Chief, Army MARS Net Notes, 13 March 2009
Good evening, Army MARS members and guests from Navy-Marine Corps and Air Force MARS, and fellow amateurs monitoring this net.
The next chapter in MARS 101 is probably on most members’ minds this evening, However, I’m going to begin with a reminder that the Road Ahead isn’t just about training. It is also about Current Operations, even though the training for it has barely gotten underway. I have a great example to share with you that demonstrates how the Road Ahead is already operational and living up to its purpose.
There are SIX items for the net this evening:
1—Jointness: Three teams in one Joint Operation.
2—First returns on MARS 101.
3—Helping out with the Road Ahead requirements.
4—500-hour participation awards
5—Training Mission to the Pacific Command
6—Kentucky Storm Response (Cont.)
Three teams, one Joint Operation
Two days ago the Georgia Air National Guard staged a communications exercise on the hurricane coast north of Jacksonville FL. Army MARS took part. So did the Winlink operators at three TSA stations, with the difference that putting the Road Ahead mindset to work, these airport communicators switched to HF for the comex. And, to complete this picture of interoperability at its best, the Brunswick-Glynn County EMA provided its EOC site for use in checking out HF readiness as another hurricane season approaches.
It was a small exercise but it demonstrated all the elements of interoperability: getting to know potential partners, joining the local response framework, taking part in its planning, then tailoring response to the customer’s specific need(s).
The centerpiece in Wednesday’s drill was the 224th Joint Communications Support Squadron based at Brunswick on the southern Georgia coast. The 224th’s five hefty SATCOM rigs deployed to various locations in the area. The Army MARS job was to assist in training ANG operators for HF operations and setting up their manpack HF rigs; then conducting a net linking the five SATCOM setups with MARS stations in Army MARS Region 4.
The region loaned the frequencies that made interoperability possible. TSA operators from the airports serving Tampa and Tallahassee FL and Savannah GA picked up on Region Director Jim Hamilton’s exercise bulletin and joined the six Army MARS stations participating in the test.
Don Wellons AAM4RT, the Region 4 Training Coordinator who served as Net Control, said in his AAR: “The exercise was a success. We learned the weak points and are taking steps to correct them. Interaction between stations was excellent. We know that our equipment is working and we can get traffic out of the area if needed.” And CAM adds: “We know what works too – our stronger relationships with our partners.”
Assistant Georgia state director David Little AAM4GA, who sits with Wellons on the area’s emergency planning committee adds, “This is the second HF operation we have shared with the ANG, and we will always be available whenever they have the need.”
Last fall I gave leaders in all 50 states a six-month priority: to initiate or enhance their relationship with the twin centers of statewide readiness, which are the state EMAs and the National Guard. The Road Ahead doesn’t supercede that task, not at all. It makes the state jointness task all the more important. I salute the Brunswick exercise team and our TSA partners for showing the way.
First Returns on MARS 101
Two weeks ago I quoted some comments from members on the Road Ahead document. Their reactions ranged, predictably enough, from the very positive to the doubtful and even negative. I hope my explanations were helpful to the doubters and naysayers. To reiterate, there’s no intention to force anybody out of Army MARS and we’ll make every effort to assist each and every member to meet the Road Ahead requirements—as long as each of our members take steps to advance their skills and their value to our ever growing EMCOM Mission.
Now we’ve had a week’s experience with the MARS 101 training cycle. I’ve been receiving comments about it, too.
Since Unit 1 of the interactive course was really intended as a sort of shakedown cruise, it’s too early to make judgments how effective this new instructional technique will ultimately prove. However, one of the authors of the course--Tiger Team Member Paul Drothler, AAV4DJ--made a point of cruising our frequencies to check out reaction during this first week. His very capable station in western Tennessee puts him in range of three MARS regions, and this is Paul’s reading:
"I have either monitored or directly participated in 41 nets since we released Unit 1. The obvious level of enthusiasm and involvement has been most gratifying. We have people checking into nets that have been dormant for many months. They are now participating regularly. Yes, some members will be lost and that’s regrettable, but it’s their decision.”
That’s my sense, too—that the Road Ahead and this vigorous new training have brought fresh interest and even excitement after too long a period of waiting for decisive movement. Personally, I’m saddened to see anyone leave Army MARS. However, I’m really proud of all those who are making the effort to increase our value to America by stepping up to this new training challenge.
I do have some cautions to express now as we dive into the nitty-gritty of change with Unit 2. There’s a lot at stake.
About the homework: From this point on, there’s a tremendous amount of information to digest each week. Grasping it is going to take more than one quick read just before the net. The purpose of homework isn’t to scope out where the key passages are so you can quickly read them back to the instructor if called on. That’s the old way. Now, we aim to acquire understandings that will pop back into our mind when needed in an emergency. No time then for looking things up. So, read the materials days before the net, then read them again a day before the net, then read them a gain just before the net. Write down your ideas, your questions, “Your Value Added part of this Team training.”
About net participation: My Tiger Team, for all their good work in drafting the 101 course, underestimated the on-air time needed for the follow-up interaction. A single one-hour net comes nowhere near the mark. “Interactive” demands orderly but open discussion--you might say “chewing over--by multiple members on multiple nets, everybody literally “tuned in.” That’s why I ask that the entire week’s nets should focus on the week’s 101 topic, and all members participating as often as possible. Please, let’s handle routine queries and announcements during this period by e-mail and Winlink, as we currently do anyway.
About deployment: Lastly, I want to address one misunderstanding that hadn’t been mentioned in time for the last Chief’s Net, namely, the issue of deployment. The Road Ahead devotes a lot of attention to the tasks members perform away from their home station, all the way from assisting at the local EOC to deploying into a disaster zone. These are vital tasks. But, there is no suggestion whatever that deployment will involve all members. In fact, we put great stress on the importance of Incident Reporting (was called EEI Reporting). Incident Reporting is a MARS mission that depends on the member being on duty at his own station and feeding information up the food chain. You are the eyes and first line of Ears from your locale.
A Helping Hand on 101
It occurred to Reggie Faust, AAM4RDE, the deputy director of Region 4 East, that a few members might lack the personal computers required for e-mail and digital access, as mandated in the Road Ahead.
Here’s his take: “I receive a daily bulletin about government auctions and usually there is a lot of equipment including computers, laptops and printers. I had been thinking of getting some of these and restoring them for use in MARS. With the Road Ahead program coming into play, the need for these became evident. As I come into these they will be made available to any MARS member with the need.” UNQUOTE. Thanks, Reggie. That’s a splendid and generous idea.
Reggie’s career includes a hitch as Coast Guard radioman on the big Blue Ocean, and employment as telephone repair technician on land. He knows his way around hardware. He joined MARS in 1996. During hurricane Katrina he was NCS on many of the emergency nets. He was state director for North Carolina before moving up to the AAM4RDE billet last year.
Speaking of the MARS tradition and MARSgrams in particular, Reggie says, “I have delivered several of these personally and the reaction is awesome. With the mission ahead I see us doing even more for our communities and country. There will be bumps in the road but we have experienced these before and adapted and overcome and WE can do it again.” UNQUOTE.
500-hour participation awards
Dave Popkin AAA9DP has turned in his annual compilation of participation champions, those with accumulations of 500 hours or more. There are some advances and some retreats but overall it’s a handsome performance.
The number of what I’ll call “grand champions,” that is, the members exceeding 2,000 hours in one year, dropped from seven in 2007 to three in 2008. Those in the 1,500-1,999 hour category jumped from seven in 2007 to 11 last year. The overall figure for 500 and above, all categories, dropped from 217 to 197.
But add it all up, and you get nearly 1 in every 10 members—9.8 percent to be exact—achieving the 500-hour mark. That's an impressive one and one-half percentage points ahead of 2007.
Dave’s tabulation shows it’s still a horse race among the regions. Rated by the percentage of members winning 500-plus certificates, Region 2 remains in first place, its score just one-tenth of one percent shy of last year’s 16 percent. Region 4 moved from third to second place with 12.6 percent, replacing Region 7, which with 12 percent, a point and a half down from 2007, dropped to fourth place. Third place goes to Region 3 with 12.4 percent, up from seventh.
If the most improved player title were limited to the usual top four scores, Region 3 would gain that prize, moving into third place from seventh. But, let’s also hear it for Region 9, which jumped to 5th place all the way from ninth. That involved a spectacular rise from 1.9 per cent participation over 500 hours in 2008 to 9.3 percent last year. And three more cheers for Region 6, which remained in 10th place but improved its certificate rate from 1 (one) per cent to 4.3 per cent in 2008. I join Dave Popkin in thanking Dawn Jaranowski and Carmen Griffin of the headquarters staff for a super job of issuing this year’s certificates in a record fast time. I know, because that required a lot of black ink from my pen.
Training Mission to the Pacific Command
Operations Chief Grant Hays is recently back from Hawaii where he conducted a four-day training session reintroducing military communicators to HF radio. The Army's Pacific Command sent 23 participants from as far as Korea and Japan to learn from the master. The Air Force sent a couple folks from Alaska and TSA sent an operator from Guam.
The subjects Grant taught included basic electronic theory, antennas, HF equipment, propagation and Winlink. This was hands-on training, and Grant said each member capped their learning experience by transmitting a message to their parent command by Winlink. Dennis Greenwood, PACOM Lead for Army MARS, spoke high praise of Grant's awesome performance. CAM says: guess we'll have to keep Grant on the road—he’s too valuable to the program to keep at home at AAA9USA. Don’t get any ideas Grant, I need you here too.
The Kentucky Ice Storm (continued)
I began the net this evening describing a small-scale model of interoperability. I’m going to conclude with a large-scale model, the ice storm that disabled much of Kentucky from late January into a good bit of February.
The 27 February chief’s net described how the Army MARS station at the Kentucky state EOC called for assistance from Tennessee when the emergency traffic on Winlink and HF threatened to overwhelm the two on-duty operators. That was four days into the crisis, and conditions in the westernmost Kentucky counties were still largely unknown at the state capital.
David Wolfe, AAR4CY/WA4VVX, the Chief of Communications at the Tennessee EOC in Nashville, mobilized joint response teams, some 20 state personnel in all, who deployed across the state line. With mobile Winlink and MT-63 they surveyed and supported eight isolated counties during the deployment that lasted 10 days for some.
Comms chief Wolfe had this to say: “The MARS WL2K system played a significant role in providing the local information immediately so they could act quickly to meet the needs with the resources required. Everyone involved with this vital emergency management communications tool, the MARS Winlink System, should be extremely proud to know that their system has helped to provide relief for Kentucky citizens.” CAM adds: “relief to American citizens.”
KY state director Jackson responded: “To all our wonderful friends in Tennessee, thank you so very much for all of your help and assistance during our time of need.” He apologized for not being able to remember all the call signs that pitched in. He did cite East Tennessee member Robert Hamilton AAR4HX, who captured traffic at Signal Mountain TN for relay back to KY; Pat Lane AAAA9EC, the Army MARS emergency coordinator, relaying from Memphis, and Navy-Marine Corps MARS member David Gray NNN0LES for “unique service” receiving VOIP from western Kentucky and relaying to the Frankfort EOC.
Conclusion
Team, you are awesome. I’m expecting a lot from you all, and from what I read and hear, you are stepping up to the plate and hitting “Home Runs.” It will be fun learning these new skills. And more skilled you will all become, as you learn how to more effectively interoperate with our EMCOM partners at the Federal, Regional, State (and undoubtedly local) levels.
Keep up the great work!! Until two weeks from tonight, TCAMO and ...
Semper Gumby!! CAM Out