The National Plan and Rank and Recognition Program. I have just spoken of a special welcome for new members. Actually, we're all of us going to be trainees during the first months of 2008. The new Voice SOP is only part of it. All of us will also be discussing and applying two additional documents that will guide Army MARS operations for the foreseeable future. One is our first National Plan, the other a brand-new blueprint for training and advancement. They will affect all that we do in Army MARS.

After the best part of a year in preparation, these initiatives are now ready for distribution. They will first be released to the Chief's Staff and Region and State Directors for study. There will be a 14 day period of review after which the Region Directors will consolidate comments and send them to my Headquarters staff, which will review the input and make any necessary adjustments. Only then will I release them to you, the Army MARS Force.

Both documents represent a major change for Army MARS, but will ensure Army MARS is positioned to fulfill its assigned first priority mission, namely, to provide emergency communications.

TSA/Army MARS Operational Planning Conference

Army MARS will be participating in an operational planning conference with TSA 222-24 January 2008 in Tucson, AZ. This conference will develop a communications plan as an annex to the Disaster Preparedness Plan, which will be used by every Federal Security Director

(FSD) .This conference, will formalize the operational aspects of the TSA/Army MARS MOU.

Army MARS Regional Exercises

Army MARS continues to train to provide professional emergency communications support to customers. This weekend, 2 exercises are being held which demonstrate this:

--Region 1, 2, 3 exercise coordinated by Bill Fitzsimmons RD Region 2. This exercise will focus on region interoperability and will include significant participation by members of AF MARS.

--Region 9 will conduct a communications exercise in support of the Arizona Emergency Management Agency. This is the first exercise specifically involving Army MARS and the state emergency communications unit which has an Army MARS licenses and call sign. This follows last fall's joint exercise with the Tennessee EMA.

I look forward to reading the after action reports from both exercises.

Chief, Army MARS Net Notes, 18 January 2008

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