Touch-Enabled Communication
Written by Carl Houghton
MIT 2011 Volume: 15 Issue: 11 (December)
The touch-enabled smartphone revolution has profoundly changed how consumers communicate, as millions now access the Internet on a daily basis with just a few simple taps on their mobile devices. Since so many people take this technology for granted, the U.S. military is now testing and preparing to deploy touch-enabled devices to warfighters and commanders in the battlefield, dramatically altering the way the military communicates and accesses information. The devices are far less costly, virtually everyone is familiar with them and don’t need to be trained, and it’s much easier to develop tailored applications for missions.
While the obvious uses for smartphones, such as calling and texting, are undeniably valuable, there are other uses for the military that will be even more important. Uploading pictures and video with geospatial information attached to each image will play a critical role in intelligence and tactical planning. Each warfighter will gain the capability of sending out real-time video and imagery that can be added to a state-of-the-art situational awareness system that shows live what is happening in-theater.
Touch-enabled capabilities are also being leveraged on larger devices in mission-planning operations. Already deployed are large flat-screen monitors that use a multi-layered touch-screen application that allows decision-makers to touch-filter information tailored to their immediate needs, whether geospatially, categorically or temporally focused.
Since this technology is commercially driven and available worldwide, it has a number of implications for U.S. forces and their allies. The biggest impact is that it dramatically lowers the cost of entry because there are so many non-military entities developing applications for touch-enabled devices. The platform is already widely developed, so there is no up-front research and development that needs to be done.
There is the security aspect, which certainly impacts the use of commercial use of multi-touch devices in classified missions. Although the code driving the operating system is widely available, the U.S. military is currently working with developers to create a hard-coded, secure version of the Android operating system, so this concern is being actively addressed.
The fact that the system has been around for a while and many developers have been working on it makes the process easier. It’s also the reason that export control issues aren’t a valid concern, since these devices are commercially available virtually around the world and already have to go through an extensive export control process to be sold in the commercial market.
Cost-effective touch-screen applications and devices could herald a new telecommunications and IT era for the U.S. military. Some have also expressed concerns about whether the platform can be susceptible to unfriendly disruption. But because the commercial market has had to address this issue for years, it is not believed to be more susceptible to disruption or hacking than any other system. It also depends upon the platform—the Windows operating system has been around for much longer than Android or Apple’s iOS system, so more people use the Windows system and it traditionally has been targeted more frequently. To date, the U.S. military has leaned more toward the Android and iOS platforms, believing they are more secure.
One very positive implication for the defense budget is the lower cost of acquiring and maintaining commercial touch-screen systems. Purchasing an Android device or iPhone is far less costly than traditional proprietary communications devices, which often do not even have the touch screens that the military now wants. Because of that low up-front cost, the devices become almost disposable, which lowers the overall total cost of operations. Also, because some vendors are offering touch-screen devices with open source software, the military does not have to pay license fees, so the long-term cost for the software is significantly lower as well.
The biggest benefit, arguably, is the ability of touch-screen systems to make military users more efficient—it makes it easier for users to get to the information they need. They aren’t required to type on a keyboard or have a special stylus (which renders the device unusable if the stylus is lost). They just use their fingers, as they do at home on an iPhone or Droid device. No special training needed. And it makes virtually everything easier—particularly with mapping applications, which are used very frequently by warfighters. Through an intuitive touch interface on a map, users can access information on the move, even with just one hand.
These are just a few examples of how the advent of cost-effective touch-screen applications and devices are heralding in a whole new telecommunications and information technology era for the U.S. military. Consumer demand for touch-screen iPhones and Droid devices have shown the military that advanced communications devices don’t require proprietary platforms, extensive training and huge amounts of investment in R&D. The technology is already available, it’s not expensive, and virtually everyone knows how to use it. ♦
Carl Houghton is vice president of strategic planning at Intelligence Software Solutions.
