Office of the Historian

338. Memorandum From the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Secretary of Defense McNamara1

JCSM–397–67
Washington, July 13, 1967.

SUBJECT

  • Evaluation of Kagnew Station, Ethiopia (U)
1.
(S) Reference is made to:
a.
A memorandum by the Deputy Secretary of Defense, dated 15 June 1967,2 subject as above, which requested the views of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with regard to any expansion at Kagnew and a phased reduction of Kagnew missions related to the communications, Atomic Energy Detection System (AEDS), and contingency missions of Kagnew Station, including Decamere/Gura.
b.
JCSM–770–66, dated 15 December 1966,3 subject as above, which noted that it did not appear that substantial reductions could be made at Kagnew in the near future unless the United States was prepared to sacrifice some significant capabilities and products which the Kagnew complex now provides.
2.
(U) Appendices A and B hereto have been prepared in response to reference 1a and contain a plan for relocation and reduction of missions assigned to Kagnew.4
3.
(C) The large degree of interdependence and mutual support between the US Army Strategic Communications (Defense Communications System) Station, the US Navy Communications Station, Kagnew, and the intelligence collection activities collocated there and electrically connected thereto must be considered in any review of the missions of this installation. The support relationship was developed through efforts to improve communications-electronics operations, reduce operating costs, equipment and facility requirements, and improve over-all capabilities of Kagnew Station.
4.
(C) The Joint Chiefs of Staff note that the Assistant Secretary of Defense (ISA) will undertake a review and consolidation of the plans submitted by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the National Security Agency. Since the two responses have been produced independently, they probably do not provide a basis for ready consolidation. As pointed out in Appendix B, the amount of mutual support lost through selection of separate [Page 579] locations for the functional activities and the added communications which may be required may be substantial. The Joint Chiefs of Staff, on their part, were not able to prepare precise and comprehensive plans due to lack of final circuitry requirements of the Director, National Security Agency, and the inability to perform technical site surveys in the limited time available. In addition, it is recognized that there may be political difficulties in obtaining diplomatic agreement to construct facilities in some of the countries which are technically satisfactory for possible relocation.
5.
(S) The Joint Chiefs of Staff conclude that:
a.
Relocation, reduction, or elimination of missions assigned to Kagnew Station would seriously prejudice US security interests and would seriously reduce US military capability in the Middle East, South Asia, and Indian Ocean areas.
b.
A requirement exists for a consolidated and coordinated plan for the contingent relocation of functions performed at Kagnew Station.
6.
(S) It is recommended that the National Security Agency, the military services, and the Defense Communications Agency be directed to prepare a consolidated, coordinated plan for the contingent relocation of functions performed at Kagnew Station and that the Joint Chiefs of Staff be afforded an opportunity to review and comment on the plan.
7.
(U) Without Appendix B, this memorandum is downgraded to Secret.
For the Joint Chiefs of Staff:
J.O. Cobb
Rear Admiral, USN
Deputy Director, Joint Staff
  1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Hamilton Files, Ethiopia. Top Secret.↩
  2. Not printed. (Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD Files: FRC 72 A 2467, 091.3 MAAG Ethiopia)↩
  3. Not printed.↩
  4. Appendices A and B are not printed.↩