iPhone, Android Smartphones Recruited for Official Defense Department UseDecember 02, 2011
Should defense officials give ground troops the ability to track friendly forces on a smartphone — or to see images transmitted to a smartphone from a drone overhead depicting items of interest around the troops on the ground? The Department of Defense (DoD) is hoping to have apps for that soon, according to an article in the Army Times. The article noted that, until recently, all official defense business has been limited to the BlackBerry. But that is changing fast. The Defense Information Systems Agency, which is responsible for digital security across the military, is close to approving the use of iPhones and Android phones, according to the Army Times. The approval has been slow in coming because the agency wants to ensure the new phones will not expose classified information or make the DoD’s networks vulnerable to cyber attacks. The DoD has not yet said officially whether it will accept off-the-shelf smartphones like the iPhone or require modified military versions, according to the article. The Army, meanwhile, is considering downgrading some classified information to allow easier exchange to smartphones. “One thing we’re looking at is allowing information to flow a little better,” the Army’s chief scientist, Scott Fish, told the Army Times. The article also noted that the Marine Corp is buying portable hotspots that allow Marines to create a 4G cellular network from scratch anywhere in the world. |
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