eettABetfW 0 'norad conad ········- ··-· I HISTORICAl SUMMARY UH CLASSI FICO • I- JANUARY - JUNE - 1961 TW0 1 i I BALLISTIC MISSILE AN 6 - T C l GCS ffNSE SPACE DF rECTION AND NORAD CONAD AUTHORITY AND RESPONtiIBILITY Assignment to NORA CONAD On 10 October 1960 the Secretary of Defense dld the Air Force and Navy that he had directed the JCS to assign operatio na1 control to NORAD and operational command to CONAD of the space etection aod tracking system For this reason he was transferring responsibili ty for the two compoo- ents of this systena Spacetrack and SPASUR to the Air Force and Navy respectively from the Advanced Research Projects Age ncy Iii In Memorandwns dated 7 November 1960 the JCS directe d CINCONAD to assUJ11e operational command and CINCNORAD to exercise operational control of the Space Detection and Tracking System The assumption of this esponsibility was made effect iV 26 November 19§_0 by • CON'AD NORAD general orders · The Secretary of Defense'6 me morandum had stated that operation and further development of these sys ems was to be in consonance with user requireme nts as defined by CIMCONAD and the operational procedures as developed by CIHCNORAD Also CINCONAD was to be responsible for integrating Spact•track and SPASUR in the Space Detection and Tracking System SPADATS Additional guidance was provided to NORAD by the JCS on 5 April 1961 They said that the assigo• ent of SPADATS was not to be interpreted as restrictive to the two systems of which it currently consisted It was expected the JCS continued that CINCNORAD would pla n for and request operational control and • - j C1 · · ··· CINCOHAD operatic al comirand of 3uch additional military sensors c-r 3tenu or 1nOdifications thereto that rere necessar tc perf rn the SPADATS •mission as identified by CINCNORAI· The JCS st ted 'urther that assignme nt of operational respon6ib1 ity 1 0 CINCNORAD CONAD of SPADATS was predicated on th • concopt that the central control facilit would be m nned and operated as an integral part of the existing -c •RAD C OC Pretse nt and future user requireme nts were t be ubmitt ed • l the JCS f o r r eview approval and tra iss on to the CS NASA DOD A reem mt Further guidance to NORAD's authority and responslb llit was provided in a Nat i ooal Aeronautics and Space Administration and Department of Defense agreeme nt concluded on 16 January 1961 This a greement divided NASA DOD respons ibilities as follows NASA was r espons ible for the direction a nd control of u s -sponsored space activities except those peculiar to or primarily a s sociated with the development of weapons systems milltary operations or the defense of the U s DOD was r e sponsible for space activities peculiar to or primarily associated with the development of weapons systems miiitary operatlons or the defense of the u S · '-· The agreement stated that 00D had given CINCNORAD operational control of the mi litary s pace detection and tracking The central data collection and cataloging center to meet the DOD requirement was to be establisbe f within the NORAD COC All information from BMRWS SPA SUR MIDAS and other military surveillance equipment with initial detection and tracking capability was to be fed directly into the NORAD COC for processing and analysis The objective of the NORAD space detection and tracking system the agreement stated was to detect and to establish track on the first orbit ot all satellites and space vehicles launched by foreign countries The NORAD COC was to provide NASA on request information concerning satellites and space vehic les within its · 1 l r catalog The NORAD system would accept f'rom NASA updated ephemeris and tracking information on vehicles cove red within its system The DOD program would provide for augmentation of its space vehicle intellige nce efforts including electronic surveillance and examination of foreign space vehicles and improved photographic and other methods for dete rmination of potential m11i ry c apabilities of the foreign objects This 1ntellige-nce operation was to be coordinated with the NORAD syste and where appro priate supply information di5ectly in r ea l time Ultimately the agreement saidJ the DOD program might be expanded to include counte · weapc n capability for neutralization of enemy military s pace objects JiASA had assigned operational control of its data collection and dissemination t o the cootrol center at the Goddard Space Flight Cente r Beltsville Ma ryland This center was to provide observation and or up-dated data from its computer ca ta log t • the NORAD COC The latter was to provide timely data from its c atalog to the Goddard Center Unclassifie d data was to be sent periodically in a routine fashion Classified data was t o be sent only upon a need t o know r e quest from NASA On 13 J ruary 1961 NORAD asked the Electronic Systems Div ision formerly the Air Force Command and Control Development Di vision at L G Hanscom Field Massachusetts to provide unclassified information to the Goddard Cente r NORAD t old ESD that classified information was to be s e nt only upon a need t o know request from NASA and that NORAD reserved the right to release all informatio n regarding the military significanc · of all objects of foreign origin in space whenever s uch action was indicated NORAD also drafte d an agreeme nt covering specific working arra ngeme nts with NASA aod s ent it to the latter for signature NASA had no t signed the agreement as ol the end of June 1961 Propos ed Change in Terms of Reference Because ' ti' ·J-LJ · · · · ··· · · · ·· of the added responsibility for existing and future military space detection and tracking systems NORAD asked the JCS on 5 May 1961 for a change in its Terms of Reference NORAD asked that its terms be amended to include specific responsibility for space defense NORAD said this was needed to clarify the various di' rectives and to enable it to provide user requirements l and operational guidance to research and development 4 • f agencies I The JCS repl ied on 12 Ma y lhat their initial reaction was that the existi NORAD terms together with the guidance given by the nf morandums in November and the message in April dis cussed above were broa enough t o accommodate NORAD' s r e quest for an amendment without an immediate change The JCS said however that th proposal would be considE r e d further a nd they asked for specific word changes The latter had not · yet been provided at mid-year ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SPADATS CENTER NORAD issued an integration plan for SPADATS on 20 Fe bruary 1961 This plan statt•d that integration of SPADATS was to be considered to b£· in two phases Phase I was to be the period from that time untill the NORAD COC at Colorado Springs achieved a computer capability for the central functions of the SPADATS Phase II wo uld begin when the NORAD SPADAT c enter was moved to Ent Air Force -Base During the first phase the plan provided CINCNORAD would be r esponsible for space detect i on tracking and identificatio n and t h e furnishing of space object data as directed A NORAD officer was to represent CINCNORAD at Hanscom Fie ld Bedford Massachusetts When a facility was available at the NORAD COC the SPADAT Center was to be absorbed jnto the NORAD COC with the center at Bedford acting in a back-up ·capacity The Ent AFB facility was then to b e used for NORAD space surveillance operations until such time as the programmed harde ned COC became operational - t' t • • • ••• •••••• •• ••• • j _ __ •••• • ••• On 9 February 1961 USAF Headquart·ers directed to rent a computer for installation at Ent AFB ADC was also to provide communic tions from the Bedford center and the Navy SPASUR center AOC was to assume full technical operating responsi bility for the center operations of the SPADATS on 1 July 1961 USAF provided that ADC was to serve as its agent wit CINCNORAD for this system ADC ' Following the r ecommend tion of the Air Force Command and Control Deve lopment i Division Electronic Systems Division ADC directed the procurement of a Philco 2000 computer systjn plus IBM peripheral equipment It was decided to lace the SPADATS center in Building P-1 which was adj acent to the current COC building Building 4 The former was r e d es i g nat e d · Buildiqg 4 East Wing The projec t f or the necessary work to convert the building was approved by USAF on 7 March and the work was begun on 13 March The first · floor of the building was to accommodate the computer and alli ed equipment Located on the second floor was to be the SPADATS Operations Room the SPADATS Dir ector the NORAD SPADAT Ope rat ions Officer the 1st Aerospace Squadron Commander and others The Philco computer was moved i to th buiiding in April 0 2 June 1961 the SPADAT function performed by the USAF facility at Hanscom Field wa -assumed by the SPADAT center at Ent AFB On 6 July ADC advised USAF that the mission given ADC to establish a SPADAT c enter at Ent AFB and have it operational by 1 July had been accomplished In the meantime NORAD issued a ne• integration plan on 27 llarch for Phase II of the integration ot SPADATS A phase III was now listed also which was to· involve R D improvements to the SPADATS to meet 111tary requirements This plan stated that the SPADAT Data Processing Room was functi0nally a part of the ADC established the 1st Aerospace Surveillance and Control Squadron ADC on 14 February 1961 J C1 · -j· l u l MORAD COC fit • function was to receive satellite and space objeclidata from sensors to coapute orbital paraaeters of eatellitea and to generate eatelliteiod apace object bulletins and look-angle bulletins The rooa was to be technically operated by USAF ADC oder the operational control of CINCNORAD The latter's representative on a continuous shift basis was the NORAD BPADAT Operations Officer t NORAD KAIINING OF 111E SPADAT J C I _ l On 31 March 1961 NO made a request to the JCS for the additional manpower'required as a result of the assignment of operational cohtrol of SPADATS A tiotal of 60 spaces were requested eight for the Deputy or Operations and 52 for the Deputy for Intelligence U HO AD explained to the JCS that the eight for · Opera 1ons would provide personnel to establish a SPADAT Section Operations Division COC These personnel included six officers -- an Air Poree lieutenant colonel and two Air Force captains and a Havy commander and two Bavy lieutenants Also there was to be an enlisted administrative specialist and a civili n stenographer The chief of this section was to be responsible to the Chief of the Operations Division COC for insuring the effective exercise of operational control over'che SPADAT System and associated sensors The intelligence spaces were required to carry out the expanded intelligence activities to support the Phase II SPADAT operation plus the add itional space intelligence functions to be assumed in consonance with the KASA DOD agreement v On 4 Hay 1961 NORAD received a briefing troa USU ADC on plana to implement the SPADAT Center XOJUD LA- • ln Jl ch NORAD stationed a representative · an Air Force lieutenant colonel at L G Banaco• Yield to represent CINCNORAD in exercising operational con·trol of the SPADATS - A#PJQOtUC - w a a 20 u· DeL--la s J -per I I L f D e-c o 0 • f fi u- 0 a -- ' ' ' - - 1 - u -li I • learned th at AOC had neglected to snake any provision tor the placement communications or functioning ot the NORAD SPADATS Offi cer NORAD iwnediately asked tor accoauuodations pointing out that it was necessary for the NORAD SPADATS Operations Office r to be physically located at an appropriate location in the SPADATS Center Before this matter was ijettled the JCS authoriz e d on 19 June 1961 an int t1m augmentation of the h eadqua rters of 39 spnces for a co plishmen t of the SPADATS mission The eight spac·es for Ope rations were approved For Intellige e 31 of the 52 spaces r equested were approved The JCS stated however that it was recognized that a ma tur ing SPADATS might arrant adjustments to these authorizations so after · some ope rating experience recommendations for adjustments could be made The matt er o f a ccommodations f or the NORAD SPADATS Operations Officer or the NORAD SPADATS Section bad not bee n settled at mid-year Of fi ce space bad bee n provided on the second floor of Building 4 Eas t Wing and a d esk had bee n placed in t he SPADAT Center for the NORAD SPADATS Of fic e r But the questio n of manning l ocation and function for NOR At was still being discussed and s tud ied __ RBQUIREILEHTS FOR lllPROVEMENT OF SPADATS MORAD Requirements Document When the Secre- tary of Defense transferred Spacetrac k to the Air Force be charged tbe latter with subaitt1ng a detailed development and funding plan for improveme nt of tbe national space surveillance system This plu was tq aatiafy the requirements of the JCS ana -their desigw tedJ perational command CONAD and have the coordination of the Array and Navy On 10 November 1960 USAF asked MORAD to submit it operational requireaenta and to compile and submit the requirements of the military deputaents the unifie d and specified commands NA SA and tbe U S Intelligence Board In M IHllDfNftJI ···· -· -1 6 · · · · ·· · · · addition on 5 April 1961 as not ed earlier the JCS asked NORAD CONAD to submit present and future user require• ents u NORAD submitte d itsThen operational requirements to CONAD obtained the r e- US Al' on 2 December 1960 quire ents of all other user agenc ies and prepared a composite requirements document which it submitted to the J S on 20 April 1961 • · l A The qua litative r e quit'eme s s ubmitted for a n advanced system included ty f o llowing • '-AW The North American Air De f ense Objectives Plan FY 963-FY 1967 31 March 1961 include d objecti ves f o r an improved SPADATS NORAD stated that an · improved system required sensors with coverage to provide de tection tracking and ide ntification in sufficient time to permit the des truc t ion or neutralization ot a hostile space object prior to its accomplishing a hostile act on its first pass ove r the NORAD area Accurac y of the sensor s ystem must be s ufficient the plan stated to utilize it as the e nviron ment for active space defense and sate llite inspec tion systems NORAD said that a single type of sensor would not accomplish the total requirement and that its plan include d funds for a family of sensors geographicall7 deployed to provide detection of all space objects launcbed ·on any orbital inclination during the first orbit MORAD listed the following swnmary for BPADATS lllproved FY 63 FY 64 FY 65 FY 66 FY 67 SPASUR Sensors 5 5 5 5 5 Electronic Sensors 9 9 9 9 9 Optical Sensors 2 8 14 1 4 vanced Radar 1 3 u J June the JCS pointed out to NORAD that the Air Force _ was coordinating system development plans with the Army Navy and NORAD Since this was still in process the equipment and funding in NORAD's NADOP did not represent an agreed r e quirement I ClASSlflfD • 2 Control Center An operation control center will be employed to provide for control of all system elements The center will house a computer complex of appropriate capacity which is expandablej and which is compatible with associated inputs and outputs 3 Communications A highly reliable automatic communications subsystem must be provided to support the SPADATS Improved NORAD also listed requirements for an interim system capability required by 1964 The requirements for all _elements except the sensor system were the same For the latter the requirements included the following USAF ADC Recommendations for Improvement ADC sent USAF a list of reco lllDe ndations on 12 June 1961 for sensors currently being operated by the USAF or NASA which were needed by the SPADATS in order to perform its mission ADC said it had analyzed the SPADATS mission versus its capability The preliminary conclus-· ions were that the SPADATS had to rely on agencies and equipment not under the operational control of NORAD to adequately perform its mission Uf ClASS flF • _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _11amimiau - •r 17 11 sz tn'l 'luia ll J91 Jna•e iicltl m a ' 24 J- r w i 1 1111111•sa•----•---•• - - - - - - - --·- - A t t r '-- 't - j '- -· t -- '-- r•--4 I · ••• ••• ••• -· ADC recommended the following a Retention of the AN FPS-49 at Moorestown New Jersey for completion of BMEWS testing and for ultimate integration into the SPADATs • '' b Continuation for SPADATS of the current agreement between the Hanscom Center and the Trinidad B w I Experimental Site · o erated by the Rome Air De 9 -J opmeot Center • - · c Ass urance that any future disposition ot USAF-controlled B r-Nunn cameras include the stipulation th t data would be supplied to the SP ADATS center in a ccordance with x equirements listed by AOC d Deferral o f assignment of the mission for the PINCUSHION AN FPS-62 radar until 1 July 1961 pending recommendations from ADC SPASUR Low-Altitude I mprovement In April 1961 the commanding officer of the Navy SPASUR system wrote to inform NORAD of a r e quirement for improvement of the l ow altitude coverage of the SPAS ffl system · nis · was submitted in accordance with a dire c·t1ve in NORAD' s February integration plan that r ecomme ndations be submitted for im o_v - - rst m P a ion ' - - 7 l ' R J r IIJ '1- fl l'f ' J t q r-- u · • •- J 25 · · ' NORAD told the SPASUR commanding officer on 2 May that it had asked or an improved capability in a · plan submitted to the JCS on 20 pril discussed abov e • Also the Navy h a d submitted a pr posal for six gap filler sites which would 2r ov1de complete covera e over the continental U S U · to the Defense Dep tment A Navy Department reprelfentative had informed NORAD that if this was•ap_prove d by DOD the Navy would implement the program with FY 1962 funds Out ox this came a request froM ADC that it be given assignment of the Sbemya radar and that NORAD be given operational control ADC said that fulfillment of the Security Service mission would not be jeopardized NORAD advised the JCS on 19 April that it concurred with the ADC pr I_X Sal A - - NORAD also gave o·· t ························································ I l • • ••• •• • •• •• • • •• • ' • • • •• • • • • • • • • • • •• • • •• I• • et • • • • • •• t • t ssura nce that the USAF security mission would not be eopardized j The matter had not been settled at mid-year however as to whether or not ADC would get the Bhemya facility BALLISTIC MISSILE EARLl ARNI G SYSTE ' GENERAL STATUS The Ballistic Missile Early Warning Systeaf' _ BKEWS achieved a two-site detection capability on 30 June l l with the attainment of an initial operational capability IOC at the Clear Alaska site as scheduled Clear's detection capability was achieved by the use of all sectors of the detection radar working i conjunc tion with a si plex missile impact predictor MIP set Warning information was read out of the sim_plex computer and manually transmitted to the central computer and display facility CC DF at the NORAD COC via rearward communications voice and or teletype links The information was manually inserted into tbe BMEWS display at the CC DF __ Operational capability OC was scheduled to be reached at the Clear site on 30 September 1961 At that time all sectors of the radar would be working with a _ duplex KIP computer Warning information would be automatically transmitted to the CC DF via the rearward communications links At the Thule Greenland site IOC was attained on 30 Septe ber 1960 and fully automatic operation •as begun on 31 Janua ry 1961 Along with the Thule site · IOC was achieved for the CCld F at MORAD Headquarters and the display facility at SAC Headquarters on 30 ·september 1960 Sim ilarly automatic operation was begun on 31 January A BIIEWS display facility at the Pentagon was scheduled to attain operational capability on 7 November 1961 -----ai• a-liU lsw - i--- •IIIZl la Nlllllll-- -aczi 1112a1•»nf t 27 e •• 9 1111 111111 i ew 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