WASHINGTON, D.C. (MCT) — As several dozen soldiers from the U.S. Army’s Task Force Rock drove into Afghanistan’s Chowkay Valley one morning in March 2010, Taliban fighters immediately began moving into ambush positions along a higher ridge. The force’s mission was to protect a U.S. reconstruction team as it met with village leaders, but it was stuck in place as the Taliban reached their fighting posts.
What tied the soldiers down were their radios: a forest of plastic and metal cubes sprouting antennae of different lengths and sizes.
Some of these radios worked only while the troopers were stationary; others were simply too cumbersome to operate on the move.
Task Force Rock’s vulnerability that morning is routine for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. But it was never supposed to happen.
Almost 15 years ago, the Army launched an ambitious program, the Joint Tactical Radio System, aimed at developing several highly compatible “universal” radios.
But the need for simpler battlefield communications remains. After 15 years, the Army is still struggling to build better radios, and it estimates that it may need to spend another $12 billion to get what it needs. The U.S. taxpayer has paid the bill, but front-line soldiers such as those from Task Force Rock bear the true cost.
