US Army's Special Operations switching tactical kit from Android to iPhone - report

The U.S. Army's Special Operations Command, or SOCOM, will be switching from Android to the iPhone for a situational awareness kit issued to soldiers, according to a report.

The iPhone 6s will be the centerpiece of gear dubbed the iPhone Tactical Assault Kit, a source told Military.com's DoD Buzz. The equipment is replacing the Android Tactical Assault Kit — both systems link a smartphone to a networked radio, letting unit leaders track soldiers' positions on a map, as well as connect to intelligence and reconnaissance feeds such as video from drones.

While the Army has confirmed neither the switch nor its reasons, one explanation for it may be reliability. The particular Samsung phone used in the Android kit freezes and too often has to be restarted, the source commented. The issue is said to be especially evident when trying to view a split screen showing both a unit's route and a drone feed.

The iPhone is described as "faster," "smoother," and "seamless" by comparison, with graphics that are "clear, unbelievable."

Apple gear has been used in one form or another by the American military for years. Older models of the iPod touch, for instance, were used as computers for snipers.

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20 Comments

rob53

said about 7 years ago

Finally, someone with sense in the US military. I'm surprised they aren't considering changing to a Windows phone. The iPhone and iPad have been certified by NIST for use by government agencies and my latest report is that the only Android phone that's been approved is a Samsung phone running Knox, which I believe has been shown to be defective. Of course, the Army doesn't have to comply with anything they don't want to, just like the rest of the government, but this rumor could be good for Apple and be used as a selling point for all those people who look at the US military as providing the best way to do everything.

--Yes, there was a hint of sarcasm but I do see this rumor as being helpful to Apple especially since Samsung is NOT an American company and there still are some procurement rules that have to be followed when buying any non-American product although I bet the US government sees Samsung as a US company because everyone knows Apple is just a niche company so those buy American rules don't matter. There are also sole-source and no-substitute procurement rules. I wonder how Samsung beat out Apple, probably only on cost but when has that ever stopped the military on anything?

therunningvm

said about 7 years ago

Not surprised. My galaxy note 5 ran extremely slow, and it was full of bloteware. I'm wondering what model are they using?

rob53

said about 7 years ago

Did some more research on this trying to find out which Samsung they are currently using. There's a lot of information on this project, including presentations saying iOS support would be coming.
http://www.wow.com/wiki/Nett_Warrior (shows some history)

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In July 2013, the Army installed the Samsung Galaxy Note II into Nett Warrior as the system's end user device. Each Galaxy is bought at the commercial price of $700 per phone, substantially lower than if the Army had to procure devices from contractors who would develop their own original devices.

On 14 October 2014, the U.S. Army Geospatial Center recommended AFRL's Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK), over the world-leader Esri's Commercial Joint Mapping Tool Kit (CJMTK), NASA's World Wind, and the Army's Globe Engine (AGE) for map engine driving the Nett Warrior End User Device. ATAK was selected due to similar capabilities with CJMTK, similar risk, and less than one-third the total cost.
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So much for those people saying Apple products are overpriced.