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Show 2 Feb. 23, 1995 Hilltop Times ST START INSPECTABLE BOUNDARY j ..,- - . e-- ; v The Russians are coming! The Russians are coming! - sV 'AW 1 , Photos by Chris Bojonower is true that the Russians are coming. To prepare for their arrival, and in conformance with START Treaty protocols, inspection areas are identified in both Minuteman rocket motor being disassembled by Craig Compton, ordnance equipEnglish and Russian (top left). The photo on the right shows a It first-stag- e ment mechanic. Beginning March 1, Soviet inspectors have 120 days to check America's ICBM assets Hill prepared for START process Hilltop Times staff After five years of preparation, planning and practice, the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks Treaty has entered into force. Boyd Peterson, chief. Arms Control Office, said the office has been anticipating this event for the last few years. However, the breakup of the Soviet Union has delayed the actual inspections until now. The inspection teams are comprised of up to 10 members of the Former Soviet Union (FSU) and the U.S. ese corts from the Inspection will The be here to physteam Agency. ically verify the number of Minuteman II. Ill and Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missiles first stages at Hill and the Oasis Test Complex. Beginning March 1. for a period of 120 days, baseline inspections are scheduled to occur at all Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles and bomber bases at both U.S. and FSU inspection sites. The inspection teams will be granted access to all facilities. The treaty recognizes I lill as a repair facility and Oasis as a storage facility for ICBMs. Hill is the largest and the most complex U.S. START inspection site. This is primarily due to its large geographical area and the unique ICBM assets. Together, the Hill and On-Sit- treaty-declare- 4ti4i 24-ho- Oasis inspection areas include over 150 facilities on more then 37.000 by Sue Berk d This will involve almost all facilities within the Missile Assembly, Maintenance and Storage areas and requires missile workers to be ready around the clock to provide immediate access to these facilities. To complete inthe inspection within the team spection time, the inspection may divide into five subgroups to speed up the inspection processes. Each subgroup must be provided with transportation and be escorted. Inspection team members have the right to enter a facility as many times as necessary throughout the inspection process. Tracking and reporting the movement of ICBM assets for inspection is also a part of the START I treaty. The treaty requires that specified areas within the MAMS I. MAMS II and Oasis storage areas be subject to acres. Approximately 300 ICBM items will be inspected. In accordance with the treaty, inspectors must be at their selected inspection site not later than nine hours after the announcement of the site is made. For Hill and Oasis this means that inspection teams will be arriving e hour window. To within a meet this short notice, all affected organizations have practiced a rapid response contingency plan to ensure every phase of the inspection runs four-to-nin- smoothly. The local Arms Control Office, together with other base organizations, ironed out details for the inspection. Coordination for transportation, escorts, meals, sleeping arrangements, airfield operations, security, training personnel on proper protocol and support requirements, to mention a few, have all been completed. Is Hill ready? The true test will come when the inspection team ar- rives. The Arms Control Office is confident that the inspections will be successful. "All base organizations have given us great support and I know the support will continue when the inspectors are here," said Peterson. Once the inspectors arrive their job will be to count first stages of Minute-maII, III and Peacekeeper ICBMs. n movement restrictions. Throughout this period, which begins one hour after site selection, the movement of vehicles large enough to contain an item of inspection (4.1 meters long) may not move out of the area. These restrictions are imposed to enable an accurate accounting of inspection items and to ensure no covert movements are taking place. This "lockdown." which may take as long as 32 hours, must be enforced lifted by the inspection team. Perimeters of the inspection areas under this lockdown restriction are clearly posted with signs specifying the START inspection boundaries. Road access to and through these areas will be off limits to vehicles large enough to contain an item of inspection because such action could be viewed as a treaty violation. Knowing where these items are at every moment is a critical and continual task performed by the ICBM System Program Office Alert Center. All movements are reported on un--t- il Silo-Base- d Force people building the world's most respected Air and Space Force Published by MorMedia. Inc.. a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force, under exclusive written contract with Hill AFB. This commercial enterprise Air Force newspaper is an authorized publication for members of the U.S. military services. Contents of the Hilltop Times are not necessarily the official views of. or endorsed by. the U.S. government, the Department of Defense or the Department of the Air Force. The appearance of advertisements in this publication, . does not constitute enincluding inserts or dorsement by the Department of the Air Force or MorMedia. Inc. of the products or services advertised. F.verythinK advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation or any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user or patron. Editorial content is edited, prepared and provided by the Ogden Air Logistics Center Public Affairs Office staff. Hldg. 1102. Room 118. Ext. 77321. Unless otherwise indicated, all photos are U.S. Air Force photos. TO PLACE AN ADVERTISEMENT, CALL 394-965- 5 (OGDEN) OR 532-777- day-to-da- y itor both quantity and locations of missiles covered by the treaty. After numbers are established by the baseline inspection, data update inspections will be conducted to ensure continued treaty compliance and reporting accuracy for the life of the treaty. These inspections will be conducted under the same ground rules and protocols as the baseline inspections, but each inspection will be limited to a time limit per site. Under the treaty, inspection teams may visit both Hill and Oasis as many as two times each per year. inIn addition to these short-notic- e be will also teams spections, inspection first a time each Peacekeeper present stage is destroyed at the Oasis Thermal Treatment Unit. There are currently two eliminations projected per 24-ho- year. The START I treaty was signed by President George Bush and President Mikhail Gorbachev on July 31. 1991. On Nov. 5. 1991, a technical exhibition was conducted with Soviet inspection teams at Hill to verify the initial exchange of data on ICBMs. This data will be used for future verification and inspection processes under the START I Treaty. The changes that have occurred since 1991 in the FSU have presented many difficulties to implementing the treaty. To continue with the START I treaty nuclear reduction efforts, the Lisbon Protocol was signed by all parties on May 23. 1992. This signing made the START I treaty multinational to match the new status of FSU countries. Although the treaty just recently officially1 began, all countries have attempted to voluntarily reduce their strategic defenses. Global Power and Reach (or America. " suppU-ments- Hilltop Times a basis through Russian and U.S. Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers. It is this accountability process that allows both sides to mon- Hill AFB Moj G,. Joy Jo.rti, Editorial Staff: pot Condon Commondtr, OO-AL- C U. Col. Frank J. Urbn Pwblk Affair. Dirotlor, B.II Orndorff Chiol of Intomal Information rranctt Kotokowtky Editor Suo Borli Doadlino,, Idifortol and 4 p.rn. Tu.tdoy, nin v o.m. Monday. "...St'off writort "Arond tko Hill" rt.mt, i. bfo, publication, tpH of publication, clottifiod od, wk u?l V W,, ' rlicolion. for moro Inlorfno-tiooditor. day orti-cw- n, Eat. 4 SAI.T LAKE CiTYr |