European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 28, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse Of unit Happy to be raising a new roof l Joe Mapo Tiik Slafer or incr had my i a Dir. Germany the Bubble has Bursi Lorzier. And Pool riddance. A members of the air a orcs 609u, control so who nah junked the ill Alabec rubber roof on their ground control can scr for hard shelled units developed by the is. Army in . The 609th Tae control so is one of three Saff. Units that have switched to a new setup allowing greater mobility in setting up held tactical control centers according to a Simbach a spokesman. A unit in the nearby town of Prem the 601 is tac control so. Began Lessing the new setup several years ago. The spokesman said. Earlier this month the 609th tac control so was fitted with what is commander termed a production Model three cell tactical control Center that is known at the bad much Der site simply As the known officially As the an/tsq-1 the new configuration was developed in by the army communication maintenance Center in Parma sons Germany. The ulily slyly roof which came to Uuro pc in the late 1960s, had a Battlefield profile similar to the bubbles used to keep Tennis courts in service during Winter. It looked like a very Large inflated quonset said . Col. Louis Walter commander of the 609ih Tae control so. Lasy to spot from the air. Tasy to eliminate. Patching the old rubberized roof and keeping it inflated above the Heads of people Manning the radar screens w arc constant headaches Walter said. The rubber roof was designed with a life expectancy of ii moves which Waller said was wholly unsuitable to the Mission it was Given in Europe. The 609th tac control so moved its roof seven times just this year he said. In Short the old roof Wras a Dinosaur made of rubber. Supply of the new setup to the 609th tac control so Anu the 606th tac control so in Wasdahl Ger Manv. Has removed the rubber Duck from the inventory . Forces in Europe the Simbach a spokesman said. The self contained boxes thai arc coupled loge Lher As needed form a tactical ground control Center. Mobile control centers communicate with aircraft and saturday. December 28. 1985 the stars and stripes Page s tech. Sri. Joherl ,. Shippy of the 6 9lh tac control is enjoys a Rich roof out his had. Can or tide surveillance data both from their own rat Lar screens or from Early warning plane1-. Waller said the new setup is a Quick fix solution to make an old system survivable and maintainable Utill a new system comes along possibly in the nent decade. The new housing requires less than half the eight hours needed to set up the Bubble said capt. Miller operations director Ai the 609th tac control so. Hli Minalio of the rubber roof has Cut 1.200 pounds front the weight of each cell. Miller said. The need for the 3.500-Pound Field Power generating unit needed to keep the rubber Ruof in laced has also been eliminated he said. Two rows of three radar screens each slide out from a Box Container and arc enclosed by panels to form the the new system eliminates about 14 feet of roof area and the length of the Lrol room inside the Box also is reduced by 14 feet. Miller said. Staff sol. Dennis Powell works one of the radar screens inside the Box. He said he did t mind the loss of space because it made it easier to work with the other ground controllers inside the Box. . Focusing on Guam s role Delegate says Island can t replace Philippines Blaz says by Cunt Swift Washington Bureau Washington the communist threat in inc Philippines is forcing greater strategic visibility on Guam but the Island will never offer a Susti Lulu for the giant air and naval bases the United Stales shares in the Philippines Guam s Delegate to Congress says. Republican Ben Blaz says military considerations should not hold up return of excess american held land to the govern ment and people of Guam. Blaz made the comment in an inter View two Days after the a told him it had decided it could return about 3,500 acres of the 5.000 it has reserved on the 212-Squarc-mile Island. The former . Marine brigadier Gen eral also said the just concluded agreement by two Mieron Sian states to assume closer tics with the United Stales May mean Guam a . Leir Ivory. Will play a greater economic role in the Region As Well. Blaz said he Well to the Philippines in november and met with the . And philippine commanders of Clark a and Subic Bay naval base president Ferdi nand Marcos aides of opposition pc Sidon Lial candidate Corazon Aquino and opposition vice presidential candidate Salvador Laurel. "1 did t Eccl anyone who honestly believed the . Would Ever be forced Oul of the Philippines Blaz said military leaders told him the communist insurgents in the South would nol be Able to dictate such an Oul come. Marcos needs the bases for the $900 million in economic and military Aid the 30,000 jobs and the Protection against for eign threats they represent Blaz said. Laurel and Aquino s lieutenants said they want to the terms under which the United Stales uses the bases when the current agreement runs out in 1990. Bui Blaz said neither Leader would automatically seek expulsion of . Forces. My impression is they arc talking about renegotiating the rent the United so alas pays for use of the bases he said. All of the political actors will have to reckon Wilh the feelings of the vast majority of the philippine people who Bla said have a deep Aff Calion and respect for the United slates. Thousands of acres on Guam have been declared excess since 1977, a us a. Aide said. Bui because of developments in the Philippines the Navy wanted to restudy we Ether it might need the land. A letter from l. Wayne Arny principal Deputy Secretary of the Navy for ship building and logistics said the Navy would keep 300 acres for a Fleet Hospital near Barnada about 100 for a naval Magazine and about 100 on Simiu Hill the aide said. Blaz said the next question will be to whom the land should be resumed. The original owners might be offered their land Back first at the Price they were paid for in plus inflation he said. About 10 acres could be set aside for the Island s Large population of pc crans. After his colleagues return to Capitol Hill next month. Bin plans to ask con Gress to allow the administration legis lature and courts of Guam to decide what 10 do with the land. The land is import land because the is land is Only about 30 Miles Long and 4 Miles wide to 8 Miles wide in places Blaz said. On average its 110,000 residents make Only $4,800 per year and unemployment is More than 10 percent. The Island government spends $90 million a year More than it earns. Guam part of the Mariana islands 3,700 Miles West of Hawaii could grow in strategic importance As a to Nieport for Forward based . Supply ships a so aging base to the Indian Ocean or a deployment area for maritime repositioning ships Bla. Believes. It boasts an underused port ship repair facility naval Supply depot naval air station and strategic air com Mand base. In also has a history of a Spe Cial Rel Alioshin Wilh the United so alas and the Philippines. Bui no Mailer How Alla Clive Guam looks the Marianas cannot replace the Philippines he said. The islands arc Loo tar from crucial Easl and Southeast asian Cas covered from the Philippines. Haz believes the islands also Lack the 11 a highways services and potential workforce. The cast of rebuilding the philippine bases elsewhere has been estimated Al $8 billion and Blaz fears a massive influx of workers could threaten social economic and political balances. Wilh the Marshall islands and the Federated Stales of Micronesia entering into a compact of free association with the United Stales. Guam s Dollar based econ omy also might grow in importance Blaz said. The compact which president Reagan is expected to sign As soon As congressional and diplomatic representatives can be rounded up for a ceremony provides nearly $2.5 billion in economic Aid and preferential tax and Trade treatment during the next 15 years. Guam has the Best Banks tra Sporia lion and communications links in the re Gion Bla said. In might serve within limits As a Hub for Blaz said limits apply because regional leaders do nol want one nation to Advance Al the expense of others. He said he also would nol want Guam s universities and other facilities swamped by men and women seeking the skills the 150,000 peo ple of neighbouring islands will need to gov Ern themselves. Bui Blaz said he Hopes Guam will Fig ure in helping the islands explore the possibilities of Freer movement of people in creased Irac and reduced tariffs among them
