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RADIOLOGICAL CLEANUP OF ENEWETAK ATOLL
The absence ofa clearline of command authority was partially overcome
by the professionalism and common sense of most of the key officers
assigned during the project. One of the principal points of friction
regarding command authority was the relationship between the JTG staf
officers and the officers of the Service Elements. Often the responsibilities
for planning the cleanup operations overlapped. Priorities for
accomplishing tasks were subject to differing interpretations. Differences
included resource utilization and availability, logistics support, time lags
for off-atoll procurement, resupply means and scheduling, weather,
emergency situations, and other considerations which were perceived
differently in terms of their potential impact on mission accomplishment.
In actuality, to complete the project successfully the Director, DNA, the
Commander, Field Command, and the CJTG assumed command
authority they did not have, and the Service Elements acquiesced in this
assumption of authority in a cooperative spirit, recognizing that it was
essential to effective operation, 66.67.68
One area of particular concern to Field Commandandall three JTG
commanders was the lack of a senior Army Element commandechelon at
Lojwa. The majority of the Army cleanup forces were located on Lojwa,
yet the Army Element commandbase was on EnewetakIsland. The USAE
commanders shared this concern to some degree, and studied numerous
alternatives to alleviate the situation. Solutions considered included
moving the majority of the USAE headquarters and the commanderto
Lojwa, moving the S3 operations office there (except for an Operations
Liaison Officer to coordinate with the JTG staff), putting the USAE
Executive Officer at Lojwa, and developing another commandcell utilizing
additional personnel from higher headquarters. At one point, the USAE
Commander proposed to the CJTG that he move virtually the entire
USAE headquarters to Lojwa, butafter full consideration of the impact on
the daily coordination requirements among the USAE, the JTGstaff, and
the other Service Elements and agencies, this option was not
implemented. After detailed consideration of the advantages and
disadvantages of each alternative, the USAE commanderbelieved mission
accomplishment would be best served by the senior Army Company
Commander on Lojwaalso serving as the Lojwa base commander.
The organization problem was aggravated by the mannerin which the
JTG staff was mobilized over a period of months. It was activated too late
to work together as a team to formulate policies, procedures, and
instructionsprior to the arrival of the Service Elements and other agencies
reporting for duty on the atoll. There was a need for rapid development
and publication of local policies. Had this been accomplished prior to
deploymentto the atoll, the Service Elements and personnel would have
entered an environment which was well organized relative to specific
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