The White Falcon - 28.11.1958, Side 2

Page 2
THE WHITE FALCON
Friday, November 28, 1958
Keflavik Airport Is
Unique In Function,
Chain of Command
Editor’s Note: The article which appeared in the October 17th
issue of the White Falcon has created, for many people as many new
questions as the questions it answered. The following article with the
chain of command charts will, we hope, answer these new questions.
One of the most frequently asked questions is, “What is the differ-
ence between IDF and IADF and other headquarters on the Base?’’
This article has been prepared to answer that and similar queries.
As can be seen from the chart, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, using
the Chief of Naval Operations as their executive agent, has esta-
blished CINCLANT as a unified command. A unified command is
defined as an organization comprised of personnel of two or more
services. CINCLANT in turn established the Iceland Defense Force
as a subordinate unfied command.
Then on the local level, COMICEDEFOR has three subordinate
commanders, one for each component — Army, Navy and Air Force.
These three officers have equivalent rank and responsibility. The
staff of COMICEDEFOR is made up of personnel of all three serv-
ices. For instance, at the present time, General Thorne has as his
chief of staff an Army Colonel, whose deputy is a Commander in
the Navy. Gen. Thorne’s joint IDF Headquarters functions in a
dual capacity since it is the staff of ISCOMICE as well as the staff
for COMICEDEFOR. The next chart shows how the chain of com-
mand reaches down into the purely local level.
Joint Chiefs Of Staff
The Iceland Defense Force at Keflavik Airport is one of the
most unique military commands in which a person can serve. First
of all, Iceland is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organiza-
tion, but Iceland has no armed forces of her own. This island re-
public has granted us concurrent use of Keflavik International Air-
port and other areas as their contribution to the defense of the North
Atlantic.
Under NATO, Brig. Gen. Henry G. Thorne, Jr., is the Island
Commander Iceland, which is abbreviated to ISCOMICE. Although
Gen. Thorne is an officer in the United States Air Force, in his
position as ISCOMICE he reports through a NATO chair of com-
mand to the Commander North Atlantic, who in turn reports to the
Commander in Chief Eastern Atlantic. The next higher NATO com-
mander is the Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic. These com-
mands carry the abbreviations shown on the following chart which
indicates the relationship of ISCOMICE to the other NATO Com-
manders.
I
U.S. Army U.S. Navy U.S. Air Force
First U.S. Army Cinclant
Iceland Defense Force
Comarice
Comnavice
Mats
Comafice---
2d BCT
Patron
Fasron 107 1400th
Ops. Gp.
North Atlantic Treaty Council
1400th Air
Base Group
Military Committee
Standing Group
Operational Control Line ____
Logistics, Administration, and
Training Support Line
Saclant
Cinceastlant
Comnorlant
Iscomice
By NATO agreement, the man who holds the office of SACLANT
will be an American, and that job falls to Admiral Jerauld Wright,
U. S. Navy. Admiral Wright is also Commander in Chief Atlantic
(CINCLANT), a U. S. Command. The Iceland Defense Force is a
subordinate unified command of CINCLANT. This chain of command
begins with the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon and comes
down through Navy channels to the Iceland Defense Force. In this
chain Gen. Thorne is still boss of the Iceland Defense Force, but
he’s wearing a different hat — now he’s Commander Iceland De-
fense Force, or COMICEDEFOR. This chart shows how that chain
works.
Joint Chiefs Of Staff (JCS)
Chief Of Naval Operations (CNO)
' (Executive Agent for JCS)
Commander In Chief Atlantic (Cinclant)
(A JCS Unified Command)
Commander Iceland Defense Force (Comiccdefor)
(A CINCLANT Unified Command)
Commander Commander Commander
Army Forces Iceland Air *Forces Iceland Naval Forces Iceland
(Comarice) (Comafice) (Comnavice)
THE WHITE FALCON
Volume 8 Number 23
HEADQUARTERS, ICELAND DEFENSE FORCE
Brig Gen H. G. Thorne, Jr, USAF
Island Commander Iceland (ISCOMICE)
The WHITE FALCON Is an official Armed Forces newspaper published bi-monthly at
Keflavik Airport, Iceland, by and for the Army, Navy and Air Force personnel of the Iceland
Defense Force. The WHITE FALCON receives AFPS material. Views and opinions expressed
herein are not necessarily those of the Department of Defense.
Deadline for copy: noon Friday before the date of publication. Telephone numbers: }156, kl9k.
Staff
Editor ............................. A/3C Donald Francis, USAF
Staff Photographer..................... SP/4 Wayne Starks, USA
lufoldarprentsmlfija h.f.
As can be seen from this chart the Commander Army Forces
has as his responsibility the Second Battalion Combat Team. The
Commander Naval Forces has in his purview Fleet Aircraft Service
Squadron 107 and one-half a squadron of patrol bombers. This
PATRON is the only unit at the base that rotates as a unit; the
rest of the outfits at Keflavik have personnel rotated in and out.
The Area Engineer, an Army officer, works directly for the Area
Engineer, Eastern Ocean District, in New York City, however, he
coordinates his work closely with IDF and the components.
The Air Defense Force Commander is also Base Commander at
Keflavik Airport. As IADF Commander he is responsible for the
combat readiness of the Air Force men and equipment assigned to
IADF. Flying and maintaining combat aircraft is the job of the
1400th Operations Group. The Base Commander, (the same man as
the IADF Commander, but wearing a different hat), is responsible
for operation and maintenance of the base. In this capacity he is
required to provide quarters for the Army, Navy and Air Force.
He’s also a grocer because the commissary is his responsibility. In
the same way he’s the local bus company, the laundry, the general
store, and the operator of five night clubs and the police force. You
might say that the Base Commander is the city manager or mayor.
He relies on the 1400th Air Base Group to perform the base main-
tenance and housekeeping duties.
Going back to the last chart, you can see that the Base Com-
mander is responsible to the Military Air Transport Service for the
proper operation and maintenance of the base facilities.
While wearing his hat as Air Force Component Commander he
is also responsible to MATS for purely AF matters, just as COM-
NAVICE is responsible to CINCLANT for Navy matters, and
COMARICE to the First Army for Army matters other than per-
sonnel. In the latter case COMARICE reports directly to the De-
partment of the Army.
Brady Tackles New Case:
"The Chuck Hole Caper"
Brady’s the name. Mike Brady. I’m trouble shooter on
construction jobs. My office is the world; my home, the best
my expense account will allow. Right now my hat hangs
on a hook in a room at an International Airport in Iceland.
Recently an extensive road resurfacing project was com-
pleted at this airport. The laborers got their checks, the boss
was pleased with the job, and the
foreman, until a few days ago,
was still basking in the sunshine
of the many compliments that
came from higher up. All this has
changed now.
The road shoulders are chewed
up and chuck holes are rocking
many pairs of springs and shock
absorbers. The higher-ups want
to know why, and that’s why I’m
here. Like I said, trouble’s my
business. And business is always
good.
Expense account item 7: Dinner
for field director, job foreman and
myself.
Following dinner came questions.
Answers, for the most part, came
from the director. The foreman,
whose sun had eclipsed, sat with-
drawn and expressionless through
the whole session. I started asking
myself questions and wound up
with a few theories, no answers.
An eight letter, three syllable
word was formost in my mind
and had been since I had arrived.
SABOTAGE. I had no doubt that
this was the answer, but what
Falcons Amaze
Football Fans
BY Win Streak
By Sam Minsker
Sport writers have named the
undefeated Air Force Academy
Falcons the “Cinderella” team of
the 1958 grid campaign. After
playing two seasons of mediocre
ball against small college foes, the
Cadets have sprouted wings and
become a national power this year.
They had a 6-2-1 mark in 1957.
Even Buck Shaw, the famed pro
mentor, quit the AFA coaching
staff for supposedly greener pas-
tures.
When Ben Martin took the head
coach job he was confronted with
a nightmarish 1958 schedule. The
AFA, with an enrollment of only
555, had slated such tough teams
as Iowa, Oklahoma State, Stan-
ford, Wyoming, and Colorado.
Tjhe Falcon began ’58 with an
upset shellacking of Detroit, then
tied Iowa 13-13 in their second
game and have since come from
behind to win several games in
establishing an 8-0-1 record to
date.
After their 33-29 win over Okla-
homa State the silver and blue
clad airmen were ranked the nat-
ion’s number ten team by the As-
sociated Press. They have stayed
among the top ten since.
Two of the AFA’s opponents are
bowl-bound. Once defeated Iowa,
the Big Ten champs, will play in
the Rose Bowl, while Wyoming is
ticketed for either a Blue Grass
or Sun Bowl date.
If the Falcons get by Colorado
this Saturday they should be “in”
as the Cotton Bowl opponents of
Texax Christian University.
Coach Martin uses two units for
offense. Sportscaster Bill Stern
rated them as nearly equal in abil-
ity. Because the Falcons are out-
weighed by their foes, they stress
passing with both ends split and
the halfbacks flanked wide. They
also pass from spread formations.
Iowa, for several years a top de-
fensive eleven, failed to stop the
Cadets’ aerial attacks.
Rich Mayo, from Eureka, Cali-
fornians the Falcons starting Quar-
terback and a top passer. His
favorite target is high-scoring
end, Charlie Rodgers. Kicking ace,
George Punich, also ranks as one
of the Falcons chief point makers.
kind, premeditated or unknow-
ing? My answer came in the
morning.
I was driving down to my office,
a temporary building on the south
side, hoping my secretary (ex-
pense account item 8) had remem-
bered to put on a pot of coffee,
and silently cursing myself for
leaving my smokes in my room.
All thoughts of coffee and ciga-
rets left me suddenly. The solu-
tion to the “Chuck Hole Caper”
had presented itself.
Three out of every five cars
were driving with their left
wheels on the shoulder. The half-
frozen gravel, unable to support
the weight, was crumbling and
caving in under them. In two or
three days the black-top would
settle, leaving cracks which would
develop into chuck holes.
The sabateurs had been spotted.
Now I had to stop them. My Plan:
Inform the public. Show them the
cause and effect. Appeal to their
good judgement and common
sense.
Well, that about wraps it up.
I’ll be around for a few days un-
til my next assignment comes in.
In the meantime I think I’ll get a
date with expense account item 8.