Military: A $30 Million Wrong Number

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What we have here is a failure to communicate. In a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Senator John Warner of Virginia disclosed that although the Army purchased field-communications equipment for itself and the Air Force, the two services might not be able to talk to each other directly under certain circumstances. "I simply can't believe it," said Warner. "Aren't the Army and the Air Force both on the same side?"

"We goofed," said an Army spokesman. Several years ago, the Army acted as purchasing agent for the Air Force's communications equipment. Then the Army bought 200 Super High Frequency Multi-Channel Initial Systems devices. They were to be shipped to Army combat units next fall. Although both systems are linked to an armed forces communications network, in remote locations they cannot reach each other as they are now set up. The Army will not say how much its equipment originally cost, but it now plans to spend $30 million to adapt the system. The Air Force already has been forced to modify its equipment as well.