Gary Sessums, left, Navy Capt. Rick Low and John Grimes discuss
communications capabilities at the new Military Affiliate Radio System
office in the Pentagon, Oct. 21, 2009. DoD photo by Sally Sobsey
By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON - A military institution designed to provide emergency
communications has moved to new quarters in the Pentagon.
John G. Grimes, the former assistant secretary of defense for networks and
information integration, cut the ribbon on the new Military Affiliate Radio
System (MARS) office on the fifth floor of the Pentagon on October 21.
The facility is packed with shortwave radios, radio-telephone patches,
computers and data links. It is manned by the Pentagon Amateur Radio Club.
"This is a great facility, manned totally by volunteers," Grimes
said. "It's a crucial capability for our country."
The system - known by the acronym MARS - began in the early 1950s. It was a
worldwide network of shortwave radio enthusiasts who would spring into action
in the event of a nuclear war or natural disaster. Thousands of civilian and
military ham radio volunteers manned the system.
"In the years before the Internet, deployed servicemembers
kept in touch with families and friends using MARS," said Gary Sessums, a contractor in the Pentagon and one of the
stalwarts of the radio club.
From the Korean War to the Gulf War, soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines used
"Marsgrams" to keep in touch. Ham radio
operators called these "health and welfare" messages.
The shortwave broadcasts have been superseded by the Internet, and servicemembers in many parts of the U.S. Central Command
area can use cell phones and voice over Internet protocol to speak with those
back home. Still, in the event of an emergency, high-frequency communication is
generally the first to recover, and even the most modern technology can get
overloaded.
Allan Hubbert, a volunteer in the Pentagon, noted
communication problems during President Barack Obama's Jan. 20 inauguration as
an example. "During the inauguration, there were so many people on cell
phones that it overloaded the system," he said. "We could still
operate, and helped back up the system down on the [National] Mall."
More than 60 volunteers help to man the Pentagon node of the system. They will
turn out in force to help with communications for the Marine Corps Marathon,
which will be held in the area this weekend. "In that case, we can help
act as a bridge between the military and various local and regional
agencies," said Navy Capt. Rick Low.
With more than 6,000 volunteers worldwide, the system now also backs up the
Department of Homeland Security. "There have been many crises or disasters
that have struck where the first word out of an area is via [shortwave radio],
and someone has their little gas generator going," Grimes said.
"That's not likely to change any time soon."
You can learn more about this new Pentagon Radio Station (Amateur and MARS) on
the PARC website at http://www.k4af.org/.
A volunteer mans his radio at the new Military Affiliate Radio System
in the Pentagon, Oct. 21, 2009. DoD photo by Sally Sobsey