While KVON radio's news department and the "Johnny-come-lately Napa Valley Register wallow in whether or not a telephone tower in Sonoma County has anything to do with increased flight of helicopters in Napa County, the Sentinel has obtained over 200 pages of unclassified and secret documents which outline the purpose of a special communications and government continuity base in the Napa Hills.The documents- which focus on 26 unclassified reports, 1 "for official use" report, and 14 secret reports, relate specifically to continuity of government and emergency telecommunications systems. Participating with the government is [sic] this classified nationwide emergency telecommunications Service for National Security Telecommunications ITT,AT&T,COMSAT, MCII [sic] and TRT. Plans went into motion in 1988 and 1989 to ensure national and international communications and the continuity of government in case of war or disaster. The plan is being implimented throughout the nation, with similar helicopter traffic and construction of facilities. For national security reasons, much work is done in secret.
The National Security Telecommunications Advisory Commission reactivated the Commercial Satellite Survivability Task Force to assist the government and recommending secured telecommunications systems that would survive any disaster. The systems are used not only in case of war, but also when disasters such as hurricanes, floods, or earthquakes destroy exsisting commerical telecommunications facilities.
The government asked the group for international augmentation from an inter-exchange carrier switch via and international gateway satellite earth station. The foriegn end users identified in the report are senior U.S. civilian and military officials overseas. The problem that existed was that foreign satellites do not operate withthe same type of equipment used in the United States. Satellite earth stations working together in an international link are owned and operated by different companies and agencies. When the INTELSAT is used incompatability is at a minimum, but when CCITT systems are used there are major incompatabilities to be overcome. The construction of new systems is part of a 12-point plan:
- 1)That the Government establish a commercial satellite communications survivability program whcih will satisfy National Security requirements.
- 2)That the Government establsih a Commercial Satellite Survivability (CSS) Program Office to co-ordinate the program within the Government.
- 3)That the CSS Program Office, in conjunction with the planning arm of the NCM, should undertake a program to develop emergency control plans and procedures to assure the capability to coordinate the rstoration of commercial satellite communications systems under emergency conditions.
- 4)The development of a capability for communications interoperability at critical earth stations to maintain emergency communications networks.
- 5)The development of a capability utilizing the Data Encryption Standard algorithm to protect critical digital communications links if communications protection over commercial satellite systems is required by the Government.
- 6)The development of a capability to enhance the survivability of satellite control systems through actions to achieve command link protection.
- 7)The development of control interoperability between satellite systems to control the commercial communications satellite asets under emergency conditions.
- 8)The development of capabilities which increase physical security of satellite control facilities and communications earth stations.
- 9)The CSS Program Office should initiate a study chich would assess the susceptibility of exsisting commercial satellite communications systems to nuclear effects and rpovide recommendations which would establish hardening guidelines for further commercial satellite programs.
- 10)Development of a transportable terminal capability to enhance survivability and restoral of critical satellite communications systems.
- 11)Enhancement of control survivability through the development of transportable TT&C terminal facilities.
- 12)Development of a capability for Ku-band communications interoperability at critcal earth stations to maintain emergency communications networks.
Napa is not alone in this area in participation of the program, units exsist through Pac Bell's access tandem in Vallejo and also in Benicia and Santa Rosa. These units can patch in or over disrupted communication ground lines. The main continental United States (CONUS) focuses on the west coast traveling to the east coast and back again. CONUS contour maps show a major segment of that critical beam is located in or near Napa. On Tuesday, the Sentinel published an article outlining the purposes and scope of the local project and it's relationship with the helicopter traffic. In summary, the article stated that the purpose of a secret installation in Napa served by the helicopters was for:
-Direct satellite communications. -Continuity of the U.S. Government in case of nuclear attack or other upheaval. -Secure communications links with the outside world in the evnet of a disaster.
The helicopter traffic over the last year has been provisioning an elaborate underground complex designed to hold government officials, scientists and other high echelon personnel in the event of an emergency, similar facilities are active all over the United States. The local installation is combining and replacing installations from Benicia to underground railroad tunnels in Ukiah.
There is no sinister plot involved [*]. The site was selected because Napa is considered to be safe from nuclear fallout zone.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Harry Martin was formerly the editorial director of "Military Electronics Countermeasures","Defense Electronics","Microwave Systems News","International Countermeasures Handbook", and publisher of "Defense Systems Review and Military Communications"
(end of article)
* This statement runs contrary to what Harry has told me in private. It is his opinion that they are preparing to take a hit. Think about the implications of this. Napa is only 15 miles from Mare Island, a fairly large U.S. Naval facility. It is only 45 miles from Lawrence-Livermore. If Mare Island took a nuclear hit, the Napa facility would be so radioactive that IMHO, they wouldnt survive (but who am I to know). The point here is that I really don't think that this facility was designed or located to provide safety from a nuclear hit. A political or economic upheaval??? Or a very traumatic public panic??? Now that is much more plausible of a scenerio and IMHO quite possible. The facility is close enough for those whom it was intended for to make it inside in time for the doors to close. I have personally inspected some of the WWII German bunkers that were built in Hamburg and Bremen to protect their submarines. The walls are 30 feet thick, with reinforcement steel every 12 inches. Those bunkers are still there today.
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