[MRCA] Navy-Marine MARS Shut Down

[Mike Morrow]

>I've posted below portions of a recently received msg...
>
>UNITED STATES NAVY HAS DECIDED TO SUSPEND NAVY-MARINE CORPS (NMC) MARS 
>ACTIVITIES EFFECTIVE 30 SEP 2015 AND THE NAVAL COMPUTER AND 
>TELECOMMUNICATIONS AREA MASTER STATION ATLANTIC (NCTAMS LANT) WILL WORK 
>TO TRANSITION THE NMC MARS PROGRAM TO BEST ALIGN IT WITH NATIONAL 
>MISSION REQUIREMENTS.  THIS IS THE RESULT OF A REVIEW BY FLEET CYBER 
>COMMAND (FCC)/COMMANDER 10TH FLEET (C10F), NAVAL INFORMATION DOMINATION 
>FORCES (NAVIDFOR), AND NAVAL COMPUTER AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AREA MASTER 
>STATION ATLANTIC (NCTAMS LANT).

The ARRL.ORG site has more detail at:

 http://www.arrl.org/news/view/us-navy-marine-corps-mars-program-to-end

Apparently Army and Air Force MARS are not currently threatened, and current NMC MARS members should direct application to one of those organizations.

I can't say I'm surprised...it almost happened in 2009.  NMC MARS was late to the MARS game when it began operation in 1963, fifteen years after Army and USAF MARS. IMHO, the only period in which it served a real function to servicemen was during the Vietnam war.  I was a very active member from 1968 to 1970, but then my own time in the USN cut down my participation.  I did not quit until 1982, but NMC MARS clearly had lost much of its reason for existence by 1975.  IMHO, of course.

Mike / KK5F
(ex-NMC MARS call N0LTD, pre-NNN0xxx nonsense)