Technology

Forget the Leatherman, or the entrenching tool:  the new all-in-one device gaining a strong foothold in the kit bag of the American soldier is Apple’s iPod Touch, and to a lesser degree, the iPhone.

The future of ‘networked warfare,’ according to Newsweek, requires each soldier to be linked electronically to other troops in the field, as well as to weapons systems and intelligence sources.  In the past, a hand-held device that performed these functions would have been designed, built, and tested under military auspices, at considerable taxpayer expense.  Why go through all that time, trouble, and treasure, when the best solution for the problem can be found on the consumer market?  Best of all, many American soldiers are already familiar with Apple devices, so training time and start-up cost for implementation programs is minimal.  And Apple’s app store paradigm is just icing on the cake.

Already there exists a market for applications designed for military use.  New Wave Systems in Indiana, for example, is developing iPod/iPhone software that would help a solider snap a picture of a street sign, and in a few moments, receive intelligence uploaded by other soldiers about that particular locale.  The US Marine Corps is funding an app that would allow soldiers to upload photographs of detainees, along with written reports, and enter the data into a biometric database, allowing the military to track suspects after they’ve been released.  The US Department of Defense and outside developers are creating apps that enable soldiers to download aerial reconnaissance photographs from drones, and have teleconferences with remotely-located intelligence agents.  Snipers in the field are using developer Knight’s Armament’s BulletFlight to calculate ballistics information.  The US Army is developing an app that would turn an iPod Touch into a remote control for a bomb-disposal robot.  Another app, Vcom3D’s Vcommunicator, produces spoken and written translations of Arabic, Kurdish, and two Afghan languages, along with displaying animated graphics of body language and gestures, so that soldiers can be fully understood when talking with natives.

All in all, pretty heady stuff.  According to Newsweek, the Pentagon won’t disclose how many Apple iPod Touches or iPhones they’ve deployed in the field.  But it sounds like Apple has established more than just a beachhead on the battlefield.

By Robert Pothier