The Army is testing an applica- tion that will allow soldiers to iden- tify insurgents through biometrics.
created by the Army’s Connecting Soldiers to Digital Apps program. The apps include training aids and plan- ning tools and give soldiers access to up-to-date information via smart- phone and tablet. Elektrobit, a Finnish wireless- engineering company, has custom- ized Android for the U.S. military. Jani Lyrintzis, vice president of spe- cial terminals at Elektrobit, believes multiple factors are behind DoD’s interest in adapting consumer tech- nologies. Lyrintzis notes in particular ongoing problems with the Joint Tac- tical Radio System program, which has cost the Army billions of dollars during the past 15 years. “The traditional DoD procure- ment model has resulted [in] way- too-long procurement cycles [and] high-cost devices with outdated re- quirements and specifications,” says Lyrintzis. “DoD has realized that rid- ing the consumer technology wave with ruggedization and additional security layers will address many of the flaws in [the] traditional procure- ment model, while allowing develop- ment of DoD-specific applications with easy integration to devices.” Lyrintzis says another major fac-
tor is “our young soldiers have grown used to using smartphones with touch screens.” He says 20-year-old soldiers immediately will be familiar with a military phone running Android, com- pared to one using “a ‘regular’ keypad- driven tactical radio.”
Specialized and secure The U.S. military increasingly is looking outside for help in the devel- opment of specialized military apps and technology that could perform everything from controlling fighter jets and missiles to performing fa- cial recognition to identify enemies.
PHOTOS: RIGHT, ASHLEY BLUMENFELD, JPEO JTRS/U.S. ARMY; TOP, LT. COL. DEANNA BAGUE, USA
Boeing Technology Services and the Massachusetts Institute of Technol- ogy, for example, developed a proto- type app that allows someone to fly a miniature unmanned aircraft from an iPhone. The technology potential- ly could be used to remotely control unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as drones used for combat and reconnaissance missions. Boeing Co. announced in April it
is developing a mobile phone, based on the Android operating system, that will compete with other manufactur- ers offering highly secure communi- cation devices. The company said the phone would be available at a lower price than those of its competitors, which typically sell secure phones for as high as $20,000, but not so inex- pensive that it would be considered a mass-market product. “The Boeing phone” will be launched in late 2012, and the company has remained mum regarding its exact features. “We are developing a trusted mo-
bile device that will serve the U.S. government defense and security markets, which require a higher level of security than is currently avail- able in the commercial marketplace,”
Paratroopers at Fort Bragg, N.C., communicate with radios and smartphones during a field exercise.
AUGUST 2012 MILITARY OFFICER 53
says Lynn Farrow, spokesperson for Boeing Communications. “This is a highly competitive market, and we will share product launch and other details closer to product launch.” Raytheon has designed a smart-
phone-like device, called the Ray- theon Advanced Tactical System (RATS), that includes interactive communication for intelligence col- laboration, real-time full-motion video and imagery, social networking capabilities, and more. Soldiers can report GPS coordinates and line of bearing using
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