Official websites use .mil
Secure .mil websites use HTTPS
In November of 1925 the Army Signal Corps and the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) joined to activate the Army Amateur Radio System (AARS) providing communications during national disasters. The first “gateway” at Fort Monmouth, call sign “2CXL,” activated on 1 November 1925 led by Capt. Thomas C. Rives. When the Air Force and Nave joined later, AARS was renamed to accommodate their membership. MARS is over 90 years old and a changing mission reflects in its longevity. Today MARS Members are civilian volunteers whose mission is “to assist with DoD or Civilian authorities, operations during, or response to, any major disruption of DoD or other communications network, such as those associated with official national security or emergency preparedness events or activities,” DODI 4650.02 (December 2009). The US communication network of today is the internet (cyberspace). All communication use cyberspace technology. The threat to cyberspace is from everywhere, nature, individuals, terrorist organizations (state sponsored, or otherwise), and from the cyberspace technology itself. One of MARS strategic missions is providing communications backup in the event of a cyberspace outage, local, state, regional, or nationally.
==================================