NATO STO

Acoustic communication (Speech and hearing) is one of the most important abilities for soldiers to perform their tasks. Misunderstandings can cause fatal accidents or lead to errors in decision making. Within NATO coalitions, communications take place between native and non-native English-Speakers and English-Listeners. Communicating in a non-native language between speakers and listeners with even the best of language skills can be difficult, and variations in the levels of language training, environmental noise, operational acuity, and adjunct communication gear can make reasonable speaker/listeners non-functional at communicating. The NATO setup imposes inherent communications risks which need to be analyzed to develop rules for a reliable multilingual Auditory Communication between participating nations. Most communication in the military takes place using the transfer of acoustic information (Speaking- Listening): Radio-transmission is used in virtually all communication chains, and almost always by speaking and listening mode. The quicker information is needed, the more likely it will be conveyed through acoustic transmission. Visual or tactile communication requires line of site, or close proximity and involves averting focus or weapon contact to pass along non-verbal communication. Written communication is time consuming and requires special equipment (printers; monitors) that is not always available. Englilsh is the default language for NATO communication. Most NATO soldiers have other-than-English native tongues, and extent of language training in the English language (written, reading, listening abilities) is highly heterogeneous depending on many factors (School English education; exposure to English; general educational level; and many more). Military vocabulary and Tactical operational language and communication modes are not often taught in school systems. Even among native English speaking soldiers communications is endangered by dialects, pronunciation, slang, education etc. It is self-evident that communication miscues can pose serious life threatening risks to Military personnel, Military weapon systems, and may lead to errors in decision making decreasing unity of effort and overall operational performance. In a typical NATO situation a French soldier communicates with a German or Polish soldier in English. From the linguistic point of view this adds a degree of difficulty that threatens communication efficacy. The pronunciation of English words by French soldiers, for example, is less clear than from native English speakers, and the auditory differentiation ability of French-spoken English phonemes by a German or Polish soldier is reduced in comparison to their ability to understand a native English speaker. Therefore the reliability of communication is at greater risk. Hearing loss due to combat injuries is a common sequelae of military training and military operations, to a greater extent than even post traumatic stress disorders (in many countries were data are available). It is an increasingly common health problem in any population. Hearing loss will further degrade communication quality. The CSO 229 recommended a concept for a NATO-wide Database, to assess hearing function. One of the aims of the database, was to provide adequate data to assess hearing function and performance. The CSO 229 group proposed this TAP as the next step to reduce communication risks for soldiers.