. K- ?s Nation's Newest Military Orga Aerial 'Fenced "'A i . - . -J r - if . ! 1 -y TH'ujr u ...t ....... i -v. I ZZt I v ' - -V' ' ' COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo, This scene is repeated many times each day in our country. The volun teer spots a plane and after making visual identification he forwards his information i to the nearest Filter Center. Today there are 1 6,000 oDserver pos ana over ,vv v. ...- fng the Ground ObseVver Corps. In 1956 Continental Air Defense Command needs 24,000 posts nd lii million volunteer spotters. (Official USAF Photos) ; - - . COLORADO SPRINGS - The m i s s i o n bf (he nation1 f youngest military organization, the Conti nental Air Defense Command, is stated in a simple seven word sentence "Defend, the United States Against Air Attack." ' Translated into action, hoSvever, it involves one of the largest construction jobs ever attempted by man. To ac complish its mission, CONAD, as it is now listed among military abbreviations, must build and maintain over America a fence that is ten thousand miles long around an area of three million square miles and make it ten to twelve miles high. Moreover, this (ence must be as nearly hole-proof, leak-proof - and rat-proof as it is possible to build within the envelope of resources and manpower made available to CONAD for its air defense task. fense Force at Grandview Air Base, near Kansas City, Missouri; and Western Air Defense Force, Hamilton Air Force Base, Hamil ton, California. Pinetree Radar Chain For detection, CONAD relies mainly on radar and the voluntary services oi tne urouna uoserver B Corps, me construction oi a main j . control and warning radar instal-'- lation in the continental United K States and the populated part of ji - ' ' r i t r: 4- u , - " It must be able to defend against j completed. All of the radars in this the ever-increasing speeds and al- network are now operating on a titudes of the modern bomber and 124-hour per day schedule, the accurate navigation and radar Under construction at the present bombing devices which make dis-'time is the "Mid-Canadian Line", tance and weather no longer , (McGill Fence) a radar system to deterrents to long-range bomber jj,e north of the settled territory of :'- . ' .. " - hi 1 jZ ' J:,;'' ; . - i. b d, 'if . .V ... : . . "tiir 11 11 m m I i " mn 1 , COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. The' converted Lockheed Constellation, dabbed the RC-121 by the Vnit- I ed States Air Force, is a radar-crammed aircraft, giving an extra margin of protection against aj.-v i seaward attack coming from either the Atlantic or Pacific (Official USAF Photo) yr?r v v Jj. S ' At -1- ' ' :-xA I j - flights. Surprise Possible And it must be able to defend against an attack initiated by an enemy who will have almost un limited avenues of approach avail able for selection if and when he decides to send his long range bombers against this country. In building this fence, CONAD needs first of all an adequate warning system, as early a warn ing as is attainable. Next the air defense system requires, high performance fighter - interceptor aircraft. It requires antiaircraft guns and "ground-to-air" guided missiles. It requires one of the most complex and jeliable and foolproof control communications systems ever devised by -man." It requires real estate on which to locate the fighter squadrons, and the radar bases and control centers, and the antiaircraft battal ions and guided missile batteries. Thousands of People Above all, 1 it requires highly skilled people thousands upon thousands. ' , It is the first true "joint" command inside the United States in the history of the country General Earle E. Partridge, the Commander-in-Chief, is flanked at! his Colorado Springs headquarters by Lt. General Stanley R. Mickel sen, chief of the Army's Anti aircraft Command, and Rear Admiral Albert K. Morehouse, who heads all Naval and Marine Forces allotted to the air defense mission. Directly responsible to Head quarters CONAD, are three Joint Air Defense Forces: Eastern Air Defense Force with headquarters at Stewart Air Force Base, New COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. A WAF assigned to the Combat Operations Center at Continental Air Defense Command headquarters in Colorado Springs works behind the plotting board. She and other WArs recoro unknown air era 11 iracus oy writing giuwuu. nc uuuiumuuh - .- able from the other side by the CONAD battle staff. . j . . - ' v. , - .. 'r rnmsAnn springs. ri nu-A statM Air Fort radar technicians at work in the control room of an Airrnft rnntrnl ni u.-,ra: SnnadrAB. i Thrv are oracticinc intercepts with a nearby COKAD FUhter lnterceptor Squadron; recording informatioa on intercepts made by the inter ceptor sqoaaron, working with a map giving geograpnicai pwsiuwna, uu isuumiun u iuu aroceaures wiia ue plotted aircraft. . burh. New York; Central Air De-1 interceptors Canada, and construction is also underway on a distant early warn ing radar line (DEW) across the far northern part of North Amer ica. Coastal picket ships providing seaward radar surveillance are presently operated off the East coast by the U. S. Navy. Actually, the Continental Air De fense Command has plans for several hundred new radar sites, including a chain of so - called "Texas Towers", or sea platforms, extending 125 miles off the East Coast, from Norfolk to Newfound land. The first Texas Tower is now stationed in the Atlantic 18,000 Volunteers Another integral part of the existing detection system is the Ground Observer Corps. This system is organized into areas, each served by a filter center requiring approximately 18,000 civilian volunteers to man both the posts and the filter center. The Ground Observer . Corps is the only means available to permit detec tion of low flying aircraft. To perform the function of inter ception, CONAD has fast jet all weather fighter interceptors .designed for the air defense mission capable of interception and destruction of the target while flying on instruments. When aircraft under observation cannot readily be identified by other means, these fighters are scrambled by the Direction Center to intercept the unknown aircraft and visually inspect it to deter mine its identity. This interception is being performed daily by the North American F-86D "Saberjef'i along with the Northrop F-89D "Scorpion", and Lockheed's F-94C "Starfire , both all-weather fighter -j, . z ,,u ... , , , ,,,,,, r J -,- f -- , . , . ,r w' . . , ,';,T." ' --. ".. . f, I :mj 4", kwiwy-l'. -- '.L?r"; rjI J( V - -Wf.: W ' J ' V , f ' " -r ' " " . ;S ' -r" -'V lv5TT ,"" "" p? ... .. w -l-,... .. 1 - Lsr - ii 1 1 1 ' , lt . ' lit I . . . . - - . ."V-X. ' ' I . , , . . ,' ' . I - ; - ',-.,-- . -S'.u . .c-.v, f. . ';-. - v 5- - 5i'' , . '-: -'"VS - ' c; -.---'f- ,-. - , - - Us: v COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. The warning buzzer has sounded and these four pilots rush to their, aircraft . Within five minutes they will be thousands of feet overhead tracking down an unidenti- , t ied aircraft. If the plane is not identified, these men who fly fall armored aircraft, will be givea orders to shoot her down. I ' , II r r " ' -. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. A Northrop F-89D Scorpion lets go with a salvo of 2.75 "Mighty Mouse" rockets, r lght er-lntercep tors sucn as tne scorpion are mannea rac.'. ii. ii j . ij.o uh mi- 1 . : t-in 1 1 1 1 1 by combat-ready1 pilots and are directed to their targets by combat-ready eontrolleri working from a radar screen on the ground. : : . , . . . " " r.' n- V - . V V COLORADO SPR picket ships oa &.GS, ItaUoB 1 Colo-The VJ&JS. Fessenden (DER 14$) is .one. of many IContinenUl Air Defense CommanJ, the Fessenden is a raaar suuon CKenionj mar ty II th coasU of oar country. Famished bj Aaval Forces lienso warning network Ur oui fcr aea, (Uiucuu myj kui r 1
