Re: [OT] MARS purpose (was KPA-500 FCC docs)

[Tim Tucker]

Department of Defense (DoD) Instruction 4350.02 dated 12/23/2009 changed the
mission of MARS significantly.  It is now no longer a service geared toward
facilitating health and welfare traffic for military employees (which
included phone patches) because that mission is obsolete.  Instead, it's
primary mission is to provide a contingency radio communications support to
the U.S. Government and civil authorities.  Basically, MARS is attempting to
be THE most well trained and reliable HF emergency communications
organization available.  Here is an excerpt from the DoD Instruction that
changed the MARS mission:

4. POLICY. It is DoD policy that:
a. MARS capability for contingency radio communications support to U.S.
Government operations shall be provided through the utilization of organized
volunteer radio operators and operating facilities under the appropriate
authorities, as directed by and coordinated within the Department of
Defense.
b. MARS shall provide contingency radio communications support to the DoD
Components.
c. MARS shall provide contingency radio communications support to civil
authorities at all levels, in fulfillment of DoD responsibilities under DoDD
5111.13 (Reference (d)).
d. MARS shall provide health, morale, and welfare radio communications
support to military members, civilian employees and contractors of DoD
Components, and civil agency employees and contractors, when in remote or
isolated areas, in contingencies or whenever appropriate.


An example of a recent exercise that was at a Naval base involved a scenario
where there was a terrorist attack on the base.  A MARS unit was deployed to
the base to participate where they demonstrated a capability for relaying
digital SITREP messages from the base ECOM center using a notebook PC and
VHF radio to the base MARS HF station which then relayed them into the MARS
Winlink system for delivery to their intended destination out of State.
Speed, accuracy, and reliability are the important training elements.

Hope that helps some.

Tim


On Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 3:57 AM, Bob Naumann <[hidden email]> wrote:

> I think that those of us who are not involved in MARS need an education
> about what you guys are doing.
>
> When I was in Army MARS about 35 years ago, we had no real traffic to
> handle
> at all. All we did was training. This was to be prepared - in case.
>
> I would think that the need for MARS (sadly) has not increased but rather
> diminished further due to increased 'normal' communication methods -
> Internet, cell phones, et al. Soldiers call home via Skype routinely from
> the battlefield - there's not a whole lot of reason for phone patches any
> more.
>
> Am I wrong?
>
> 73,
>
> Bob W5OV
> Ex- AAR2BQ
>

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