Survivable Low Frequency Communications System

The AN/FRC-117 Survivable Low Frequency Communications System (SLFCS) was a communications system designed to be able to operate, albeit at low data transfer rates, during and after a nuclear attack

Nuclear warfare

Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...

.
The system used both Very Low Frequency

Very low frequency

225px|thumb|right|A VLF receiving antenna at [[Palmer Station]], Antarctica, operated by Stanford UniversityVery low frequency or VLF refers to radio frequencies in the range of 3 kHz to 30 kHz. Since there is not much bandwidth in this band of the radio spectrum, only the very simplest signals...

(VLF), and High Frequency

High frequency

High frequency radio frequencies are between 3 and 30 MHz. Also known as the decameter band or decameter wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decameters . Frequencies immediately below HF are denoted Medium-frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Very high frequency...

radio bands.

Mission

SLFCS was used for United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

nuclear forces' command and control

Command and Control (military)

Command and control, or C2, in a military organization can be defined as the exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commanding officer over assigned and attached forces in the accomplishment of the mission...

communications for Emergency Action Message

Emergency Action Message

An Emergency Action Message is a preformatted message that directs nuclear-capable forces to execute specific Major Attack Options or Limited Attack Options in a nuclear war...

dissemination and force direction. Single channel, receive only capability was provided at ICBM

Intercontinental ballistic missile

An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...

launch control centers

Launch control center (ICBM)

A launch control center , in the United States, is the main control facility for intercontinental ballistic missiles . A launch control center monitors and controls missile launch facilities. From a launch control center, the missile combat crew can monitor the complex, launch the missile, or relax...

. The single channel operated between 14 kHz and 60 kHz to receive commands from remotely located Combat Operations Center - Transmit/Receive (T/R) sites; this low frequency range is slightly affected by nuclear blasts.

SLFCS' primary advantage was it would suffer small degradation as a result of nuclear detonations. It would be an alternate means of communication during and after detonations, providing a survivable command and control communications network for the Strategic Air Command

Strategic Air Command

The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...

(SAC

Strategic Air Command

), the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Joint Chiefs of Staff

The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President on military matters...

(JCS

Joint Chiefs of Staff

), and North American Aerospace Defense Command

North American Aerospace Defense Command

North American Aerospace Defense Command is a joint organization of Canada and the United States that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and defense for the two countries. Headquarters NORAD is located at Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado...

(NORAD

North American Aerospace Defense Command

). SLFCS would also relay signals from the Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

's LF

Low frequency

Low frequency or low freq or LF refers to radio frequencies in the range of 30 kHz–300 kHz. In Europe, and parts of Northern Africa and of Asia, part of the LF spectrum is used for AM broadcasting as the longwave band. In the western hemisphere, its main use is for aircraft beacon,...

/VLF

Very low frequency

systems.

Transmitters

Silver Creek, Nebraska
Silver Creek Communications Annex
Silver Creek Communications Annex was a 373.7 metres tall guyed mast used by the USAF Survivable Low Frequency Communications System Site, which was built near Silver Creek, Nebraska at...

(1st Aerospace Communications Group)
Hawes Air Force Station
Hawes Radio Tower
Hawes Radio Relay Facility was a United States Air Force installation built on the site of the former Hawes Airfield at Hinkley, California, USA at...

, California (Det 2, 33d Communications Squadron)
PACCS
Post Attack Command and Control System
The Post Attack Command and Control System was a network of communication sites for use before, during and after a nuclear attack on the United States. PACCS was designed to ensure that National Command Authority would retain sole, exclusive, and complete control over US nuclear weapons...

aircraft
NEACP (now known as NAOC)

GREEN PINE Stations

The GREEN PINE communication system took messages broadcast over SLFCS and 'upconverted' them into UHF messages for bombers headed North. There were a handful of GREEN PINE stations in the Northern portions of Alaska and Canada.

Receive Only

Altus AFB, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
Beale AFB, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

(9 SRW
9th Reconnaissance Wing
The 9th Reconnaissance Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California...

Command Post)
Blytheville AFB, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

(97 BW
97th Air Mobility Wing
The 97th Air Mobility Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command Nineteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. The wing is also the host unit at Altus...

Command Post)
Grissom AFB, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
Carswell AFB, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

(7 BW
7th Bomb Wing
The 7th Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Twelfth Air Force. It is stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, where it is also the host unit....

Command Post)
Castle AFB, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

(93 BW Command Post)
Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
Dyess AFB, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

(96 BW
96th Air Base Wing
The 96th Air Base Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Air Armament Center. It is stationed at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida...

Command Post)
Eielson AFB, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

(6 SRW
6th Air Mobility Wing
The United States Air Force's 6th Air Mobility Wing is the host wing for MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. It is part of Air Mobility Command's Eighteenth Air Force....

Command Post)
Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

- 44th Strategic Missile Wing
44th Missile Wing
The 44th Missile Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Twentieth Air Force, being assigned to Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota. It was deactivated on 4 July 1994....

(16 terminals - 15 LCCs and Wing Command Post)
Fairchild AFB, Washington
F.E. Warren AFB, WY- 90th Missile Wing, 20th Air Force (22 terminals- 20 LCCs, 1 Wing Command Post, 1 at 20th AF Missile Operations Center)
Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....

- 321st Strategic Missile Wing (16 terminals - 15 LCCs and Wing Command Post)
Griffiss AFB, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

CLOSED
K.I. Sawyer AFB, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

CLOSED
Little Rock AFB, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
Loring AFB, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

(42 BW
42d Air Base Wing
The 42nd Air Base Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command Air University. It is stationed at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, Alabama...

Command Post) CLOSED
Rickenbacker AFB, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
Malmstrom AFB, Montana 341st Strategic Missile Wing
341st Missile Wing
The United States Air Force's 341st Missile Wing is an intercontinental ballistic missile unit headquartered at Malmstrom AFB, Montana...

(21 terminals - 20 LCCs and Wing Command Post)
Mather AFB, California
McConnell AFB, Kansas (22 BW
22d Air Refueling Wing
The 22d Air Refueling Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Mobility Command's Eighteenth Air Force. It is stationed at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas and also functions as the host wing for McConnell AFB....

Command Post)
Minot AFB, North Dakota (5 BW
5th Bomb Wing
The 5th Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Force Global Strike Command's Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. The wing is also the host unit at Minot...

/91 SMW Command Post)
Pease AFB, New Hampshire (509 BW
509th Bomb Wing
The 509th Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command, Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri....

Command Post) CLOSED
Plattsburgh AFB, New York (380 BW
380th Air Expeditionary Wing
The 380th Air Expeditionary Wing is a provisional unit of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . It is attached to the United States Air Forces Central component of ACC and is stationed at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates....

Command Post) CLOSED
Robins AFB, Georgia (19 BW Command Post)
Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina (68 BW Command Post)
Travis AFB, California
Vandenberg AFB, California (1 STRAD
1st Strategic Aerospace Division
The 1st Strategic Aerospace Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, assigned to Fifteenth Air Force, being stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California...

Command Post)

Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan (379 BW
379th Air Expeditionary Wing
The 379th Air Expeditionary Wing is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command. As a provisional unit, it may be activated or inactivated at any time....

Command Post)

History

The first program (487L) took six years from the time of the initial requirement to full operation. The second part (616A), which was basically a modification of an already operational system, took 10 years.

Chronology

1961
- 29 Sep - Headquarters USAF issues Specific Operating Requirement 193, for the Survivable Low Frequency Communications System; system is envisioned to link Alternate Joint Command Center with command centers of SAC, NORAD, SAC numbered air forces with LF radio networks; a total of 18 transmit/receive (T/R) sites and 375 LF-receive only (R/O) in all SAC launch facilities, mobile Minuteman trains, SAC air base control rooms, and SAC UHF positive control stations in the northern tier
1962
- 12 Mar - Amendment to SOR 193 changes number of transmit T/R sites to 19 (three each at AJCC, SAC, NORAD, two each at 2d Air Force, 15th Air Force and 8th Air Force, one each at Larson AFB, Southern Alaska
  Alaska
  Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
  
  , Sondrestrom AB, and the United Kingdom
  United Kingdom
  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
  
  ; Full Operating Capability was extended from July 1964 to May 1965.
- 27 Apr - A revised program directive delineated the network; T/R equipment would be installed at HQ SAC, the SAC numbered air force headquarters, and in the ABNCP
  Post Attack Command and Control System
  The Post Attack Command and Control System was a network of communication sites for use before, during and after a nuclear attack on the United States. PACCS was designed to ensure that National Command Authority would retain sole, exclusive, and complete control over US nuclear weapons...
  
  , Alternate Joint Command Center (AJCC) and NORAD command center. 14 Green Pine stations, missile launch control centers
  Launch control center (ICBM)
  A launch control center , in the United States, is the main control facility for intercontinental ballistic missiles . A launch control center monitors and controls missile launch facilities. From a launch control center, the missile combat crew can monitor the complex, launch the missile, or relax...
  
  , all SAC bomber wing command posts would have R/O terminals, as would the NORAD regional control centers. Initial Operating Capability (IOC) was placed at 1 Oct 1966.
1968
- 29 Jul 1968 - Silver Creek site accepted by SAC
  Strategic Air Command
  The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
- 19 Aug 1968 - Silver Creek site turned on for continuous operation
- 5 Sep 1968 - Silver Creek begins operational testing
1971
- 16 Jun - SLFCS IOC obtained by SAC
  Strategic Air Command
  The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
  
  units
1974
- 26 Jul - HQ USAF approves Program 616A (Improved SLFCS); system would improve SLFCS by providing anti-jam protection, improved modems, increased range and make it compatible with the Navy
  Navy
  A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
  
  LF/VLF system
1978
- SAC conducts Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota
  South Dakota
  South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
  
  for Program 616A; test is successful
1986
- 30 Sep - deactivation of Hawes Radio Relay Site, Hinkley
  Hinkley
  Hinkley can refer to:* Hinkley, California, United States* Hinkley High School in Aurora, Colorado* Hinkley Point nuclear power station, Somerset, England* David V. Hinkley, statistician*Roy Hinkley, "The Professor" of Gilligan's Island...
  
  , California
- 20 Oct - destruction of Hawes Radio Relay Site by the Army Corps of Engineers
1996
- Rapid Execution and Combat Targeting
  Rapid Execution and Combat Targeting System
  The United States Air Force's Rapid Execution and Combat Targeting System is a modification of the LGM-30 Minuteman LCC that provides continual monitoring and rapid retargeting of Minuteman ICBMs...
  
  (REACT) upgrade to Minuteman
  LGM-30 Minuteman
  The LGM-30 Minuteman is a U.S. nuclear missile, a land-based intercontinental ballistic missile . As of 2010, the version LGM-30G Minuteman-III is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States...
  
  launch control center
  Launch control center (ICBM)
  A launch control center , in the United States, is the main control facility for intercontinental ballistic missiles . A launch control center monitors and controls missile launch facilities. From a launch control center, the missile combat crew can monitor the complex, launch the missile, or relax...
  
  s complete; advances allow SLFCS messages to be handled automatically by Higher Authority Communications/Rapid Message Processing Element (HAC/RMPE)

2005
- 11 Nov - last Minuteman
  LGM-30 Minuteman
  The LGM-30 Minuteman is a U.S. nuclear missile, a land-based intercontinental ballistic missile . As of 2010, the version LGM-30G Minuteman-III is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States...
  
  Launch Control Center
  Launch control center (ICBM)
  A launch control center , in the United States, is the main control facility for intercontinental ballistic missiles . A launch control center monitors and controls missile launch facilities. From a launch control center, the missile combat crew can monitor the complex, launch the missile, or relax...
  
  receives Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network
  Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network
  The Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network is a network of systems providing uninterrupted communications throughout the pre-, trans-, and post-nuclear warfare environment...
  
  (MEECN
  Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network
  The Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network is a network of systems providing uninterrupted communications throughout the pre-, trans-, and post-nuclear warfare environment...
  
  ) upgrade, rendering SLFCS obsolete.

2010 MMP- Minuteman Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network Program now in the upgrade portion. Work In Progress. Advanced EHF will be available once upgrade is complete.

Photo gallery

File:33d Communications Squadron.PNG|33d Comm Squadron, Hawes AFS, California
File:1st Aerospace Communications Group.PNG|1st Aerospace Comm Group, Offutt AFB, Nebraska

External links

Mojave Roads: "Hawes Journal"

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.