Army rethinking tactical radios as it tries to lighten soldier load.

• Position: From the National Defense Blog: NationalDefenseMagazine.org/blog

Following a spring 2014 field evaluation of prototype handheld and backpack-size radios that the Army had been developing and buying for several years, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster wrote a memo in which he called for a review of radio procurements, especially the manpack device that he considered too bulky and heavy for soldiers to carry and use in combat.

McMaster's critique rattled program offices that had spent years working on these radios. The problem, as he sees it, is that the Army is overloading soldiers with complex gear that puts them at a disadvantage in combat.

Heavy radios mean less "tactical mobility," said McMaster, who as director of the Army Capabilities and Integration Center has a strong...