KWAJALEIN 8°44'N 167°44'E MARSHALL ISLANDS General Kwajalein Atoll is located in the Ralik Chain in the west central section of the Marshall Islands. The atoll is under the civil control of the U. S. Depart- ment of Interior and subject to the Code of the Trust Territories of the Pacific. The U. S. Army Materiel Command has the responsibility for management of Kwajalein Island and has designated it as the Kwajalein Test Site. Global Associates is the civilian logistic support contractor and Kentron Hawaii, LTD., is the technical support contractor. A community of nearly 3,500 people live on Kwajalein Island and provide guidance, supervision, logistics support and tech~ nical assistance in the conduct of testing ballistic missiles and related equipment. Physical Data Kwajalein Atoll is crescent-shaped with the concavity facing southwest. The maximum length is 75 miles and the maximum width 30 miles. The lagoon is surrounded by a noncontinuous reef about 700 square miles in area, the largest in the Pacific. The atoll is composed of about 90 islets and islands ona nearly circumferential, slightly submerged, reef. Maximum elevations average 10 to 18 feet above sea level with a few dune crests reaching to 20 feet. The southern islands are covered with a dense growth of coconut palms and smaller vegetation. The northern islets have heavy vegetation but with few coconut palms. There are no mangrove swamps. The largest islandis Kwajalein, located in the southeast corner of the atoll. (See map, next page.) Climate The prevailing winds are mainly from the east and the northeast. Southeast winds sometimes blow during the rainy season. The prevailing east-northeasterly winds average 8 to 20 knots about 70 percent of the time, with a maximum velocity of 30 knots. The dry season is from December through March; the rainy season is trom April through November. Temperatures: maximum high 90° -93°F; average mean 82°-83°F: and low 72°-73°F. Average yearly rain- fall is about 100 inches. Facilities Kwajalein Island is the site of the most important port and is the prin- cipal island; however, commercial activities are centered on Ebeye Island, the home of most of the 1500 natives of the atoll. Ebeye Island, where a U. S. Coast Guard Loran Station is located, lies approximately 2 miles north of Kwajalein Island. Kwajalein Island facilities include: connections to Honolulu and Guam; (b) monthly service from San Francisco; (a) a modern airfield with MAC facilities for handling ship cargo with (c) communications which include tele- type, SSB CW and voice to all major islands and the mainland; and, (d) storage facilities include warehousing, refrigeration plants and POL storage. Utilities include water, power, sewage and fire protection. Medical facilities are also available. There are EM barracks and BOQ's which can accommodate tran- sient personnel. 23-1 VOL II April 1969