Milford chronicle., 1957-11-22
Civil Defense News

The Ground Observer Corps Fill
ter Centers and Observation Posts
now on 24-hour operational duty
along the Canadian and Mexican
borders and the Atlantic and Paci-
fic Coasts will be placed on ready
reserve status on January /, 1858,
according to Capt. Robert N.
Downes, Director of Civil Defense
for the State of Delaware. This an
nouncement was based on infor-
nation given the Association OF
State and Territorial Civil Defense
Directors in a special Air Defense
briefing by Col. Owen F. Clark,
GOO Project Officer, Headquarters,
USAF, in Washington, ID. c., on
November IA. This latest modifica-
tion will put the GOO throughout
the entire nation on ready-reserve.
According to Col. Clark, the deci-
sion to place the entire GOC on
ready-reserve status was based on
three facts: ID chronological ad-
vances in electronic air suryeil-
lance systems; (2) experienced
gained from tests and exercises in
alerting GOC units which reverted
recently to ready-reserve status !;
90 and the obligation originally
accepted by the Air Force to re-
duce the volunteer responsibility
of civilian skywatchers as soon as
feasible.
In his briefing, Col. Clark listed
the following electronic surveil-
lance advances which make easing
of GOC duties possible:
A. Completion and successful
testing of the distant early warn
ing line across the Arctic Circle
and a similar radar chain across
mid-Canada.
B. The progress in developing
the operational capabilities of the
seaward extension of the dew line
out over the Atlantic and Pacific
Oceans with radar-equipped air.
craft and Navy surface ships.
G. Further extension of the early
warning radar network out over
the contiguous coastal areas of the
United States with radar- equipped
Air Force and Navy Aircraft, and
Navy picket ships plus the growth
and improvements of internal
heavy radar.
Finally, Col. Clark pointed out
that the Air Force obligated itself
at the inception of the GOO pro-
gram to reduce the responsibility
of the civilian volunteers as soon
as feasible. Because of the increas-
ing effectiveness of electronic sur
veillance systems and the assur-
ance of acceptable alerting time to
permit GOO filter centers and OBJ
servation Posts to become opera
tionally effective in an emergency,
il is now possible for the Air Force
to fulfill this obligation. In ready
reserve status, Air Defense Filter
N1ters and GOO posts will be kept
in a state of readiness, and COM
munications facilities and other
equipment remaining operational.
24-hour skywatch will not be per-
formed except during emergencies
and for training exercises. Train
ing of civilian volunteer skywatch-
ers will continue and the system
will be tested by periodic exercises
to maintain its effectiveness in an
emergency. Filter Center Areas
specifically affected by the change
are: Miami, Florida; Atlanta, Geo
rgia; Columbia, South Carolina /;
Durham, North Carolina; Rich
mond, Virginia; Baltimore, Mary
land; Trenton, New Jersey; New
Haven, Connecticut; Manchester,
New Hampshire; Bangor, Maine;
Syracuse and Buffalo, New York;
Canton, Ohio; Grand Rapids, Michi-
gan; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Min
neapolis, Minnesota; Fargo and
Bismarck, North Dakota; Billings
and Helena, Montana; Spokane,
Washington; Portland, Oregon;
Sacramento and Pasadena, Cali
fornia; Tucson, Arizona; Ell Paso,
San Antonio, and Corpus Christi,
Texas.
Col. Clark emphasized that this
does not mean de-activation of the
GOO in the immediate future, but
makes it necessary that civilian
volunteers in the State of Delaware
continue in a trained and ready
reserve status as is being done in
other areas of the United States.
In a ready-reserve status, the GOO
will continue to perform its addi-
tional jobs which are of community
as we'll as national service. These
include: first, severe weather re-
porting, warning of tornadoes,
floods, hailstorms and hurricanes;
second, reporting of airplanes in
distress, on fire, crashed, or lost;
third, reporting of unidentified fly
ing objects; fourth, reporting of
nuclear detonations; fifth, educa-
ting the American people on the
threat of air attacks.
All Delaware Ground Observer
Corps personnel will receive de-
tailed information of the situation.