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Communicators Need to Lighten the Load for Marines

The Corps is bearing a burden that may be too much for individuals.

Individual U.S. Marines are carrying too heavy a load into combat thanks to new information technologies, said the commanding general of the 1 Marine Expeditionary Force. Lt. Gen. David H. Berger, USMC, told the audience at a panel discussion during West 2015, being held in San Diego, February 10-12, the weight of equipment being carried into combat by individual warfighters needed to be reduced.

“We’re carrying too much weight. Some is for protection, but a lot is command and control,” he stated. “We need help shedding that weight; we need to do it lighter.”

The problem may have its roots in the desire to incorporate the newest technologies into the force without considering all ramifications. “If we just chase technology, we’ll never catch up,” Gen. Berger warned.