WASHINGTON — In war stories across a multitude of mediums, there is often a moment where a Soldier shouts into a radio to some unseen entity on the receiving end of the line. Whether it is giving a direct command or delivering information, this format of communication has been in rotation within the Army since the 1940s with the “manpack” radio, which was a relatively heavy radio that could be carried by a Soldier in a ruck.
Since then, there have been many updates to the way the Army communicates by adding security measures and changing the platform to meet mission requirements.
Even though these methods of communication have met the needs of fighting yesterday’s war, they will need to be updated to meet the needs of tomorrow.