The iPhone Goes To War: Army Explores Shift From To Commercial Networks

[unhappycamper]

http://breakingdefense.com/2013/11/the-iphone-goes-to-war-army-explores-replacing-its-military-networks-with-commercial-ones/



The iPhone Goes To War: Army Explores Shift From To Commercial Networks
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
on November 20, 2013 at 5:54 PM

As defense budgets shrink and commercial networks grow, top brass from Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno on down are questioning the service’s current plan to keep developing custom-built, military-specific, and extremely expensive communications networks. If groups like al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and Hezbollah can coordinate their operations over civilian cellphone and computer networks — networks they don’t have to pay for — why can’t the Army?

I can pull out my iPhone, said one visibly frustrated four-star general at an Army conclave here today, text friends around the world from Afghanistan to Hawaii, and “get an answer back in about a minute.”

“Yet,” he went on, “when we deploy now, we’ve still got to put 100 trucks on the ground” full of Army-specific “command, control, communications, and computers” (C4) to set up a military-only network.

That doesn’t just take a lot of money. It requires limited space on Air Force and Navy transports that could be used to move combat troops, weapons, and supplies. It takes precious time to set up before the command post is ready to command troops in the fight. “Why?” asked the general. “Why can’t I leverage the worldwide network that’s been established for command and control?”

[msongs]

1. wht? because that would cut out all those "private contractors" and their welfare deals nt

[TM99]

2. Seriously?

Let's move our top-secret military communications from private, controlled, military-only networks to AT&T and the iPhone.

Yup, that will keep that information safe from our 'enemies'.