DE AFN1EC NR 007
P 201815Z FEB 07
FM AFN1EC ME
TO USAF MARS
INFO SHARES
ZEN ARMY MARS
ZEN NAVMARCORMARS
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SUBJ: ECOM BDCST 07-07 EXERCISE DEEP FREEZE 07 OPS SUMMARY PART 1
1. ON 10 FEB 07, USAF MARS CONDUCTED A MAJOR SNOW AND ICE STORM ECOM EXERCISE TO DEMONSTRATE MARS CAPABILITY TO SUPPORT THE USAF AND JOINT ECOM PLANS BY PROVIDING RADIO COMMUNICATIONS THAT:
A. AUGMENT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) EMERGENCY AND DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE OPERATIONS BY PROVIDING PRIMARY OR BACK-UP COMMUNICATIONS LINKS BETWEEN DOD ORGANIZATIONS AND FEDERAL RESPONSE AGENCIES.
B. ENHANCE DEFENSE SUPPORT TO CIVILIAN AUTHORITIES (DSCA) DURING EMERGENCY AND DISASTER RESPONSE AND RECOVERY OPERATIONS BY PROVIDING STATE AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES WITH COMMUNICATIONS LINKS TO DOD AND FEDERAL RESPONSE AGENCIES.
C. PROVIDE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF INFORMATION (EEI) REPORTS TO EMERGENCY PLANNERS.
2. EXTENSIVE COORDINATION WITH POTENTIAL ECOM PARTNERS AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE AGENCIES RESULTED IN ONE OF THE LARGEST MARS MULTI-AGENCY EXERCISES IN MARS HISTORY. WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NY, A VERY REALISTIC SCENARIO WAS PROVIDED TO THE PARTICIPANTS AND PROVED TO BE A GOOD TEST OF PLANS ABOVE AND BEYOND EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS.
A. THIS IS THE FIRST ECOM EXERCISE INVOLVING MARS AND AMATEUR RADIO CROSS BAND OPERATIONS WHICH WAS AUTHORIZED BY THE FCC FOR THIS EXERCISE, AT THE REQUEST OF USAF MARS WITH ARRL SUPPORT. B. INTERAGENCY COOPERATION AND INTEROPERABILITY BETWEEN AGENCIES
WAS A TREMENDOUS SUCCESS. ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE EAGER PARTICIPANTS AND WORKED HARD TO MAKE THE EXERCISE A SUCCESS.
C. MANY RESPONDERS AND SUPPORT AGENCIES LEARNED VALUABLE LESSONS WHEN THEY WERE REQUIRED TO DEPEND UPON TACTICAL TYPE COMMUNICATIONS RATHER THAN THEIR DAY TO DAY COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE. IT'S A BIG DIFFERENCE AND A LESSON LEARNED.
3. ECOM PLANNERS FROM PARTICIPATING AGENCIES COORDINATED EFFORTS TO ENSURE AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS RESPONSE TO THE SIMULATED WEATHER DISASTER.
4. MANY NETS WERE REQUIRED TO HANDLE THE ECOM RELATED TRAFFIC. NET ACTIVITY ESTIMATES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
A. JOINT MARS REGIONAL VOICE NET - 144 STATIONS/100+ EEI REPORTS
B. JOINT MARS TRANSCON VOICE NET - 53 STATIONS/40 MESSAGES
C. AF MARS PHONE PATCH NET - 10 STATIONS/7 PHONE PATCHES
D. USAF TRANSCON DIGITAL AND ARMY MARS WINLINK NET - 70 STATIONS/192 EEI REPORTS
E. ARES 75 METER NET - 101 STATIONS/17 STORM-RELATED TACTICAL MESSAGES TO MARS STATIONS
F. SHARES NET - 5 STATIONS/2 MESSAGES
G. NY STATE GUARD - 6 MILITARY EMERGENCY RADIO NETWORK STATIONS

END PART 1 OF 2
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