Way too expensive for me to buy "just to have," but the Motorola DTR series seems like it can provide pretty secure, robust, digital voice and SMS for point-to-point comms (if that's how you're defining "short comms").

Tri-square also makes some ISM band two-way radios, but I hear they're junk.

Since the OP is talking about the 9/11 Commission results, didn't they also recommend that we establish a civilian Signal Corps ASAP made up of Amateur Radio folks? Hmmm, another decent suggestion gone by the wayside.