Soldier Ant 

What's the Frequency, Kenneth? Set phasers to 'Strange':

The transmitter is set to barrage Tagers brain with messages and noise, should he decide to not return and report on his mission. The transmitter would only be removed from his brain upon his safe return to the future. I should add here that future Vice-President Kenneth Burrows just happens to look exactly like, yep you guessed it, Dan Rather:

Of course I remember the Rather incident (and that REM song is, believe it or not, my alltime favorite of theirs.) But the Tager story (and the unfortunate death of Campbell Montgomery) had completely escaped my attention.