Ok, so hilarious news I'm hearing from a contact inside the US Marines. Gross incompetence involved.

Apparently they have two main forms of battlefield communication radio. Both are heavily encrypted and digital. Both support both text and voice.

One uses VHF frequencies, and so is very reliable, redundant, difficult to jam, long range, etc. The frequency range it uses is in the same general area as the gold standard one that aircraft use to talk to ATC from long range because it's so good for long range voice communication. But it's even better because it's digital and can therefore overcome more radio noise. It's not as modern as the other one I will describe next, so there is a several second delay between what you say and it actually being transmitted, to give the computer time to encrypt and decrypt the signal. Because of this delay, you have to follow the radio procedures strictly to avoid talking over each other and such. Pretty easy though, just adjust the way you talk and it's fine.

The more modern one has almost no delay, it's like a discord call. You can just talk normally, have regular conversations. However, it's extremely easy to take down. It's not as long range and so requires the use of relays. These relays can't really be made redundant from my understanding, if any of the relays get taken down the whole network goes down. Also there is some central building that if it's taken down the whole network goes down worldwide. This happened recently and there was no comms for a day. It's also apparently extremely easy to triangulate the location of people using this comm system because of the frequencies it uses, according to the guy who told me this. He's the kind of nerd to build equipment to do this just cuz he's bored, so I believe him.

Idk the technical details of how that newer system works, it sounds like some bodged together military contractor scam, obviously no sane military communication system would work that way.

Given these factors the older VHF system is clearly superior. Slightly lower qol features in exchange for being way better at all the things important to the military, the choice is obvious.

However, most units refuse to use the older system because they communication delay forces them to actually follow radio procedures. To the point they don't even carry the vhf radios as backup, and even if they do, they don't know how to use them and even if they did, most people in their unit don't so they wouldn't have anyone to talk to. Despite this causing issues on exercises, they are stubbornly sticking to the newer radio system.