Army MARS Chief Stu Carter. |
Interoperability at work: Army MARS member Skip Gracon, K3GNZ/AAT2BF, serves as a net control station supporting an Air Force MARS exercise at the Ft Monmouth MARS station during this winter's USAF "Operation Deep Freeze." [Mark Emmanuele, N2CBO, Photo] |
NEWINGTON, CT, Mar 5, 2007 -- Following an 18-month analysis of its performance following Hurricane Katrina, the US Army Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) is reshaping its mission. Army MARS Chief Stuart S. "Stu" Carter has told MARS membership of some 2600 Amateur Radio volunteers that priorities and procedures have been reshuffled. Retraining and the building of tighter bonds with the federal and state agencies MARS supports in emergencies are getting special attention.
"The challenges we face are new and more demanding than those we've prepared for in the past," Carter told MARS members. "We need to know that all of our members are well trained, ready, capable and willing to meet those challenges." Carter also wants it known that Army MARS volunteers "bring a huge and agile readiness to the front lines of emergency response."
Voicing his intent to make the organization relevant to the 21st Century, Carter assumed leadership of Army MARS last December, succeeding Kathy Harrison, who had served in the post for just eight months. In addition to his role as chief of Army MARS, Carter continues as deputy director of current operations for the US Army Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM), headquartered at Ft Huachuca, Arizona. As MARS chief, he inherits the post's AAA9A call sign.
Among other initiatives, Carter has ratcheted up MARS training requirements to include National Incident Management System (NIMS) training courses. He's also directed a doubling of the on-air drill requirement in regional and state HF radio nets. Beyond that, he also plans an aggressive informational campaign to make MARS better known within the federal establishment as an emergency/disaster resource.
He also reiterated that Army MARS will seek a "defined relationship" with the ARRL. "We need to know each other better," said Carter, a retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel with 30 years' service in communications and information technology. "The objective would be to enhance the amateur community's overall emergency readiness while minimizing duplication of effort." MARS sees its own regional and national HF capability as a natural fit with the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES).
A Streamlined, More Agile MARS
The updated MARS program builds on the emergency readiness mission begun during the 16-year tenure of former Army MARS Chief Bob Sutton, N7UZY. Army MARS already has been realigned so regional boundaries coincide with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) districts. Carter has appointed 10 volunteer regional directors to facilitate responses to multi-state emergencies.
Under Carter's leadership, MARS also is moving away from a paradigm where members mostly just relay emergency traffic from fixed stations. Under a more mobile MARS model, a few specially-trained volunteers also will be available to deploy to disaster areas along with the US Army and federal agencies, such as FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration.
In addition, Army MARS has replaced its longstanding digital message network with a WinLink 2000 system that combines radio and Internet links to ensure swift and dependable message delivery.
Army MARS also will continue to emphasize collaboration among the Air Force and Navy-Marine Corps MARS organization.
Carter has tapped Lawrence Hays, WB6OTS, to fill the new post of chief of operations, with responsibility for planning, emergency activations liaison with external agencies and training materials development. He's named fellow NETCOM headquarters staffer James Banks as director of regional operations.
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