# Joint Services Missile Indoctrination Course (late 50s)



## Michael OLeary (14 Dec 2013)

Joint Services Missile Indoctrination Course - Can anyone tell me what system this course dealt with?

I have identified an infantry officer who completed the course in Nov 1959.  And this page notes an Air Observer who did so in early 1960. Both courses were conducted at RCAF Station Clinton.


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## muskrat89 (14 Dec 2013)

Wonder if this was the text book?

http://books.google.com/books/about/Glossary_of_Guided_Missile_Terms.html?id=g3I9mQEACAAJ


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## Edward Campbell (14 Dec 2013)

Some of us remember that in the late 1950s and early 1960s Canada had missiles ...









RCAF Bomarc missiles, carying nuclear warheads, were based at North Bay and Lamacaza QC until the early 1970s








Canadian Army _Honest John_ surface to surface missile ~ also nuclear tipped

By the mid 1960s were had missiles, of various sorts, at sea, on land and in the air ...





Including e.g. SS-11B missiles in the army


Edited: for photo source


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## Old Sweat (14 Dec 2013)

I suspect it was a fairly generic course to familiarize candidates with the technology. At the time we were well into the field. For example, the RCSA(AA) had extensive ties with the US Army Air Defense Centre in Fort Bliss and Canadian bird gunners were familiar with the Hawk and Nike air defence systems. The army had also planned to buy the Lacrosse surface-to-surface missile but it was cancelled and the Honest John was purchased instead. A number of officers took various guided missile technology course at Fort Bliss and we had a fairly sophisticated program including a test range at Fort Churchill, MB. 

A lot of this was under the supervision/control of the Defence Research Board which was one of the three branches of DND, the others being the civilian employees of DND and the folks in uniform. 

Don't forget that Canada was the third country to put a satellite in orbit.


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## Edward Campbell (14 Dec 2013)

Old Sweat said:
			
		

> I suspect it was a fairly generic course to familiarize candidates with the technology. At the time we were well into the field. For example, the RCSA(AA) had extensive ties with the US Army Air Defense Centre in Fort Bliss and Canadian bird gunners were familiar with the Hawk and Nike air defence systems. The army had also planned to buy the Lacrosse surface-to-surface missile but it was cancelled and the Honest John was purchased instead. A number of officers took various guided missile technology course at Fort Bliss and we had a fairly sophisticated program including a test range at Fort Churchill, MB.
> 
> A lot of this was under the supervision/control of the Defence Research Board which was one of the three branches of DND, the others being the civilian employees of DND and the folks in uniform.
> 
> Don't forget that Canada was the third country to put a satellite in orbit.




Indeed, and that satellite, _Alouette_, was designed and, largely, built, by defence scientists at DTRE (Defence Telecommunications and Research Establishment) at Shirley's Bay ~ which is still there as DRDC, Ottawa Research Centre. _Alouette_ was a _top side sounder_ designed to measure ionospheric density from above, to improve long range high frequency radio propagation prediction. (HF radio waves can go for very long distances when they are _refracted_ (bent) in the ionosphere, but the predictions rely upon very accurate data.)

I echo Old Sweat's point: we, the Canadian military, were well into missiles ~ large and small ~ in the 1960s, but the knowledge base was not uniform. In fact, I can recall, as late as 1990, a full generation later, struggling to explain satellite orbits (geostationary vs non-geostationary) to a room full of senior officers: many with engineering degrees. Most of us tend to get 'focused' in our careers, and the sort of broad, general technical knowledge base that I think all senior officers ought to have (thanks, maybe, to an eight to ten month course) is too often sacrificed in order to achieve expertize is one area or another and, thus, become a senior officer.


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## Michael OLeary (14 Dec 2013)

Thank you gentlemen, I had figured it was either a generic technology familiarization course, or that there was a specific program it may have been attached to.


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