1979
1979 Late in this year, the first M901 Improved TOW Vehicle (ITV) entered the Army inventory. Developed by U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research and Development Command (TARADCOM), the vehicle was the first Army antiarmor system that allowed its operators to use the weapon system while totally protected by armor.
1979 Project PEACE SHIELD was suspended after the overthrow of Shah Mohammed Riza Pahlavi. American personnel were evacuated from Iran in January, materiel shipments were suspended in February, and all case preparation ceased in March.
1979 The Army Community Service Office hired the first administrator for the RSA Child Support Service program, which addressed the need for adequate daycare services for military personnel.
January 79 Beginning this month and continuing through April 79, a total of 22 MICOM employees were evacuated from Iran because of the political turmoil in that country.
January 79 Between this month and June 79, all FMS activity with Taiwan came to a virtual standstill, until the independent contractors became operational.
January 79 A water treatment plant built by the Calgon Corporation and leased by the Army began operation at RSA.
4 January 79 EPA ordered the Army to prepare an engineering study on how to deal with the DDT contamination problem outside the arsenal. The agency also directed the Army to conduct a health study on the effects of DDT on Triana, Alabama, residents. This EPA action was undertaken after a study by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta indicated that the average DDT levels in the town's residents were the highest on record for humans.
25 January 79 Since the HELLFIRE missile would be the primary weapon on the Advanced Attack Helicopter, the AAH PM transferred primary responsibility for readiness and support of the AAH fire control system to MIRCOM.
2 February 79 EPA approved RSA's $850,000 DDT filtering system and issued a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. To qualify for the latter document, the water treatment system had to be capable of reducing the DDT level to not more than 6/10s of one part per billion. At this level, the water discharged into the Huntsville Spring Branch would comply with standards established in the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Act. The water treatment facility began operation on this date.
5 February 79 After conferring with DOD lawyers, the MIRCOM Commander refused to comply with the EPA order of 4 January 79 on the grounds that the Army had no legal jurisdiction outside its boundaries and the DDT discharge was the fault of a private firm (Olin Chemical Company).
12 February 79 EPA threatened to bring suit against the Army for its failure to comply with the agency's 4 January 79 administrative order.
4 March 79 The Kuwait/Jordan Missile Systems Project Office was discontinued and its organization was moved intact into the HAWK Project Office.
April 79 A compromise was reached between EPA and the Army concerning RSA's DDT contamination problem. While maintaining its position that it was not legally responsible for the DDT contamination, the Army agreed to conduct an engineering and environmental study of contaminated lands and waters adjacent to the arsenal. The Army also agreed to assist in any program set up for Triana residents.
9 April 79 DA decided to inactivate the NIKE HERCULES units at Fort Richardson, Alaska, and Homestead Air Force Base, Florida. Effective this date, FORSCOM inactivated both units and released all elements of the 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade (Florida) and the 1st Battalion, 43d Air Defense Artillery (Alaska) from operational command of the North American Air Defense Command.
10 April 79 MIRADCOM disestablished the HEL Center (Provisional).
11 April 79 The HELLFIRE and GLD Project Offices were physically combined on this date, although their formal merger did not occur until 1 October 79. The earlier move was made to make best use of existing resources and to improve the offices' efficiency and effectiveness.
25 April 79 DA approved the merger of MIRCOM and MIRADCOM personnel, missions, and assets into a single organization to reduce duplication, improve efficiency, eliminate interface and transition problems, and optimize the use of dwindling resources. To minimize personnel turbulence, the merger was implemented in two phases.
26 April 79 The decision to merge MIRCOM and MIRADCOM was officially announced.
30 April 79 All DA civilians stationed in Taiwan had to leave the country.
6 May 79 The realignment of the Special Systems Management Office into the Weapon Systems Management Directorate was implemented after being approved by DARCOM on 14 December 78. This reorganization marked the introduction of Level III system management as a part of the overall command vertical and matrix management structure.
1 July 79 MICOM was reactivated at Redstone Arsenal. Concurrently, the organizational elements of MIRCOM and MIRADCOM were transferred in place to the single command. During the 90-day stable period that followed, MICOM consisted of a dual command structure, with former MIRCOM elements grouped under the DCG for Readiness and the former MIRADCOM elements under the DCG for Research and Development.
1 July 79 MG Louis Rachmeler assumed command of the reactivated Army Missile Command.
9 July 79 A group of Huntsville area fishermen filed a $500 million lawsuit against the Olin Chemical Company and DA for alleged damages to the fishing industry because of excessive DDT pollutants.
13 July 79 The functions associated with the AHAMS were removed from the VIPER Project Office and divided between the Advanced Systems Concept Office (ASCO) and the HELLFIRE PM.
21 July 79 A privately owned Cessna Cherokee aircraft crashed near RSA's western boundary, killing all five out-of-state civilian occupants. Redstone Airfield personnel assisted with the search and rescue effort.
August 79 MICOM awarded a $160,000 contract for dredging and landfill operations to excavate contaminated sediment from the ditch surrounding the former DDT manufacturing site, then bury it in a hazardous waste landfill.
1 August 79 MICOM assumed operational control of Test, Measurement, and Diagnostic Equipment (TMDE) calibration and repair support in the USAREUR Logistics Support Area.
10 August 79 The Secretary of the Army nominated the PERSHING II system for BRICK-BAT (DX) priority rating. If approved by the president, the PERSHING II would become one of only 11 DOD programs with this designation.
6 September 79 The Huntsville area fishermen voluntarily dropped their lawsuit against the Army to pursue administrative remedies under the Federal Tort Claims Act.
7 September 79 The Attorney General for Alabama filed a $3 million damage suit against the Army, the Army Corps of Engineers, and Olin Chemical Corporation for the "reckless" DDT contamination of the Tennessee River, Huntsville Spring Branch, Indian Creek, and the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge. The suit also required that all of the defendants take any steps necessary to clean up the DDT pollution outside the arsenal at their own expense.
11 September 79 The HELLFIRE and GLD Project Offices were physically combined. They were formally merged into the HELLFIRE/GLD Project Office on 1 October 79.
28 September 79 Construction of a hazardous waste landfill for DDT contaminated sediment was completed.
30 September 79 Nearly 14 years and 35 million rockets after its creation at Picatinny Arsenal on 17 December 65, the Office of the 2.75-Inch Rocket System PM was terminated. Its residual functions and personnel were transferred to the Weapon Systems Management Directorate (WSMD) effective 1 October 79. Drastically reduced production of the rocket system would continue for a minimum for 10 years and a practical maximum of 30 years. Rocket production served all the U.S. armed forces and about 30 foreign countries.
1 October 79 Phase II of the MIRCOM/MIRADCOM merger into MICOM began. The dual command structure was realigned in a two-step process. The first step entailed the consolidation of functionally similar or duplicate missions into the merged command structure, which became operational on 7 October 79. This was continued in the FY 1980-81 period by other realignments to streamline and optimize the consolidated command in accordance with DARCOM approved organizational concepts.
1 October 79 The U.S. Army TMDE Support Activity, Europe was formally activated in Zweibruchen, Germany. It provided total support to all general purpose TMDE used by the Army in Europe, Italy, and Turkey. The program was unique because for the first time in Army maintenance history, one command handled all phases of an item: system acquisition, repair parts and support equipment procurement, maintenance, calibration, and repair.
16 November 79 GSRS was renamed the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) to be compatible with the name already established by the European allies. The GSRS Project Office became the MLRS Project Office effective with the redesignation.
December 79 The NATO Ministers formally approved the basing of PERSHING II missiles in western Europe.
Excellence in Missilery:
Introduction,
1962,
1963,
1964,
1965,
1966,
1967,
1968,
1969,
1970,
1971,
1972,
1973,
1974,
1975,
1976,
1977,
1978,
1979
