Army MARS Restructures, Decentralizes, Leadership

Army MARS Chief Stephen Klinefelter, AAA9A, speaks at
a meeting of the MARS Government Executive Board.
(Photo courtesy Army MARS)

The Chief of Army MARS - the Military Auxiliary Radio System - has put day-to-day management of the organization into the hands of the 11 volunteer Region Directors who make up the MARS Government Executive Board. “You will tell us if you can take on a task and you will tell us the resources you need,” Chief Stephen Klinefelter told the directors, according to a news release. “Our responsibility at HQ will be to provide the training and the resources and to support you.”

Klinefelter also announced that this fall, the Army MARS headquarters staff will be adding a full-time civilian Program Officer with amateur radio as well as upper-level Army experience. The new Program Officer will report to Klinefelter, but he told the directors, "You're in charge … You're responsible."