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Communications
in the European Theater |
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| Major Radio Relay Sites | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The 1950s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: STATION LIST, March 1956) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| (1) The 40th Sig Const Bn was replaced (Operation GYROSCOPE) by the 25th Sig Const Bn in late March or early April 1956 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: TM 11-264 Radio Set AN/GRC-26, Dec 1950) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Air Force Theater Communications - Miscellaneous 1807th AACS Wing is located at Wiesbaden and is part of the Military Air Transport Serevice. 1812th AACS Group, Munich Commanding Generals: Brig Gen. Haskell E. Neal - commander of 1807th AACS Wing/EAME AACS Area from July 8 1957 to March 9, 1959. The 1807th was redesignated as the European-African Middle Eastern AACS Area in 1957 or 1958. Brig Gen. J. Francis Taylor, Jr. - EAME AACS Area commander from March 15, 1959, until October 1962. |
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| Army Command and Administration Network (ACAN) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fixed signal communications are defined broadly as all channels, circuits, and facilities employed for the transmission and reception of signals by electrical means to meet the communication requirements of the Department of the Army within, between, and among commands of the continental United States as well as oversea commands, bases, task forces, and separate commands. A worldwide communications system (the Worldwide Network), consolidated under the sole command of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Pentagon), is operated by the Army, Air Force and Navy to maintained contact between the major commands (CONUS and overseas) and the Pentagon. The Worldwide Network serves all three of the armed services. Channels are allocated to each on a full-time basis, and other channels are made available to all the services on a common-user basis. |
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| Purposes of The Theater System The Theater System provides channels for the two broad categories of command and administrative traffic, and normally both kinds of traffic pass through the same channels. From the point of view of operations, therefore, it is often difficult to distinguish between command and administrative channels. But for planning and engineering purposes this distinction must be drawn, and considerable importance attaches to it, for it compels the solution of certain problems in a way that considerations of efficiency alone would forbid. The situation, simply stated, is this:  a. All administrative channels are planned and engineered on the basis of requirements, and these requirements are determined and justified by the findings of traffic engineers. But command channels are provided on the basis of military necessity, and without reference to the number of calls each day or the total volume of traffic passing over them.b. Command channels serve the all-important purposes of command, fire control, movement control, and operational support. These are the high-priority channels that implement all plans of strategy and tactics, fire-power and maneuver, and such administrative and supply action as may be required to bring decisive force to bear upon the enemy.(1) Command channels for the most part serve activities located at or near command posts, and command posts are moved frequently.(2) Command channels must be instantly available. Therefore it is normally not possible to allocate these channels on a shared basis to serve any other purpose.c. Administrative channels serve all supply, evacuation, and administrative activities in short, all activities in support of tactical operations. Normally, administrative channels are more numerous than command channels and require greater quantities of equipment and facilities, particularly in the army rear area and the ComZ. These channels normally connect points that are more or less remote from command posts.d. In spite of all that can be said about the differences between command and administrative traffic, it is nearly always necessary to integrate some of the command and administrative channels. A compelling need for such integration may arise from unforeseen demands or unavoidable shortages of equipment and supplies. The demand in each instance is for an essential service, and the aggregate of demands upon the signal officer often exceeds his signal resources. In such a case, the extent to which integration can be safely attempted is a question that demands careful judgment. |
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| Work in progress | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: STARS & STRIPES, May 3, 1960) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leghorn ACAN Station, 21st Signal Company The 21st Signal Company at Camp Darby, Livorno (Leghorn) operates the Major Relay Station (RUFS) at Camp Darby. (Livorno is site of Headquarters, 8th Logistical Command.) This station, established in 1952 to support USFA in Austria, serves as a major relay link in the ACAN communications network that spans the world. The Leghorn station is a relay link between two larger Primary Relay Stations, at Pirmasens in Germany and at Asmara in Eritrea. Communications is via teletype, voice radio and facsimile. As a major relay, the station at Camp Darby is responsible for passing messages to and from minor relays and to terminal stations. Everything traveling into or out of SETAF goes through the Leghorn station. Five officers and 60 enlisted personnel work (in three shifts; 24-hour operation) at one of three facilities that make up the ACAN Station: Main stationReceiver SiteTransmitter SiteMain Station -- comprised of the facilities control section and the tape relay section. Receiver Site -- is located five miles to the north of the main station. Transmitter Site -- is located five miles to the south of the main station. Messages are classified by precedence. From lowest to highest precedence: DeferredRoutinePriorityOperationalImmediateEmergencyFlash
A "flash" is rare but when it comes in, everything else stops until it has been processed. Facilities ("FAX") Control Station -- this center provides control functions for its associated transmitter and receiver stations and teletypewriter facilities in, or associated with, the tape-relay networks. Tape Relay Center -- this is were the message handlers work; the center employs the torn-tape system. |
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| The 1960s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Defense Communications Agency, European Area | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Defense Communications Agency Patch |
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| (Source: DISA-EUR web site, 1997) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History of DISA-Europe (successor to DCA-Eur) 1960 Established as the Defense Area Communications Control Center, Europe (DACC-EUR) at Dreuz Air Base, France. The mission was to exercise operational control of the Defense Communications System (DCS) within the European theater to support United States European Command (USEUCOM) in meeting the telecommunications requirements of the Department of Defense. 1969 Relocated to Patch Barracks, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, FRG. Operational control covered three Regional Control Operational Centers (RCOC), one each in the United Kingdom, Spain and Turkey. 1975 Established Field Offices in Germany, Greece, Italy and England and dis-established the RCOC's. 1983 Centralized management of the DCS by disbanding the Field Offices and transferred all functions to Patch Barracks. 1984 Based on the need for a Joint US Military Mission for Aid to Turkey, the DCA-Turkey Field Office was opened. The mission of DCA-Europe expanded from support of USEUCOM to include support of the US Central Command (USCENTCOM). 1991 The Defense Communications Agency was redesignated the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). |
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DEFENSE COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY, EUROPEAN AREA HISTORICAL SUMMARY, MARCH 1961 THROUGH JUNE 1965 |
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| On 3 March 1961, the Deputy Secretary of Defense in a Memorandum for the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Subject: "Plan for Exercising the Authority of the Chief, Defense Communications Agency" provided for the establishment of two Defense Area Communications Control Centers (DACCC's) during FY 1962. The DACCC's were to be in the European and Pacific Areas with the mission to provide field representation for the Chief, Defense Communications Agency (DCA), and to exercise operational control and supervision of the Defense Communications System (DCS) in their assigned geographical area.
The Director, DCA, Rear Admiral W.D. Irvin, USN, in a memorandum for the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, dated 13 March 1961, subject: "Establishment of the DCA Communications Control Centers in the European and Pacific Areas" submitted his plan for the activation of the two DACCC's. He recommended that DCA establish interim DACCC's on 1 June 1961 by assuming operational direction of the Department of the Air Force facilities identified as the European-Mediterranean Channel and Traffic Control Unit (EMCTCU) in Wiesbaden, Germany, and the Pacific Channel and Traffic Control Unit (PACTCU) in Hawaii. Effective 1 September 1961, permanent manually operated DACCC's were proposed at Dreux Air Base, France and Kunia Tunnel Annex, Oahu, Hawaii. As soon as practicable, after 1 September 1961, the European and Pacific DACCC's would be converted to semi-automatic operations. The Deputy Secretary of Defense on 2 May 1961 directed the implementation of the DCA plan. However, he withheld concurrence for the location of the European DACCC-E at Dreux Air Base pending investigation of the possibility of securing a more favorable location. A DCA team surveyed additional locations during the latter part of May 1961. A more suitable location for the Center could not be located and a follow-on memorandum from the Secretary dated 26 May 1961 approved Dreux Air Base as the permanent location of DACCC-E. The delay of nearly one month in designating the permanent location held up orders on personnel that were needed to augment the EMCTCU at Wiesbaden, the shipment of equipment and material and other actions required to establish the Center at Dreux. The activation date for establishing the interim Center at Wiesbaden was therefore changed to "during the month of June 1961." The initial DACCC-E cadre of key personnel from DCA consisting of Colonel G.A. Zahn, USAF, Chief; Lt Colonel E.R. Daniels, USMC, Deputy Chief; Commander (then LCdr) J.E. Butler, USN, Operations Officer and Miss J.D. Bushnell arrived Wiesbaden on 1 June 1961 to establish the interim DACCC-E. Headquarters was set up in the "lofts" of Building 07A at Wiesbaden Air Base. Expansion of EMTCU was initiated to accommodate the additional circuits and personnel to effectively direct the DCS in the European Area. The initial cadre at Wiesbaden was built up during June by the addition of MSGT D.L. Matson, SSGT J.R. Heimbach, SSGT L.R.E. Hersey, SSGT D.E. Hoskins, SFC C.J. Clark and SFC R.B. Walters of the U.S. Army; RMCM R.S. Burham, RM1 G.W. Kerber, RM1 R.D. Witt, MA1 J.W. Stutzman, RM1 R.D. Young and RM2 P.W. Savage of the U.S. Navy; and SSGT Reilly, USAF and five airmen of the USAF on TDY from the 12th Mobile Communications Squadron, AFCS. The interim DACCC-E activated at 2700012 June 1961 directing the communications activities of 23 Defense Communications Systems (DCS) reporting stations interconnected by 125 trunks. During the latter part of June and first part of July 1961, Captain D.C. Allen, USAF, YNCM H.H. Boyden, USN, and YN1 H.M. Smith, USN, arrived to open up DACCC-E at Dreux Air Base. An installation team from the U.S. Army Signal Engineering Agency augmented by personnel from the European Ground Electronics Engineering and Installation Agency (USAF) arrived in July to install a temporary Operations Center in Building 132. Army, Navy and Air Force personnel were assigned against the DACCC-E Joint Table of Distribution (JTD), which authorized 22 officers, 30 enlisted men and 8 civilians, continued to arrive at Dreux Air Base during July and August. DACCC-E closed out operations at Wiesbaden Air Base, Germany and established operations at Dreux Air Base, France at 01000A September 1961, as scheduled. The DCS Station Evaluation Program was initiated on 12 October 1961 when an evaluation team headed by Lt Col Daniels departed to evaluate DCS Stations Peshawar, Pakistan; Asmara, Ethiopia; Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Incirlik, Karamursel Navy and Karamursel Air Force, Turkey. On 1 December 1961, the first major engineering task was assigned. The Director, DCA, charged DACCC-E with coordinating the field planning and implementing actions and assuring interface compatibility of the extensive tropospheric scatter facilities to be installed by the Army and the Air Force in connection with the DCA plan for the improvement of the US-NATO Communications. Requisite transmission engineering for all circuits allocated on DCS broadband systems with the European Area was also made the responsibility of DACCC-E on that date. Fourteen contract engineers and technicians from the Philco Corporation, under the leadership of Mr. W.L. McEver, arrived during the period 18 - 27 January 1962 to build up the Engineering Staff to cope with the new responsibilities. On 1 February 1962, the Transmission Engineering Branch was established. Modification of Building 143 to accommodate the permanent DACCC-E started on 1 March 1962. The modification under a French contractor included preparation of the building to accept the Increment II (computerized) control mechanism, refurbishing the office area and the installation of humidity and temperature control equipment, auxiliary and no-break power. The Secretary of Defense approved on 3 April 1962, DCA Communications Control Centers at communications hubs in the North Atlantic Area, United Kingdom, South Europe, Middle East, Southeast Asia and Far East. Subsequent siting surveys located the three European Centers called Defense Regional Communications Control Centers at Croughton RAF Station, England; Torrejon Air Base, Spain; and Ankara, Turkey. On its first anniversary, 27 June 1962, DACCC-E was operationally directing 33 DCS Stations interconnected by 297 DCS trunks. During October 1962, Headquarters DCA, was reorganized to provide for the Director, DCA, and three Deputy Directors; namely, Deputy Director for National Military Command System, Deputy Director for Communications Satellite Office, and Deputy Director for Defense Communications System. On 29 October 1962, Major General Alfred D. Starbird, USA, assumed command of the DCA replacing Rear Admiral W.D. Irvin, USN. On 30 October 1962, Major General Starbird was promoted to Lieutenant General. DACCC-E moved from its temporary Building 132 to its permanent home, Building 143, Dreux Air Base on 23 - 24 November 1962. On 26 November 1963, the Defense Communications Control Center, United Kingdom (DRCCC-UK) and the Defense Communications Control Center, Middle East and Africa (DRCCC-MEA) were activated. Commander Guy E. Noble, USN, was Chief, DRCCC-UK and Lt. Colonel Charles R. Bach, USAF, Chief of DRCCC-MEA. The Defense Communications Control Center, Spain, Italy and Africa (DRCCC-SIA), activated on 26 December 1962 with Colonel (then Lt. Col) Clark V. Telquist, USA, Chief. During a conference held at Headquarters US European Command (USEUCOM), on 17 December 1962 attended by USCINCEUR, Deputy USCINCEUR, Deputy J-6, JCS Deputy for DCS, DCA and Chief, DACCC-E, USCINCEUR approved the relocation of DACCC-E from Dreux Air Base to Camp des Loges, France. The DCA plan for the relocation was approved by the Secretary of Defense on 5 March 1963. The construction of the new Butler type building and associated air handling and emergency power was assigned to "C" Company, 553rd Engineer Battalion and the Quartermaster Refrigeration Team, both located at Orleans, France. Ground was broken for the new building on 6 May 1963. The name, Defense Area Communications Control Center, Europe (DACCC-E) was discarded and the more appropriate title, Defense Communications Agency, European Area (DCA-EUROPE) assigned as of 1 July 1963. The same order redesignated the Regional Centers to the Defense Communications Agency, United Kingdom Region (DCA-UK); Defense Communications Agency, Spain-Italy-Africa Region (DCA-SIA); and the Defense Communications Agency, Middle East Africa Region (DCA-MEA). DCA-EUROPE relocated from Dreux Air Base to Camp des Loges, France on the week end of 5-8 September 1963. Control operations were cut over to interim facilities at Camp des Loges at O8OOO1Z September 1963 and administrative operations opened at 0800 local 9 September 1963. During the latter part of 1963, DCA-EUROPE started to receive tasks on the installation of the DCS Automatic Voice Network (AUTOVON) which included 14 electronic switching facilities programmed for the European area. A team of Western Electric Engineers under Mr. William C. Schoenthaler, joined DCA-EUROPE in September 1963 to assist DCA in preparing the initial AUTOVON Network Configuration. During October, November and December siting for the switches was accomplished under the direction of DCA-EUROPE. In October 1963, Civil Service civilian manpower space authorizations were assigned to convert the on-board contract engineers and technician spaces (which then totaled 23 Philco and RCA personnel) to civil service positions. Conversion of on-board personnel and recruitment of new personnel was accomplished during the ensuing ninety days. A majority of the on-board contract personnel converted to Civil Service and remained with DCA-EUROPE. Installation of the Increment II control system consisting of an IBM 1410 computer, an automated system display and reporting and control communications terminal equipment started in November 1963. The computer and display installation was accomplished by an IBM team under the direction of Mr. Peter P. Piotrowski, IBM Systems Engineer, assigned DCA-EUROPE. The communications facility installation was accomplished by a team from the US Army Strategic Communications Command under Mr. Byron Wolverton. This marked Mr. Wolverton's third installation effort for DCA-EUROPE -- Buildings 132 and 143 at Dreux Air Base and the new installation at Camp des Loges. The Increment II control system installation was completed in February 1964 and placed under systems test in conjunction with similar systems at DCA-Pacific, DCA-Conus and the Defense Communications Agency Operations Center (DCAOC). The system was observed on 19 February 1964 during an Open House Ceremony attended by 280 guests including top staff members from USEUCOM, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), and other commands in the Paris area, French dignitaries and DCA-EUROPE family members. On 1 April 1964, the Increment II system was operational. On 27 June 1964, the third anniversary, DCA-EUROPE had 40 DCS Stations and 2,260 trucks under its operational direction. On 1 July 1964, a new Joint Table of Distribution (JTD) became effective. DCA-EUROPE's increased responsibilities were recognized with an increase from 22 officers, 39 enlisted and 9 civilians to 21 officers, 43 enlisted and 29 civilians. Total strength was increased from 69 to 93. Initial tasks were received in mid-1964 for the implementation of the DCS Automatic Digital Network (AUTODIN). The program then included 3 electronic switching facilities within the European Area. Site surveys were conducted under the direction of DCA-EUROPE during September - December 1964. A team of Western Union Engineers under Mr. William Q. Sanders, joined DCA-EUROPE in November 1964 to assist in the preparation of the AUTODIN Network configuration. In January 1965, the Electronics System Division of the Air Force Systems Command (USAF) activated a Liaison office at DCA-EUROPE. Major M.E. Strange, USAF, was the first ESD Liaison Officer. On its fourth anniversary in 1965, DCA-EUROPE had 65 DCS Stations and 3,870 trunks under its operational control. In July 1965, Colonel Zahn was relieved as Chief, DCA-EUROPE by Colonel Howard E: McCormick, USAF. |
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| APPENDIX Because of an edict issued by the French Government in 1966, all American forces were required to be relocated out of France by 1 May 1967. Since DCA-EUROPE was now effectively collocated with Headquarters, US European Command, it was decided that the unit would be relocated with them at Patch Barracks, Vaihingen, Germany (and that the Seventy Army located there would be relocated elsewhere). This move (called FRELOC-French Relocation) came about in late 1966 and early 1967 while Colonel Howard E. McCormick, USAF (the second DCA-Europe chief) was in command. Major Carl G. Herrmann, US Army and Mr. Kaye Palmer were appointed as FRELOC Project Officers for DCA-EUROPE, and were the first to establish the DCA-Europe office at Patch Barracks. At Patch Barracks, the unit was initially housed on the third and fourth floors of pre-World War II vintage four story buildings which had been formerly used as troop housing and other purposes. Extensive modifications were required and were never really suitable for operations or administrative purposes. However, a couple years later a new building was made available for the unit at Patch Barracks. Sometime during this period (early 1970's maybe), the DCA-EUROPE regional offices at DCA-SIA and DCA-MEA were combined at Ankara, Turkey, and another regional office was established as DCA-Germany. A major organizational change occurred approximately June 1991 as the Defense Communications Agency was disbanded and reorganized as part of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). The organization at Patch Barracks was redesignated as DISA-EUROPE. and is now (in 1995) commanded by Acting Commander Colonel Gene E. Schartzlow, USMC. |
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| Defense Communications System (1960s) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: Various issues of SIGNAL, Journal of the AFCEA) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Defense Communications Agency was established in May 1960, primarily to manage the long-haul, point-to-point telecommunications lines of the Defense Communications System. The Agency's responsibilities were subsequently increased to include the technical development and technical support of the National Military Command System and the communications support of the World-Wide Command and Control System. In addition, it became responsible for the integrated development of the military telecommunications satellite system. In the 1940's and 50's, each of the three Armed Services developed their own long-haul, point-to-point communications systems (Army - STARCOM; Air Force - AIRCOMNET). These systems were largely incompatible and the equipment, procedures, operating practices, and engineering standards used varied between the three services. In the late 1950's, a growing awareness of the increasing operational and technical dependence between the services and an increasing congressional discontent over evidence of waste and inefficiencies in military communications areas led to the move to create a single managing authority over the long-haul, point-to-point communications of the three services and to merge the separate systems into a single integrated system. Thus the DCA was born. The Defense Communications System was established concurrently with the activation of the DCA. To manage the integrated network (DCS), an over-all communications control complex was created that was separate from the technical control arrangements that the three services alraedy had in place for their comunications systems. The Defense Communications Control Center Complex initially consisted of the Defense National Communications Control Center located in Washington, DC and area control centers located in the continental US, Hawaii, Alsaka and Europe (DACC-EUR at Dreuz Air Base, France). The experience gained by the DCA in the initail period demonstarted a need for further expansion of the control center concept which led to activation (between Oct-Dec 1962) of six regional control centers as subordinate elements of the area control centers (under DACC-EUR - England, Spain, Turkey). In July 1963, the area and regional control centers were redesignated. DCAA-EUR became known as the Defense Communications Agency-European Area. The three regional centers were redesignated as DCA-Regions. At the same time, the DNCCC was redesignated as the DCA Operations Center. These centers maintained status information on all DCS communications in their assigned areas of responsibility. On the basis of hourly station reports, instructions were issued to the Defense Communications Stations as indicated - e.g. rerouting of circuits to by-pass a trouble area, or reallocation of resources to meet unforeseen demands and emergencies. To be continuously aware of the communications activity surrounding them, each control center maintained a data base composed of all pertinent resources, including curcuits, channels, networks, contingency reserves, historical data concerning past utilization, reliability, efficiency of the resources, plus a knowledge of operational rules. Scheduled and special status reports together with answers to specific queries generated by the centers complement the data base and make possible the gathering of complete and current station and circuit conditions, and traffic status for the centers' areas of geographical responsibility. With the exception of the national center, each center conducts circuit and transmission engineering and in addition provides technical assistance to their respective stations and users. Such assistance may include recommendations for site location, terminal equipment, and maintenance improvements. The centers also monitor the adherence of their stations to established standards. Each regional center is being equipped with teletypewriter and voice terminal equipment, including a semi-automatic store-and-forward capability to facilitate status report delivery. The regional center is also equipped with a status display manually operated but adaptable for utilization of automatic sensing or computer drives. The system display portrays, by geographical relationships, the Defense Communications System stations and trunking of primary concern to the control center; a network display reflects the conditions of selected networks related to selected stations and trunking. A control console provides for the control of system, network, and projection displays. The installation of the regional communications status center equipment is being accomplished by Army and Air Force installation teams. |
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| STARCOM (Strategic Army Communications System) STARCOM (previously known as ACAN) was the global communications system of the Army in the early 1960s and, with the formation of the DCA, became part of the Defense Communications System. It consisted of long-haul, point-to-point radio, wire and cable facilities. The radio systems included high frequency, microwave line-of-sight, and tropospheric and inonospheric scatter modes. The global DCS facilities operated by the Army include relay stations located throughout the world. There are eight primary and thirty-four major relay stations in the Army STARCOM. Subscribers or users of the multipurpose, multichannel system are interconnected at the relay station. Communications to troubled areas (such as Lebanon in 1958, or Vietnam in early 1960s) may also be implemented with extensions from these relay stations. The US Army supports the DCA mission and the DCS in many ways. The support of DCA embraces the entire field of startegic communications, and broadly includes: (a) Installing, operating and maintaining assigned DCS facilities; (b) Providing personnel, facilities, equipment, and other support required to maintain and operate the facilities and activities of the DCA; (c) Budgeting, funding and accounting for the assigned DCS elements; (d) Performing detailed engineering for assigned DCS responsibilities and tasks; (e) Developing and submitting Army DCS requirements to DCA; (f) Ground environmental support of the satellite communications program. The STARCOM stations of the DCS provide a network that covers the free worls. The supporting facilities include message centers, switching centers, powerful radio transmitter stations and sensitive receiver stations. Major Relay Stations Some information relating to the European segment: The East Coast Relay Station at Fort Detrick, MD, is an automatic tape relay station. The station serves some 90 tributary stations along the East Coast and it has more than 70 direct trunk line connections to Europe, the Middle East, Eastern Africa, Puerto Rico, Panama and Hawaii, as well as the western relay stations in the US. The East Coast Radio Transmitter Station is located at Woodbridge, VA; the The East Coast Radio Receiver Station is at La Plata, MD. The oversea DCS stations operated by the Army are in Panama, Europe, East Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, the Far East, the Pacific area and Alaska. |
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| In the (early) 1960s, (STARCOM Station) Pirmasens was connected with Fort Detrick, Maryland (East Coast Relay Station) through a four-channel, 60-word-per-minute, teletype carrier system via a 30 KW HF circuit. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: DCS Primary Relay Station Drake, Japan Welcome Booklet, 1962; Assorted Army Acronyms and other Alphabet Soup of the 1950s and 1960s, by James Brendage and Three Years With ADA, by Leonard H. Anderson; these documents and other related information found on Harold Hallikainen's excellent web page "Saving History from the Dumpster" ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| I served at the Primary Signal Relay Center at Pirmasens, Germany, from January 1960 until May of 1963. We had a Classified Relay (Center) manned by the military with TS clearances, and a Crypto Section. Unclassified Relay Center, manned by Military and German Nationals. It was know as RUFP with Circuits to all Commands in Germany and RUEP in the Pentagon, RUQP in Asmara and other Major Relay Centers including Iran. A Facilities Control, Crypto and Teletype Maintenance Section. I was a Staff Sergeant in Tape Relay and then in the Crypto Section. |
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| (Source: AACS - AFCS - AFCC, 1938-1981, Providing the Reins of Command, AFCC Office of History, 1981) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AIRCOMNET (Air Force Communications Network) In 1951, the Air Force established the Global Communications System (GLOBECOM) which was the first integrated communications system to span the world. It replaced the Air Force's portion of the ACAN system, a WWII-era network that utilized single-channel voice, teletype links, and torn-tape relays which were carried over both low and high frequency radio as well as wire. This system was deemed outdated by its slowness and low volume of traffic it could carry. GLOBECOM was originally a modest program calling for the installation of high-power trunk circuits and modernization of the major AACS point-to-point circuits. Planning, which began in 1946, continued into 1950. The Korean War led to the expansion of the plan and caused Congress to free the monies needed for construction. Construction of the GLOBECOM system began in 1951. GLOBECOM was basically an integrated and engineered system of interconnected Air Force radio stations, together with other leased commercial or allocated Army and Navy long-haul wire and radio channels, the necessary terminal equipment, relay facilities, communications centers, and cryptographic facilities. The facilities were all permanent and similar to civilian commercial systems. Internal, tactical, and special purpose communications systems of the various commands, used to accomplish specific missions within their organizations, were excluded. |
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| Each major command wanted individual ownership of all its own communications and support. But the quantum jump in the volume of communications and the sheer size of the networks they required, plus the skyrocketing costs, served to curb independent ownership of all command-needed communications. Air-to-ground capability, added in 1952, allowed commanders to talk to aircraft up to 3,000 miles away. The system was renamed AIRCOM, which stood for the Air Force Communications Complex, in 1955. Under this system, both 16-channel single side-band facilities and 36-channel ionospheric and tropospheric-scatter systems were added. Fourchannel multiplex circuits for high frequency radio and landlines became standard. Microwave relay systems with 24-voice channels, each channel capable of carrying 16 teletype channels, became common. The first fully automatic switching equipment was added in 1957. Operated by Western Union for AACS, these automated switches saved millions of dollars annually by eliminating the need for hundreds of operators. One operator could do the work formerly done by eight. In 1956, AIRCOM was renamed Strategic Communications System or STRATCOM. It integrated the important military and civilian circuits and terminals, operated until then by other commands, with the GLOBECOM system. These included the Air Force Communications Network, the Air Force Operations Network, the Air Force Global Air-to-Ground Communications System, the Air Force Weather Teletype and Weather Facsimile Networks, the Air Force Global Weather Broadcasts and Intercept System, and the Strategic Air Command Communications Network. STRATCOM was a $350 million investment which handled a monthly average of 3.5 million messages and 232,000 aircraft contacts. The terms GLOBECOM and STRATCOM were dropped in 1959 to return to the term AIRCOM. By 1960, the system consisted of 33 major and many minor stations, all of which were compatible with the Army and Navy portions of the Armed Forces integrated communications network. Messages were handled via speech, teletype, facsimile, Morse code, and data. A new network was added to the AIRCOM system i n 1960. Called the Combat Logistics Network (COMLOGNET), its purpose was to furnish the communications needed for the Air Force electronic data processing equipment programs. AACS was given full operational control and responsibility for the new network. The Air Force Communications Network and the Air Force Operations Network were the busiest subsystems in the AACS-operated Air Force communications complex, known as AIRCOM. During the second half of 1960, relay stations of the Air Force Communications Network handled 33 million messages, while those of the Air Force Operations Network handled another 7.5 million. Altogether, AACS operated approximately 1,350 channels of communications that connected its major relay stations alone. |
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By the beginning of 1970, the following programs had been implemented by DCA: |
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| Army Strategic Communications Command | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Source: USAREUR STATION LIST, 30 June 1967) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UNITS ASSIGNED/ATTACHED TO STRATCOM-EUR (June 1967): | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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7774
SIGNAL SV BN
