Pentagon Radio Volunteers Move to New Office

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 (AAN3PNT-LVH) 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The shortwave broadcasts have been superseded by the Internet, and servicemembers in many parts of the U.S. Central Command area can use cell phones and voice over Internet protocol to speak with those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. Rich 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

NPOESS Program Restructured

WASHINGTON - The Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced today that they have restructured the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS). This $ 4.2 billion modification of the Northrop Grumman Space Technology contract culminates a rigorous year long effort to re-plan virtually every aspect of the NPOESS program following its certification through the Nunn McCurdy process in 2006. The plan details the development and delivery of the system through initial production in the next decade.

This extensive re-planning was a joint effort between the three agencies, which comprise the NPOESS Integrated Program Office and Northrop Grumman Space Technology. The schedule delivers sensors to the NPOESS Preparatory Project to support a 2009 launch, and calls for the launch of the first NPOESS satellite in 2013.

The restructured contract puts in place a "back to basics" approach with management controls and reporting requirements which will ensure strict oversight of the contractor. The fee structure is now more objective through the inclusion of incentives for cost, schedule and technical performance.

"This is the most extensive and rigorous planning process I have ever witnessed," said Gary Davis, the Program Executive Officer for Environmental Satellites. "This restructured program will provide the meteorological community with the exceptional performance that they require to maintain the quality forecasting capability that the American public has come to expect."

NPOESS maintains the capability to restore sensors that were removed during the Nunn-McCurdy process, through sponsorship and cooperative agreements. The program has also been restructured to allow sufficient time for integration of the de-manifested sensors.

Northrop Grumman Space Technology, Redondo Beach, Calif., is being awarded a cost-plus-award-fee with multiple incentives contract modification for $2,346,892,272. The $4.2 billion includes residual value on the contract.

The re-baselined NPOESS system consists of two spacecraft, nine sensors and associated calibration and validation (including NPOESS Preparatory Project sensors), 15 Safety Net(TM) receptor sites, the command, communication and control system, ground processing, and operations through 2016.

Sensors manifested on NPOESS and the NPOESS Preparatory Project include:

· Visible/Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). Collects visible and infrared radiometric data of the Earth's atmosphere, ocean, and land surfaces. Data types include atmospheric, clouds, Earth radiation budget, land/water and sea surface temperature, ocean color, and low light imagery. (NPP)

· Microwave Imager/Sounder (MIS). Collects microwave radiometry and sounding data.

· Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS). Measures Earth's radiation to determine the vertical distribution of temperature, moisture, and pressure in the atmosphere. (NPP)

· Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS). In conjunction with CrIS, collects global observations of temperature and moisture profiles at high temporal resolution. (NPP)

· Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS-Nadir and Limb). Collects data to permit the calculation of the vertical and horizontal distribution of ozone in the Earth's atmosphere. (NPP will fly nadir and limb; NPOESS will fly nadir only)

· Data Collection System (A-DCS). Measures environmental factors such as atmospheric temperature and pressure and the velocity and direction of the ocean and wind currents.

· Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES). Measures both solar-reflected and Earth-emitted radiation from the top of the atmosphere to the Earth's surface.

· Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT). Uses NOAA satellites in low-Earth and geostationary orbits to detect and locate aviators, mariners, and land-based users in distress.

· Space Environment Monitor (SEM). Measures the near-Earth space environment in terms of neutral and charged particles, electron and magnetic fields.