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Mississippi Simulated Emergency Test 2026

· Exercises
Operation Undead - Simulated Emergency Test (SET)

Operation Undead

I. Situation

Mississippi will face a simulated catastrophic disruption of commercial communications infrastructure, compounded by a fictional biological threat. A novel pathogen scenario will mimic elements of an “undead” outbreak and require coordination with public-health officials for quarantine support, resource allocation, and emergency communications.

Simulated Disruptions

Exercise participants should be prepared to respond to the following simulated conditions:

  • Biological Threat: A fictional pathogen outbreak requiring coordination of quarantine activities and allocation of critical resources.
  • Infrastructure Failure: Widespread disruption of landline and wireless communications infrastructure.
  • System Overload: Significant congestion of federal, state, and local public-safety and public-service radio systems.

This is a training exercise. All incidents and conditions described in the scenario are simulated.

II. Mission

The Mississippi Section Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) will coordinate amateur radio operators in support of public safety, public service, state government, local government, and public-health organizations.

The exercise will run from 7:00 AM until 7:00 PM on Saturday, March 14, 2026.

Exercise Start

The SET will be launched at 7:00 AM during the Magnolia Section Net. Formal SET roll call will begin at approximately 7:30 AM, following the conclusion of the Magnolia Section Net.

III. Execution

  • Deployment: ARES operators may participate from home stations, mobile units, portable stations, Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs), and public-health agency locations.

  • Purpose: Evaluate strengths and weaknesses in emergency communications preparedness while demonstrating ARES capabilities to served agencies and the public.

  • Coordination: County Emergency Coordinators will coordinate participating ARES teams and communications among local responders, emergency-management organizations, and public-health agencies.

  • Communications Strategy: Initial notifications may use normal communications channels. As the simulated communications disruption progresses, amateur radio RF networks will become the primary exercise communications method.

IV. Administration and Logistics

Participant Reporting

Participants will submit exercise reports following the SET.

  • Form A: Emergency Coordinator (EC) SET Report
    Used by ECs and DECs to report local or district participation and exercise results.

  • Form B: Net Manager (NM) SET Report
    Used by Net Managers to report net statistics, traffic totals, and liaison information.

Participants may also submit After-Action Reports (AARs), photographs, press releases, and other narrative material through the designated upload system.

Training and Coordination

Coordination teleconferences and sign-up information for Net Control Operators (NCOs) and traffic handlers will be distributed in follow-up communications.

Interstate Cooperation

The exercise may include simulated traffic exchange with neighboring ARES organizations as part of the multi-state scenario.

SET Documents

The following exercise documents will be made available to participants:

  • 2026 SET Operations Order
  • HF Net Preamble
  • HF Net NCO Schedule
  • DMR Net NCO Schedule
  • 2026 SET Script

V. Command and Signal

Command

The Mississippi Section ARES Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) will coordinate the exercise.

Communications

Exercise communications may use:

  • HF
  • VHF
  • UHF
  • Analog voice
  • SSB
  • Digital modes

Activation and Termination

Exercise activation and termination will be announced over the designated HF frequencies and DMR talkgroup.

Exercise Identification

All participants must clearly identify exercise traffic as simulated and comply with applicable FCC regulations.

2026 SET Scenario

Multiple fictional outbreak zones will be simulated in the Pine Belt and Delta regions. The exercise assumes that local medical facilities are operating under significant demand and that normal landline and cellular communications have been disrupted by heavy traffic and simulated infrastructure failures.

ARES operators will be expected to establish alternate communications pathways and relay simulated emergency, public-health, logistical, and resource information.

Sample Exercise Traffic

Exercise messages should clearly state that the information is simulated.

Example:

THIS IS A DRILL.

Public Health District 3 reports a simulated shortage of medical supplies at the exercise quarantine zone in [County Name]. Request status of simulated resource allocation and relay to the State EOC.

THIS IS A DRILL.

Key Contacts

  • Mississippi Section Manager
  • Mississippi Section ARES Section Emergency Coordinator

Operation Undead - Novel Pathogen