I'm a Navy MARS member in TN. We have a great organization and a great state director. I hate to see MARS leave the served agencies hanging. Their message stated without question that there would be no more served agencies. I personally think this is a mistake but I'm not in charge. Many of these agencies have invested money and time in the WL2K infrastructure based on representations that were made to them by the MARS organization. Just my opinion. One thing I do find very strange about Army MARS is their penchant for OPSEC yet they ask you to provide permission for your name and photo to be published in social media on their application. In fact, you would be excoriated on their nets for giving your name or calling someone by their name yet you can go to their FB page and see the same information. This seems to fly in the face of recent DOD advisories to personnel NOT to identify themselves as being a military member in their social media. Kind of silly don't you think?
Now, to criticize my own service, it is sad to see that the current generation of Navy leadership seems to have forgotten the countless hours that MARS operators provided for free to provide messages from home, phone patches, etc. I realize that technology has changed and it is a great thing that serving sailors and marines are able to email home, Skype, etc. We can't live in the past but I still think the need for HF is there for the Navy.
Finally, the ARRL article that is on-line, which quoted an official who didn't want to be named (read ARMY MARS), that the Army had boots on the ground, etc., Navy MARS was land-locked, etc., makes no sense whatsoever. A big bunch of hooey, self-serving and insulting.
There is more driving this than just some blue-suiter. You can take my inference however you choose.
Steve, N4JQQ/NNN0QCJ