From Reuters: Poor NATO coordination is putting lives at risks in Afghanistan, with field commanders sometimes using four different radios to communicate with troops around them, the head of the alliance said on Monday.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in a speech in Brussels failure to standardise equipment, from helicopters to combat vehicles, was also adding to costs. …

"The commander in Helmand province in Afghanistan has needed four different radios to communicate with four different national contingents," he told the Belgian defence institute.

"Similarly, we found that different Friendly Force Tracking Systems allowed nations to track their own forces, but not those of other nations – putting lives at risk," he said. (photo: AP)

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