[Milsurplus] MARS Gets New Name As It Fine Tunes Mission

[Bruce]

MARS Gets New Name As It Fine Tunes Mission

On Wednesday, December 23, the Department of Defense (DoD) issued an
Instruction <http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/465002p.pdf>
concerning MARS, effective immediately. This Instruction gives the three
MARS services -- Army, Air Force and Navy/Marine Corps -- a new focus on
homeland security and a new name: Military Auxiliary Radio System. The
Instruction is the first major
<http://www.arrl.org/news/files/dod46502_1988.doc> revision to MARS since
January 26, 1988 -- as such, the first revision since the 9/11 attacks and
Hurricane Katrina, two major events that changed the way Amateur Radio
dealt with emergency communications.

The DoD defines a "military auxiliary" as "an organized body of volunteers
prepared to supplement the uniformed services or any designated civilian
authorities by provision of specialized autonomous services when called
upon or when situations warrant," and gives the Civil Air Patrol and Coast
Guard Auxiliary as examples of auxiliaries.

In the past, MARS had focused primarily on emergency communications and
health and welfare support. The DoD's Instruction now directs the three
MARS services to provide "contingency radio communications" to support US
government operations, DoD components and "civil authorities at all
levels," providing for national security and emergency preparedness events.
MARS units will still continue to provide health and welfare 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." MARS must also
be capable of operation in "radio only" modes -- without landlines or the
Internet -- and sustainable on emergency power (when public utility power
has failed); some MARS stations must be transportable for timely deployment.

The Instruction, however, does not mention which of the three MARS services
will take the lead when responding to events. According to sources, this
has been seen as a critical issue in conforming to the National Incident
Management System (NIMS) that calls for "unity of command." As now
constituted, the three separate MARS services are supposed do
"interoperate," but command-wise, each operates independently. Some MARS
members had urged clarification on this issue to avoid confusion during an
emergency, sources said.

The Secretaries of the Army, Air Force and Navy are to encourage
participation in MARS, the Instruction states, saying this may be
accomplished "by establishing and funding an active MARS program within
each Military Department, which shall then assign a MARS-licensed staff
representative to manage operations, readiness, planning, procedural and
technical development, documentation, standards, training, equipment,
program and membership administration, and other matters necessary for
mission accomplishment."

The Secretaries are also tasked with bringing new personnel into their MARS
services. The Instruction calls on them to establish programs "to promote
civilian interest, recruit qualified volunteers, sponsor them for basic
background checks and furnish them suitable training in contingency support
communications."

The Instruction also dictates that MARS leaders will now report to three
DoD officials; before this revision, they only reported to one person. The
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Security and Americas Security
Affairs (ASD [HD&ASA]) now has primary responsibility for the MARS Defense
Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) mission. In addition, MARS leaders will
report to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information
Integration/DoD Chief Information Officer (ASD[NII]/DoD CIO) and the
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Material Readiness
(ASD[L&MR]). In the 1998 charter, oversight of MARS was assigned to a
single top official, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command,
Control, Communications and Intelligence.

This revision -- which was years in the making -- keeps the Navy/Marine
Corps MARS intact; until now, members of this MARS service were concerned
that their part of MARS might be terminated by Navy commanders.

The Instruction also gives some new perks to MARS members. Active duty
military personnel who are affiliated with MARS may be able to earn Reserve
points based on service in MARS and, in cases of permanent change of
station, qualify for weight exemption for transportation of MARS
communications equipment. All members may be considered for benefits
associated with DoD civilian service, such as access to DoD morale, welfare
and recreation Category C recreational facilities and access to DoD credit
unions.

Membership in any of the three MARS services is open to qualified active
duty, Guard and Reserve personnel, as well as those in civilian agencies
who report to civil authorities or their supporting organizations
(including nongovernmental organizations) and private US citizens who meet
age, education and other criteria -- such as an FCC-issued Amateur Radio
license -- imposed by a DoD Component MARS office.

(Forwarded from marinecomms at yahoogroups.com)

73, Bruce WA8TNC