Thursday, August 2, 2018

MACS-4 in Vietnam

MARINE AIR CONTROL SQUADRON-4 (MACS-4): From Moonman to Vicesquad *– the Marine Corps’ deployment of the first internet-like command and control system in modern warfare.

*Tactical call signs used during the Vietnam War.

A Navy ship departed San Diego on 13 May 1967, for Da Nang, Vietnam. On board was a squadron of Marines from Marine Air Control Squadron-4 (MACS-4) with a singular cargo. They were embarking on a seminal event in modern warfare history for both the Marine Corps and the U.S. military. They were to establish a tactical air operations center (TAOC), and deploy in combat the first tactical data system for air command and control, which would allow the Navy and Air Force air control systems to connect with each other automatically.

The strategic and tactical consequences of this were enormous. For the first time, combat pilots from the Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force would have instant control and communications without minimal-to-no voice commands. The results were increased security and safety, efficient de-confliction of airspace, enhanced identification of friends from foes, and real-time feedback for senior air decision makers. It was a conversion from the grease pencil command and control to the digital world of near real time. Modern command and control warfare was spawned by these initiatives. Air planning, execution, surveillance, and airspace management took on dimensions never dreamed of before.

The site chosen for the TAOC was Monkey Mountain, overlooking Danang airfield, in the northern sector (I Corps) of the Vietnamese theatre. On this site already were semiautomated Air Force command and reporting post (CRP) and a Marine Corps Hawk Battery. It was felt that this site provided optimum radar coverage far into North Vietnam and had a reasonable zone of security for the exposed radar and communication systems. The major concern was attacks from Russian MIGs and other Vietnamese aircraft. In addition, with all the air sorties and ground operations, coordination of the airspace was an imperative.

Click to read the full article:

https://blog.usni.org/posts/2018/07/17/marine-air-ground-task-force-command-and-control-a-short-history

Thanks to Michael Stankosky <mstanko@gwu.edu>
Edda Ashe <eddaashe@gmail.com> for sharing this article.

MASS-3 Vietnam 66-71

Control + to Enlarge

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

MASS-3 Videos - 50 Year Reunion - Vietnam

Videos

Videos - MASS-3 50 Year Vietnam Reunion
July 17, 2018

These videos were produced at the MASS-3 50 year Vietnam reunion on July 17, 2018. We hope you enjoy them. Click to view the videos.

Bruce Balto

Ken Brown

Will Brown

Dan Cooper

Charlie D. Goddard

Craig Hullinger

Paul Kahle

George McAdoo

Bruce Meachim

John Renochio

John Wetter

Beth Hullinger, Interviewer

All the Interviews

Other Links to the Videos:
https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/3UZOjpUxqS/Y3JhaWdodWxsaW5nZXJAZ21haWwuY29t

https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/3UZOjpUxqS

If you would like to contribute a video of your service, you can send us the link. We will post it here.

This is fairly easy to do. You can do it with your cell phone yourself, publish it to YouTube and sending us the link. You can also have a tech savvy child or grandchild do it and send us the link. Or you can arrange to have a professional videographer do it.

S/F

craighullinger@gmail.com

Click to View cell phone Videos below.

Charlie Goddard, former CO of MASS-3 and Khe Sahn Vet.

LtCol Sabado, CO MASS-3 Brief

MASS-3 Brief

DASC Simulation

Bernie Puglisi Video

http://www.news-gazette.com/video/2016-01-04/those-who-served-bernard-puglisi.html

Bernard Puglisi talks about flight training on a T-34 in the Marines during the Viet Nam war. At his office in Champaign on Friday, Dec. 18, 2015. Bernie was a Controller in the Danang Dasc in 1970.