The Pershing Operational Test Unit (POTU) was the U.S. Army agency responsible for the operational testing of the Pershing 1 Field Artillery Missile System, the Pershing 1a Field Artillery Missile System and the Pershing II Weapon System. Created in 1965, POTU was assigned to

United States Army Europe United States Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) / Theater Army responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICO ...

and located in Heidelberg, Germany. Personnel consisted of one lieutenant colonel, two majors, one captain, two warrant officers and four non-commissioned officers. In 1965, the Army contracted with the

Applied Physics Laboratory The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (Applied Physics Laboratory, or APL) is a not-for-profit university-affiliated research center (UARC) in Howard County, Maryland. It is affiliated with Johns Hopkins University and emplo ...

(APL) of

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consiste ...

to develop and implement a test and evaluation program. APL developed the Pershing Operational Test Program (OTP), provided technical support to the Pershing Operational Test Unit (POTU), identified problem areas and improved the performance and survivability of the Pershing systems. POTU planned, scheduled, and executed the tests, evaluations, and missile firings to support OTP. POTU would select three firing batteries from the

56th Field Artillery Command The 56th Artillery Command is a two-star command of the United States Army that serves as the Force Field Artillery Headquarters for U.S. Army Europe and Africa, with a mission to synchronize, integrate, and control fires and effects in support ...

in West Germany to participate in Follow-on Operational Tests (FOT) using an unannounced Field Alert Status Verification (FASV) at the Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) site. POTU selected missiles, equipment and personnel (colloquially referred to as a ''tap'') for transport to either Cape Canaveral or White Sands Missile Range. After arrival, the missiles and launchers would be equipped with telemetry and the missiles would have range safety equipment installed for in-flight destruction if needed. Shoots were supported by elements of the 3rd Battalion,

9th Field Artillery Regiment The 9th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army first formed in 1916. The regiment served in Hawaii during World War I, 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 9th Divisions between the world wars, and with 3rd Infantry Div ...

from

Fort Sill Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landma ...

, Oklahoma. The missile crews would perform tactical countdowns and launch the missile. Data collectors from APL observed the crews and equipment. After the shoot, data and evaluations were compiled into reports of the performance estimates of the operational capabilities of the Pershing missile system. POTU members wore red hats during evaluations, leading to ''red hat'' as a nickname.

References

{{Pershing missile Pershing missile