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Activation of new aaa units - Air Defense Artillery

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1948 NEWS AND COMMENT 51<br />

Quarters Situation at Fort Bliss<br />

Officers and noncommissioned <strong>of</strong>ficers are cautioned not<br />

to take their families upon initial assignment to Fort Bliss<br />

unless they are prepared to live in hotels until they can<br />

procure permanent accommodations.<br />

The criteria for the assignment <strong>of</strong> family quarters are:<br />

first, rank; second, within each grade, the length <strong>of</strong> time<br />

which dependents have lived in EI Paso or environs.<br />

Those who have lived in El Paso and environs the longest<br />

\\'ill have top priority within their rank group. Quarters are<br />

allottedon a percentage basis to each grade from 2d Lieutenant<br />

to Colonel, inclusive.<br />

Bachelor <strong>of</strong>ficersand married <strong>of</strong>ficers,unaccompanied by<br />

dependents, will be assigned bachelor quarters immediately<br />

upon arrival if desired.<br />

There will be no differentiation made between personnel<br />

(<strong>of</strong>ficers and noncommissioned <strong>of</strong>ficers) assigned to the<br />

staffat Bliss and those assigned to troop duty, as far as the<br />

assignment<strong>of</strong> quarters on the post is concerned.<br />

Considerable storage space for household furniture,<br />

crated or uncrated, is available at Fort Bliss. Additional<br />

storagefacilities in EI Paso are available.<br />

Although not particularly pertinent to this article, ,ve<br />

shouldlike to mention that most <strong>of</strong>ficersordered to Bliss will<br />

be assigned initially to the 34th AAA Brigade or the 5th<br />

AAA Group which ,,:ill' senre as pools until permanent<br />

assignmentsare made.<br />

.,. .,. .,.<br />

Members Favor Name Changes<br />

. At the last meeting <strong>of</strong> the Coast <strong>Artillery</strong> Association<br />

Executive Council, it was unanimously agreed that the<br />

subject <strong>of</strong> changing the name <strong>of</strong> our Association to the<br />

"United States Antiaircraft Association" should be put to a<br />

rote<strong>of</strong> the membership.<br />

Further, the Council decided to poll all active members<br />

<strong>of</strong>the Associationin an effort to determine the most suitable<br />

namefor the Branch.<br />

Letters ,vere mailed to all active members requesting<br />

theiropinions on these two proposals, and a post card was<br />

enclosedfor their reply.<br />

Approximately 2500 letters were mailed and 1117 replies<br />

hadbeen received as <strong>of</strong> the time we \yent to press.<br />

Of all replies received, 1030 favored changing the name<br />

<strong>of</strong> the Association and Branch and 87 opposed change in<br />

name<strong>of</strong> either.<br />

Of the 1030 who favored changing the name, 51 expresseda<br />

preference for a name other than "Antiaircraft."<br />

The following breakdown lists the various suggestions<br />

receivedfor the name <strong>of</strong> the Branch. The figure in front<br />

(1f each suggestion indicates the number <strong>of</strong> members in<br />

faVor <strong>of</strong> it:<br />

979-Antiaircraft.<br />

20-The <strong>Artillery</strong>.<br />

8-Antiaircraft Artillerv.<br />

3-AAA and Guided J\lissiles.<br />

I-<strong>Artillery</strong> Corps.<br />

I-Ground <strong>Air</strong>-<strong>Defense</strong> Corps.<br />

I-Counter <strong>Air</strong>.<br />

I-Ground to <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Artillery</strong>.<br />

I-Coast <strong>Air</strong> Branch..<br />

l-Ack-Ack.<br />

I-<strong>Air</strong> <strong>Defense</strong> <strong>Artillery</strong>.<br />

I-The AA and Coast <strong>Defense</strong>.<br />

I-Heavy <strong>Artillery</strong> andAA.<br />

I-<strong>Air</strong>craft Destroyer <strong>Artillery</strong>.<br />

l-Antiair or <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Defense</strong>.<br />

I-Antiairattack.<br />

Each individual suggestion including any accompanying<br />

letter will be given careful consideration by the Executive<br />

Council.<br />

.,. .,. .,.<br />

Unification and Guided Missiles<br />

Prio: to unification, the War Department activities in the<br />

field <strong>of</strong> guided missiles were conducted by the Army Ordnance<br />

Department and the Army <strong>Air</strong> Forces. In order to<br />

provide complete coordination <strong>of</strong> effort \'vithin the War<br />

Department, the Commanding General, Army <strong>Air</strong> Forces,<br />

was, in late 1946, assigned responsibility for the entire War<br />

Department Program. Under this organization, the Director<br />

<strong>of</strong> Research and Development, War Department General<br />

Staff, was the "umpire" <strong>of</strong> the War Department<br />

guided missile program.<br />

With the advent <strong>of</strong> unification, the Research and Deyelopment<br />

Board was formally established bv a directive<br />

<strong>of</strong> the Secretary <strong>of</strong> <strong>Defense</strong> to carry on the fu~ctions <strong>of</strong> the<br />

,former Joint Research and Development Board and to<br />

operate as the top research and development coordinating<br />

agency <strong>of</strong> the National Military Establishment. The Board<br />

was hence charged with the responsibility <strong>of</strong> monitoring the<br />

over-all research and development efforts <strong>of</strong> the Army,<br />

Navy and <strong>Air</strong> Force.<br />

Therefore, effective in early 1948, the responsibility for<br />

research and development pertaining to guided missiles for<br />

use by the Department <strong>of</strong> the Army was transferred from<br />

the Department <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Air</strong> Force to the Department <strong>of</strong> the<br />

Army, with the Research and Development Board assuming<br />

responsibility for coordinating the over-all interdepartmental<br />

guided missile program.<br />

VVithin the Department <strong>of</strong> the Army, the Chief <strong>of</strong> Ordnance<br />

has been assigned primary cognizance <strong>of</strong> the Army's<br />

efforts in the guided missile field.<br />

The Committee on Guided Missiles <strong>of</strong> the Research and<br />

Development Board now functions to coordinate the research<br />

and development efforts <strong>of</strong> the entire National<br />

Guided Missile Program and has established panels in all<br />

<strong>of</strong> the major fields <strong>of</strong> associated activity with membership<br />

drawn from particularly qualified military and civilian personnel,<br />

each <strong>of</strong> ,'1:homis outstanding in his own specialized<br />

field.<br />

All in all, unification <strong>of</strong> the research and de\'e1opment<br />

efforts to provide guided missiles for the Nationall\1ilitary<br />

Establishment is being achieved. In this field <strong>of</strong> endeavor<br />

there is developing a highly coordinated, cooperatiye effort<br />

at all le,'ek a wide and free exchanve <strong>of</strong> technical infor-<br />

. D<br />

mation between the various development projects and an<br />

efficient utilization <strong>of</strong> scientific talent and envineerinu<br />

t><br />

facilities.<br />

Although no report <strong>of</strong> actual progress in the guided missile<br />

field is possible because <strong>of</strong> security restrictions. it is<br />

known that great advancements in the art have been made<br />

and that ne,,,-'achievements are occurring daily at the flight-

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