Construction, System Components, and Deployment

Construction, System Components, and Deployment. Pyramids on the Prairie. , One of a kind , While original plans called for twelve sites, on May 26, 1972, an interim agreement that came out of the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks I (SALT 1) was signed. The Anti-ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty limited strategic missile defenses to 200 interceptors each and allowed each side to construct two missile defense sites, one to protect the nation's capital, the other to protect one ICBM field. The Montana site was only 10% completed and was abandoned on May 27, 1972. A Congressional decision not to authorize the permitted deployment in Washington, DC, made the North Dakota site the only one of its kind ever fully constructed., Construction Timeline , Construction of the Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex (SRMSC) began on April 6, 1970. The Equipment Readiness Date indicating the completion of the construction phase was October 10, 1974. Initial operating capability was reached by April 1, 1975. Full Safeguard operational capability was reached on October 1, 1975. , Dispelling a popular myth , A common misconception of the SRMSC is that it only operated for one day. Operational capacity was measured by the percentage of missiles that were online. Full operational capacity was reached on October 1, 1975, and the House of Representatives voted to deactivate the site on October 2, 1975. However, Limited Combat Ready Status was achieved earlier in April of 1975, and it was operational from the Equipment Readiness date of October 1, 1974 until February 10, 1976, when the Senate followed the House and voted to deactivate. With construction and final closure activities, there was activity at this site from 1970-1977. The doors to the Missile Site Control Building (MSCB) were welded shut in 1979. The Perimeter Acquisition Radar (PAR), which was turned over to the Air Force, still operates today. , Site Personnel Level , Constructing and fielding this complex system required a tremendous personnel effort! As of June 1975, there were 513 Defense Contractor Engineers and Technicians employed on site; 109 Civil Service Personnel ranging from GS-03 to GS-15s assigned on site; and 430 US Army Personnel comprised of 1 Brigadier General, 2 Colonels, 13 Lieutenant Colonels, 22 Majors, 31 Captains, 9 Lieutenants, 36 Warrant Officers, and a Company of Military Police for Security., Weather Impact on Construction , . Weather extremes ranged from 38°C (100°F) to -40°C (-40°F) , . 60 days of load limits during the construction, Materials Used (for both the PAR and the MSR) , . 714,000 cubic feet of concrete , . Over 27,500 tons of reinforcing steel , . 2,273 miles of wire , . 44 million pounds of rebar , . 750 miles of conduit , . 40 miles of piping , . 685 tons of duct material