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THE HOUR.  THESE MESSAGES COVER TOPICS SUCH AS SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN
MILITARY HISTORY, HF TIPS, TRICKS, AND TECHNIQUES, AND UPCOMING HF
EXERCISES.  DURING EACH BROADCAST, LISTENERS ARE PROVIDED A URL AND
ASKED TO TAKE A LISTENER SURVEY.  THE SURVEY RESULTS ARE
PERIODICALLY SHARED WITH WWV/H PERSONNEL AND THEIR HEADQUARTERS AT
THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY NIST.  JOINING
MARS THERE ARE STRINGENT QUALIFICATION AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
PUBLIC SERVICE MILITARY AUXILIARY RADIO SYSTEM MARS UPDATE THE US
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DOD SPONSORS THE MILITARY AUXILIARY RADIO
SYSTEM, OR MARS.  MARS IS MANAGED AND OPERATED IN TWO PROGRAMS, ONE
BY THE US ARMY AND THE OTHER BY THE US AIR FORCE.  MARS RECRUITS
TALENTED AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS TO COMMUNICATE IN AND SUPPORT
MILITARY RADIO NETWORKS WITH ASSIGNMENTS OUTSIDE OF THE HF BANDS TO
PROVIDE BACKUP AND AUGMENTATION OF MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS.  MARS
HAS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY OVER THE YEARS.  MANY OLDER QST READERS MAY
REMEMBER THE POPULAR PHONE PATCH OPERATIONS IN THE 60S, ARRANGED AND
CONDUCTED FOR TROOPS IN VIETNAM AND THEIR FAMILIES BACK HOME.
TODAY, MARS AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS STILL OPERATE A PHONE PATCH
NETWORK SUPPORTING AIR FORCE AIRCRAFT AND SOMETIMES ARMY MANEUVER
UNITS, BUT THEY ALSO TRAIN TO SUPPORT COMPLEX COMMUNICATIONS
TASKING, WHICH COULD INVOLVE MAJOR DISASTERS AND EVEN CYBER SECURITY
BREACHES.  IT SUPPORTS US NATIONAL GUARD TRAINING AND OPERATIONS, AS
WELL AS THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY SHARED RESOURCES SHARES
HF RADIO PROGRAM.  MARS MEMBERS OPERATE THEIR RADIO STATIONS ON THE
SAME NET WITH MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT STATIONS PROMOTING
INTEROPERABILITY.  THE ARMY MARS IS HEADQUARTERED AT FORT HUACHUCA,
ARIZONA, AND THE AIR FORCE MARS IS HEADQUARTERED AT THE SCOTT AIR
FORCE BASE IN ST. CLAIR COUNTY, ILLINOIS.  MARS HISTORY MARS EVOLVED
FROM THE ORIGINAL ARMY AMATEUR RADIO SYSTEM, ESTABLISHED IN 1925.
THE ARMY AND AIR FORCE MARS HEADQUARTERS STATIONS WERE OPERATED FROM
THE PENTAGON DURING THE 1950S AND 1960S.  THE MILITARY CALL SIGN OF
THE ARMY MARS STATION WAS WAR, AND ITS FCC CALL SIGN FOR THE AMATEUR
BANDS WAS K4USA.  THE AIR FORCE MARS CALL SIGN WAS AIR, WITH AN
AMATEUR RADIO CALL SIGN OF K4AF.  DURING THE 60S, AIR FORCE MARS
MEMBER AND US SENATOR BARRY GOLDWATER, K7UGA/ AFC6BC, OPERATED HIS
PHOENIX, ARIZONA, STATION TO CONDUCT THOUSANDS OF PHONE PATCHES FROM
SERVICE PERSONNEL IN SOUTHEASTERN ASIA TO LOVED ONES BACK HOME.  THE
ARMY PHONE PATCH PROGRAM IN VIETNAM STARTED WITH SIX STATIONS AND
WAS COMPLETED IN 1969, WITH 47 MARS STATIONS IN SEVEN NETS THAT
CONDUCTED MORE THAN 42,000 PHONE PATCHES EACH MONTH.  IN 1948, THE
ARMY AND AIR FORCE ESTABLISHED THE MILITARY AMATEUR RADIO SYSTEM,
LATER RENAMING IT THE MILITARY AFFILIATE RADIO SYSTEM.  IN 1962,
NAVY MARINE CORPS MARS WAS LAUNCHED, CREATING A JOINT SERVICE
PROGRAM.  IN 1997, ARMY MARS AND AIR FORCE MARS INAUGURATED ON THE
AIR INTEROPERABILITY.  IN 2009, THE PROGRAM WAS RENAMED THE MILITARY
AUXILIARY RADIO SYSTEM.  IN 2011, AIR
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