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.Statesman Salem;Ofe.,-FrL,-Nov,'53-(S;ec. 3)4':
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nization Builds Maintains
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. Wur A If i .fll (P. K-
?s Nation's Newest Military
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Aerial 'Fenced
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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 - ' '
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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
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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)
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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.
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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
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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 ' ,
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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
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by combat-ready1 pilots and are directed to their targets by combat-ready eontrolleri
working from a radar screen on the ground. : : . , . . . " "
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picket ships oa
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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