IV. Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex
C. Construction/Engineering / Safeguard Personnel Units
..... Preparation for the turn-over of the sites to the Army Air Defense Command was underway in September 1971, when the announcement was made of the creation of the first two units to man Safeguard installations.
The first unit was the
Army Safeguard Command, Grand Forks, with an authorized strength of 784 personnel. This number consisted of 62 officers, 22 warrant officers, 432 enlisted men, and 168 civilians. Their mission was to "defend the continental United States from a ballistic missile attack; specifically, to establish an area defense for existing retaliatory missile sites." This unit would man the MSR and be the command element for the Grand Forks Safeguard detachment.
The second unit, the
Army Surveillance Battalion, Grand Forks, was assigned to the PAR with the mission of providing long range surveillance and early warning of ballistic missile attack against CONUS. The battalion's authorized strength of 401 called for 41 officers, 14 warrant officers, 209 enlisted men, and 136 civilians.