Operation Deep Freeze

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U.S. activities
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Operation Deep Freeze (1955-56)

Operation Deep Freeze (OpDFrz or ODF) is the codename for a series of US missions to Antarctica, beginning with "Operation Deep Freeze I" in 1955–56, followed by "Operation Deep Freeze II", "Operation Deep Freeze III", and so on. Given the continuing and constant US presence in Antarctica since that date, "Operation Deep Freeze" has come to be used as a general term for US operations in that continent, and in particular for the regular missions to resupply US Antarctic bases, coordinated by the US military.

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[edit] Operation Deep Freeze I

The impetus behind Operation Deep Freeze I was the International Geophysical Year 1957–58. IGY, as it was known, was a collaboration effort between forty nations to carry out earth science studies from the North Pole to the South Pole and at points in between. The United States, along with Great Britain, France, Japan, Norway, Chile, Argentina, and the U.S.S.R. agreed to go the South Pole—the least explored area on Earth. Their goal: to advance world knowledge of Antarctic hydrography and weather systems, glacial movements, and marine life. The U.S. Navy was charged with supporting the U.S. scientists for their portion of the IGY studies.

The U.S. Navy already had a record of earlier exploration in Antarctica. As early as 1839, Captain Charles Wilkes led the first U.S. Naval expedition into Antarctic waters. In 1929, Admiral Richard E. Byrd established a naval base at Little America I, led an expedition to explore further inland, and conducted the first flight over the South Pole. From 1934–35, the second Byrd Expedition explored much further inland and also "wintered over". The third Byrd Expedition in 1940 charted the Ross Sea.

After World War II, from 1946–47, Byrd was instrumental in the Navy's Operation Highjump that charted most of the Antarctic coastline. In 1948 Commander Finn Ronne led an expedition that photographed over 450,000 square miles (1.1 million km²) by air. Then, in 1954–55, the icebreaker USS Atka (AGB-3) made a scouting expedition for future landing sites and bays.

Operation Deep Freeze I would prepare a permanent research station and pave the way for more exhaustive research in later Deep Freeze operations. The expedition transpired over the Antarctic summer of November 1955 to April 1956.

[edit] Subsequent developments

In early 1996, the National Guard announced that the 109th Airlift Wing at Stratton ANGB in Scotia, New York was slated to assume that entire mission from the U.S. Navy in 1999. The 109th, which operated ski-equipped LC-130s, had been flying some NSF support missions to Antarctica since 1988. It had flown scientific and military missions to Greenland and the Arctic since 1975. The Antarctic operation would be fully funded by the NSF. The 109th expected to add approximately 235 full-time personnel to support that operation.

The possibility of the ANG taking over the mission had first emerged in 1988. The 109th had been notified that, almost overnight, one of the Distant Early Warning Line (DEW) radar sites that it supported in Greenland was going to be shut down. The other sites would soon follow and the 109th would be largely out of business because it main mission had ended. The unit had been informally keeping tabs on Navy LC-130 operations supporting the NSF in Antarctica. Because its aircraft were older than the Guard's and several of them were entering an extensive period of depot maintenance, the Navy asked if the 109th could provide a limited emergency search and rescue (SAR) capability for two years to support Operation Deep Freeze. The Air Guard accepted. At that time, it had no thought of taking over the mission. The 109th believed that it was senseless for its aircraft to deploy to the Antarctic and just wait to conduct emergency SAR missions so it asked the Navy if it could help carry cargo to the South Pole. The latter resisted at first because its procedures and cargo configurations differed from those of the Air Guard. But, eventually it relented. The main mission of the Navy and ANG C-130s was to airlift fuel and supplies to the NSF's South Pole Station so that its personnel could survive in isolation during the long Antarctic winter which lasted from February to October.

An ANG working group had been formed to study the idea in 1990. The following year, a dialogue between the ANG, the Air Staff, and the Navy began. Among other issues, it was difficult at first for the Air Guard to convince the Air Staff to commit long term resources to an area of the world that had not been declared a warfighting region because of international treaties. The Air Guard had supported military operations in Greenland and the Arctic (including classified Navy operations) since the mid-1970s with the ski-equipped C-130s of the 109 AW. It convinced Headquarters, United States Air Force that it was not in the nation's best interest to abandon the capability to achieve quick and reliable air access to both polar regions.

In March, 1993, the Navy hosted a two-day workshop with representatives of the NSF, Air Guard, and other interested parties to explore logistics support options for the operation. A draft concept of operations had been prepared by the Air Directorate of the NGB in 1993. In February, 1996, a commitment was made to transfer the mission, known as "Operation Deep Freeze," and all LC-130H aircraft operated within the DoD to the ANG. In September, 1996, senior officers from the 109 AW briefed the NGB on their concept of operations and the status of their preparations to implement "Operation Deep Freeze."

Under the transition plan which they had developed, the ANG would continue to augment the Navy during the October, 1996 - March, 1997 operating season for the U.S. Antarctic Program. At the end of the October, 1997 - March, 1998 season, the ANG would assume command of the program. During the third year of the transition program, October, 1998 to March, 1999, the Navy would augment the ANG before the latter took over the entire program the following year. There would be 7 LC-130s in theater. They would stage from Christchurch, New Zealand to McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Traditional Guardsmen, technicians, and the cadre of AGRs specifically brought on board to support "Operation Deep Freeze" would all be involved in the mission. When fully transitioned to the ANG, the 109th would have ten LC-130s in its inventory. These would include upgrades of four LC-130 aircraft in-service with the unit plus three new aircraft and three that would be transferred from the Navy. ANG estimates of the savings to be realized by consolidating the operation in the hands of the 109th AW ranged from $5 million to $15 million a year. The actual transition to Air Guard control began in March, 1996.

C-141 Participating in Operation Deep Freeze
C-141 Participating in Operation Deep Freeze

By 1999 the US Navy had transferred military support operations for Antarctica over to the United States Air Force[1] and its contractor, Raytheon Polar Services [2]. United States civilian and scientific operations on the Antarctica continent are overseen by the United States Antarctic Proram (USAP) [3] as well as the National Science Foundation (NSF) [4] These subsequent military support missions flown from Christchurch International Airport [5] in Christchurch, New Zealand, to Antarctica are conducted during the late September to early March time frame (summer season in Antarctica) each year. Missions from New Zealand to Antarctica are flown by large USAF C-17 Globemaster III aircraft of the USAF Air Mobility Command (AMC)[6], After the C-17 arrives and is unloaded, LC-130 aircraft provide the logistical movement of cargo to remote operating locations on the continent. These aircraft augmented by the United States Coast Guard icebreakers, the AMC), and the Military Sealift Command, are also known collectively as Operation Deep Freeze, which is managed from Christchurch, New Zealand, by a Detachment of the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard members of Air National Guard Detachment 13. ANG DET 13[7] is a subordinate unit which administratively reports directly to the Air National Guard Readiness Center (ANGRC) at Andrews AFB, MD and operationally reports to Pacific Command (PACOM) in Hawaii. As of 2005 the detachment consisted of a Full-time Officer (Commander) and 4 Full-time Non-Commissioned Officers (Logistics, Communications, Security Forces, and Information Management) which remain in New Zealand year round.

In 2005, through the office of the secretary of defense, the commander, U.S. Pacific Command was designated to support the Joint Task Force Support Forces Antarctica, Operation Deep Freeze. CDRUSPACOM delegated this joint operation to the Commander, Pacific Air Forces, who then delegated primary responsibility for execution of the JTF SFA operation to the commander, 13th Air Force[8].

The APO USPS Zip Code for Christchurch, NZ is: 96531

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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