[LINK] US Military Smartphone strategy

[Jan Whitaker]

[speaking of military driving technology.... they are huge, so they 
wield a huge $$ stick]

U.S. Military Unveils Smartphone Strategy

By Andrea Shalal-Esa

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military on Friday released a new 
strategy aimed at tapping the full potential of smartphones and other 
mobile devices while maintaining adequate security and reliability.

Details must still be worked out, but the policy lays the groundwork 
for big battles between Research in Motion, which makes the 
Pentagon's most commonly used BlackBerry device, and competitors like 
Apple and Google.

The strategy aims to better coordinate an array of pilot programs and 
other initiatives already under way across the Department of Defense 
and the various military services.

Teri Takai, the Pentagon's chief information officer, said the 
Pentagon hoped to leverage the technology of smartphones and other 
mobile device technologies to improve information sharing, 
collaboration and efficiencies across the military services and other 
Pentagon agencies.

Dennis Moran, a retired Army general and vice president for 
communications equipment maker Harris Corp, welcomed the new strategy 
and said it would help clarify the U.S. military's approach to mobile devices.

"People have been calling for this for years," said Moran, who once 
ran the White House Communications Agency. "It's acknowledging that 
the world is moving toward mobility and the department's got to move 
in that same direction," he said.

The U.S. military already uses more than 250,000 BlackBerry devices 
built by Research In Motion, and has begun piloting the use of 
several thousand devices made by Apple or powered by Google's Android software.

Takai said the new strategy would take advantage of existing 
technology, the ability to use or build custom applications, and a 
workforce increasingly comfortable with using smart phones and other devices.

"This strategy is not simply about embracing the newest technology - 
it is about keeping the DoD workforce relevant in an era when 
information and cyberspace play a critical role in mission success," she said.
more at the link: 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/15/us-military-smartphones_n_1601562.html?utm_hp_ref=technology



Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
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