AGILITY MATTERS
On the Spot
Army eyes smartphone capabilities and risks in tactical communications by Kris Osborn
T
hrough a series of ongoing evaluations called Connect- ing Soldiers to Digital Apps (CSDA), the Army is find-
ing that the use of smartphones leads to an increase in spot reports (SPOTREPs), wherein Soldiers share tactically relevant information across the force in real time.
CSDA is an initiative that places smart- phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) in the hands of Soldiers in mock operational scenarios. Army officials are learning that sharing data, images, and even video instantaneously can provide a tactical advantage on the battlefield.
“Think of Mission Command. Part of what we have to have is shared under- standing. This is another way for the individual Soldier to send something back to his squad leader or fellow squad members,” said Rickey Smith, Direc- tor of the Army Capabilities Integration Center-Forward.
Soldiers who went through mock com- bat exercises with mobile smart devices achieved as much as a 40 percent increase in SPOTREPs, which included taking photographs and sharing data within their formations.
MULTIPLE CAPABILITIES
“As much as possible, this ability to get information in real time horizontally and vertically is important. A smartphone is a camera, it is a voice communication
14 Army AL&T Magazine
DESIGNING APPLICATIONS
PFC Nicholas Johnson (left) of 1st Battalion, 35th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division demonstrates an application he designed to GEN Robert W. Cone, Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, during the Network Integration Evaluation at White Sands Missile Range, NM, in June. (U.S. Army photo by Annie Gammell.)
device, and it provides chat text. You can send or receive photos, graphics, and vid- eos,” Smith said.
During evaluations, Soldiers take pictures and send them back to headquarters, or speed up the pace of a medical evacuation by providing location information quickly.
In addition, the Army has had success running situational awareness Battle
Command applications on smartphones. These applications include Joint Battle Command-Platform, a next-generation force-tracking program that can show the locations of friendly forces.
One of the applications Soldiers experi- mented with is Soldier Eyes, which uses mapping technology to show Soldiers their locations in relation to their fel- low Soldiers and the surrounding terrain,
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140
