[Oremem/Idamem] OR/ID STATE AAR BRAZEN BRIMSTONE MARS EXERCISE

Tue Jun 1 13:10:41 EDT 2004

DE AAA0OR NR 305
R 011626Z JUN 04
FM JOHN JEWKES/AAA0OR OR
TO JAMES BANKS/AAA9W AZ
INFO AAA0WA WA
ZEN NNN0GBP/NNN0YTM OR SMD
ZEN NNN0EHG OR ECOM
ZEN AFF5OR OR SMD
BT
MARS EXERCISE
SUBJ:  STATE AFTER ACTION REPORT - BRAZEN BRIMSTONE
1. PARTICIPATING STATIONS: 19
2. OPERATORS: N/A
3. LOCATION: N/A
4. EMERGENCY POWER USED: 3 STATIONS BATTERY POWER
    AVAILABLE, ONE SOLAR CELL CAPABLE, 4 WITH
    GENERATOR AVAILABLE, 2 IN MOBILE OPERATION.
5. OPERATIONS:
A. AN EMERGENCY EXERCISE WAS HELD BY THE REGION 10
TEAM ON 22 MAY 04. STARTEX AT 221414Z MAY 2004 AND ENDEX 221537Z MAY
2004.EMERGENCY EXERCISE, BRAZEN
BRIMSTONE, WAS OPENED ON THE AAA0WA/A NET ON
FREQUENCY KCJ (LSB WINDOW), BY AAM0EWA WHO BROKE
INTO THE NET TO ANNOUNCE THE EXERCISE.  THE NCS OF
AAA0WA/A NET WAS AAR0AB/T, WHO DIRECTED THE NET
MEMBERS TO MOVE TO THE FREQUENCY KBF (LSB WINDOW)
TO JOIN THE AAM0RA/X NET.  AAR0AB/T DIRECTED AAM0EWA
TO BE THE NCS OF THE AAM0RA/X NET.  THE AAM0RA/X NET
WAS DESIGNATED AS THE COMMAND-AND-CONTROL NET.
AAM0EWA DIRECTED AAA0WA TO MOVE BACK TO KCJ TO
ESTABLISH A TRAFFIC NET, AND ACT AS NCS OF THAT NET.
AAM0EWA THEN BEGAN TO DIRECT STATIONS HOLDING
 TRAFFIC FOR THE NET, TO THE AAA0WA/X TRAFFIC NET ON
KCJ.  SEVERAL STATIONS FROM OREGON AND IDAHO
PARTICIPATED IN ADDITION TO THE WASHINGTON STATE
MEMBERS. HOWEVER, DUE TO PROPAGATION MANY
STATIONS WERE NOT ABLE TO COMMUNICATE ON THE
COMMAND-AND-CONTROL NET, BUT DID CHECK INTO AND
PASSED TRAFFIC ON THE TRAFFIC NET (AAA0WA/X). OTHER
STATIONS DUE TO POOR PROPAGATION PASSED THEIR INFO
DIGITALLY DIRECTLY WITH THE RGN 10 GATEWAY STATION.
B. AGENCIES SUPPORTED: (SIMULATED) FEMA/SHARES/DOMS/JDOMS/ OREGON
OEM/MARS/NATIONAL
GUARD HQ OREGON/ DEPT. OF TRANSPORTATION.
C. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:
    1. TO TEST THE OVERALL READINESS OF THE THREE
SERVICES AND THREE STATES OF RGN 10 (ARMY REGION).
    2. IMPROVE THE INTEROPERABILITY OF EACH PROGRAM AS
WELL AS EACH STATE WITHIN THE REGION.
    3. IMPROVE EEI AND AAR REPORT WRITING CAPABILITY OF
EACH MEMBER WITHIN THE REGION.
    4. SHOW CONCEPT OF EASE OF COORDINATION EFFORT TO
NATIONAL GUARD COMMANDERS, OEM AND EOC
PERSONNEL IN EACH STATE FOR A REGIONAL DISASTER
EXERCISE AND POTENTIAL  FOR MITIGATION IN CASE OF
 ACTUAL EVENTS.
    5. SHOW CONCEPT OF LITTLE/NO ADVANCE WARNING
EXERCISES TO MORE CLOSELY MIMIC ACTUAL EVENTS.
(NOTE: WE WOULD RARELY GET AN ADVANCED NOTICE OF
IMPENDING EVENTS IN AN ACTUAL EVENT).
    6. TEST EFFECTIVENESS OF COORDINATION VIA THE
WESTERN AREA GATEWAY VIA THE GUARD ('911')
FREQUENCIES, AS APPROVED BY WAMC/CAM IN PREVIOUS
BCSTS FOR EXERCISE SUPPORT.
6. HOW AND WHEN NOTIFIED OF EMERGENCY: THIS WAS A
PLANNED EXERCISE.
A. AAA0WA/AAA0OR/AAA0ID NOTIFIED MARS MEMBERS ON 20 MAY 2004 WITH OPORDER
FOR THE EXERCISE.
B. STATE AND REGION 10 FREQUENCIES WERE UTILIZED
DURING THE EXERCISE, IN SUPPORT OF THE MISSION
7. WEATHER: FAIR
8. RADIO PROPAGATION:
    KCJ WAS THE BEST OF THE TWO FREQUENCIES UTILIZED.
SIGNALS WERE WEAK AND READABLE TO LOUD AND CLEAR,
DEPENDING ON LOCATION OF INDIVIDUAL STATIONS.
HOWEVER, THERE WERE SOME STATIONS THAT COULD NOT
HEAR THE NCS, BUT REPORTED LATER THE ATTEMPT.
    KBF WAS NOT A GOOD FREQUENCY FOR THE REGION 10
EXERCISE, DURING THIS EXERCISE.  CLOSER STATIONS WERE
READABLE, WHILE OUT-OF-STATE STATIONS WERE WEAK
AND BARELY READABLE, TO TOTALLY UNREADABLE. SEVERE
FADING AND HIGH LEVELS OF NOISE IN THE BAND WERE A
PART OF THE PROBLEM AS WELL.
9. WIRE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS USE: E-MAIL WAS
UTILIZED PRIOR TO THE NET FOR NOTIFICATION AND
ADMINISTRATIVE COMMUNICATION.  E-MAIL WAS UTILIZED AFTER THE EXERCISE FOR
PASSING XEEI AND AAR/NET
DEACTIVATION REPORTS.
10. TOTAL NUMBER OF MESSAGES PROCESSED IN STATE
    OPERATIONS: 38
11. TOTAL NUMBER OF MESSAGES ORIGINATED IN STATE
    OPERATIONS: 33
12. PROBLEMS OR ISSUES ENCOUNTERED OR OBSERVED:
    A. INITIALLY, NCS OF AAM0RA/X (AAM0EWA) MIS-
DIRECTED AAA0WA THE WRONG FREQUENCY.  HOWEVER,
ONCE NOTIFIED WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF SEVERAL
MEMBERS ON THE NET, THIS SITUATION WAS CORRECTED,
AND AAA0WA MOVED TO THE AAA0WA/X TRAFFIC NET
FREQUENCY. MANY MEMBERS NOTED THEY GAVE UP ON
THE SELECTED FREQUENCY FOR COMMAND AND CONTROL
DUE TO NOISE AND PROPAGATION. IN AN ACTUAL EVENT,
WE WOULD HAVE NEEDED TO HAVE STATIONS REMAIN TO
PROVIDE MUCH NEEDED RELAYS. ADDITIONAL FREQUENCIES
AND A CLOSER LOOK AT THE PREDICTED PROPAGATION FOR
THE USED/USABLE FREQUENCIES MAY HAVE PREVENTED THE
NOTED PROBLEMS. WE ARE HOWEVER AT THE BOTTOM OF
THE 11-YEAR SUNSPOT CYCLE, SO CONDITIONS SHOULD BE
IMPROVING CONTINUOUSLY FOR THE NEXT 5-6 YEARS.
    B. IT WAS NOTED THAT SOME PRACTICE SHOULD BE
CONDUCTED WITH VOICE TRAFFIC HANDLING, AS THE SPEED
OF TRANSMISSION WAS A BIT FASTER THAN SOME STATIONS
COULD HANDLE. DIGITAL IS NICE AND EFFICIENT, BUT NOT
ALL OPERATORS HAVE OR IN SOME CASES HAVE BUT LACK
KNOWLEDGE TO USE DIGITAL MODES.AT SOME POINT I
HOPE TO SEE THE SELECTION OF MARS SPECIFIC DIGITAL
SOFTWARE AND EQUIPMENT NOT MERELY ADAPTATION OF
HAM BASED TO MARS USAGE, AS THIS WOULD ALLOW USE
OF FULL CALLSIGNS (PART OF CONFUSION IS HOW TO USE
SHORTENED CALLSIGNS FOR DIGITAL) AND EASE OF
CONNECTION TO STATE AND REGIONAL BBS. ALSO IF WE
MIGRATE MOST/IF NOT ALL STATE AND RGN 10 GATEWAY
INPUT TO A VHF NETWORK, SPEED CAN BE INCREASED FROM
150 TO 300 BAUD ALL THE WAY UP TO 1200 TO 2400 BAUD PER
ITU REGULATIONS. THIS WOULD INCREASE SPEED OF BOTH
GATHERING AND FORWARDING INFORMATION TO AA9USA.
    C. PROPAGATION MADE COMMAND-AND-CONTROL NET
OPERATIONS VERY CHALLENGING, HOWEVER, WITH THE
HELP OF EACH NET MEMBER, THE JOB WAS DONE, AND DONE
WELL.  SUGGEST WE HAVE MULTIPLE ALTERNATE NET
CONTROL STATIONS ON THE COMMAND AND CONTROL NET;
PERHAPS ONE PER STATE FROM WITHIN THE REGION.
    D. IT WAS ALSO NOTED THAT THE TRAFFIC NET WAS KEPT
QUITE BUSY, SO IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT WE UTILIZE
MORE THAN ONE TRAFFIC NET DURING MAJOR EXERCISES
AND ACTUAL EVENTS.  WE NEED TO DEVELOP A SYSTEM FOR
RECEIVING VOICE AND DIGITAL TRAFFIC SIMULTANEOUSLY.
WE POSSIBLY NEED TWO TRAFFIC NETS: ONE FOR VOICE AND
ONE FOR DIGITAL. NEW TECHNOLOGY OF DIGITAL METHOD
OF COMPRESSION OF MULTIPLE SIGNALS INTO ONE SOURCE
MAY IN THE FUTURE ALLOW BOTH ON SAME FREQUENCY IN
MUCH THE SAME WAY THAT DIGITAL CELL PHONES CAN USE
THE SAME FREQUENCY FOR UP TO 10 CALLS AT THE SAME
TIME WITH LITTLE OR NO INTERFERENCE.
    E. AS ALWAYS THERE WERE SOME MINOR ERRORS MADE
WITH OUR USE OF PROCEDURES, PROWORDS, AND MEMBER
TRAINING.  HOWEVER, THIS CONTINUES TO BE LESS OF AN
ISSUE. THIS IN PART DUE TO HOW WELL OUR STO AND ASMD
CONDUCT TRAINING AND NET OPERATIONS.
    F. WHAT WORKED WELL: THE EXERCISE WAS WELL
CONDUCTED; EXCELLENT OPORDER. GREAT COORDINATION
BETWEEN THE SMD TEAM AND THE ECOM AND TRAINING
OFFICERS. THE RGN 10 HAS A SEPARATE EMAIL LIST SET UP
SPECIFICALLY FOR THE RGN 10 STAFF MEMBERS TO ALLOW
COORDINATION OF EFFORTS AND TRAINING. THE
TRANSITION FROM NORMAL NET TO EMERGENCY EXERCISE
WAS SMOOTH AND VERY PROFESSIONAL.  THE SENDING OF
TRAFFIC AND USE OF DIFFERENT MODES (VOICE, DIGITAL HF
AND VHF) WAS GREAT. PARTICIPATION WAS GREAT, AND THE
NUMBER OF XEEIS SENT SHOWED THAT THE REGION 10
MEMBERS TAKE OUR MISSION SERIOUSLY.  GREAT MEMBER
PARTICIPATION COMPARED ESPECIALLY TO PREVIOUS XEEI
EFFORTS.  OVERALL THIS WAS AN EXCELLENT EXERCISE.
PRAISE AND APPRECIATION TO ALL MEMBERS WHO
PARTICIPATED. SOME MEMBERS KNOWING THEY WOULD BE
UNAVAILABLE TO BE ON THE AIR MADE ARRANGEMENTS TO
SEND 'PRESET' XEEI AND AAR INFORMATION IN TO THE SMD
TO ALLOW FOR IT'S ARRIVAL DURING NET AND EXERCISE.
EXCEPTIONAL DIGITAL OPERATIONS BY THE STATE/REGION
GATEWAY OPERATORS TO ENSURE THAT DIGITAL TRAFFIC
CONTINUED TO BE PASSED EVEN THOUGH THE 'EXACT' TIME
OF THE EXERCISE WAS ELAPSED. IN A REAL EVENT THIS IS
EXACTLY WHAT WE WOULD DESIRE AND EXPECT TO OCCUR.
KUDOS TO RGN 10 GATEWAY OPERATOR LEO GRIFFIN/
AAR0NH OR AS HE IS OPERATING ON A SINGLE RADIO AT THE
PRESENT DUE TO A PROBLEM WITH THE SECOND RADIO. HE
HAS ARRANGED THE SCHEDULE FOR THE RGN 10 GATEWAY TO MEET THIS WHILE ALLOWING
HIM TO ALSO OPERATE ON
STATE NETS AND MEET NEEDS OF RGN TO AREA GATEWAY
CONNECTIONS AS WELL.
MARS EXERCISE
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