U.S. Army Signal Corps

The U.S. Army Signal Corps was founded in 1861 by United States Army Major Albert J. Myer, a physician by training. The Signal Corps develops and tests communication equipment for the battlefield

Cold War

The Signal Corps' Project Diana, on 10 January 1946, bounced radar signals off the moon.

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In 1948 researchers at Fort Monmouth grew the first synthetically produced large quartz crystals. The crystals were able to be used in the manufacture of electronic components, and made the U.S.largely independent of foreign imports for this critical mineral. In 1949 the first auto-assembly of printed circuits was invented. A technique for assembling electronic parts on a printed circuit board, developed by Fort Monmouth engineers, pioneered the development and fabrication of miniature circuits for both military and civilian use. Although they did not invent the transistor, Fort Monmouth scientists were among the first to recognize its importance, particularly in military applications, and did pioneer significant improvements in its composition and production.

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Everything was to change as world tensions increased with the Cold War and the Berlin Airlift. To sustain the Army's worldwide commitments, it again became necessary to enlarge the capacity of every activity on Post.

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In June 1950, with the onset of the Korean War,President Truman quickly received the necessary authorization to call the National Guard and organized reserves to 21 months of active duty. He also signed a bill extending the Selective Service Act until 9 July 1951. The Officer Candidate School was reestablished.

Related Topics:
Korean War - President Truman - Selective Service Act

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The fighting in Korea brought to light the need for new techniques in the conduct of modern warfare. The use of mortars by the enemy, and the resultant need to quickly locate and destroy the mortar sites resulted in development of the Mortar-Radar Locator AN/MPQ-3 and AN/MPQ-10. The Communiations Electronics Research and Development Engineering Center, better known as the Albert J. Myer Center, or simply, the Hexagon.

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The development of new equipment, however, placed requirements on the Signal Corps to provide increased numbers of trained electronics personnel to work in the fire control and guided missiles firing battery systems. To meet this need, Signal Corps Training Units?the 9614th and 9615th?were established at Aberdeen, Maryland and Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. These units provided instructionon electronics equipment used in the Anti-Aircraft Artillery and Guided Missile firing systems.

Related Topics:
Guided missiles - Aberdeen

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Following the arrest of the Julius and Ethel Rosenberg in 1950, two former Fort Monmouth scientists, Joel Barr and Alfred Sarant, defected to the Soviet Union. On 31 August 1953, having received word of possible subversive activities from Fort Monmouth?s commanding general, Kirke B. Lawton, the Chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), Senator Joseph McCarthy, suspected a spy ring still existed in the Signal Corps labs. At first, McCarthy conducted his hearings behind closed doors, but opened them to the public on 24 November 1953. Extensive Congressional Hearings were continued in 1955 under the chairmanship of Senator John McClellan of Arkansas.

Related Topics:
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg - Joel Barr - Alfred Sarant - Subversive activities - Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations - Joseph McCarthy - 1955 - John McClellan

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On 18 December 1958 with Air Force assistance, the Signal Corps launched its first communications satellite, Project SCORE.

Related Topics:
18 December - 1958 - Air Force - Project SCORE

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During the Vietnam War the Signal Corps' deployed tropospheric scatter radio links that could provide many circuits between locations over 200 miles apart.

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