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Bringing Technology to War

Military Strategists are taking iPads into Battle,one of the problems pilots are facing in Afghanistan is amount of time it takes to locate their fellow comrades under attack.

Helicopter pilot, Marine Captain Jim Carlson describes how frustrating it is to find the correct map, unfold and locate directions.

Every Second Counts

When time is at risk, lives are at stake. To solve this problem, Carlson loaded the map documents on his personal iPad. He used the iPad’s application features to locate himself and his troops, determine his path and he was in route within 30 seconds. Captain Carlson shaved off 3 minutes on location time and dramatically improved reaction time.

Present & Future

After Captain Carlson implemented this location system, the Marines now have more than 30 iPads in cockpits in the Air Force and Marine fighter jets and helicopters. The numbers are expected to skyrocket before 2012. iPhones, iPads and other smart devices are soon becoming as standard as combat boots and rifles.

Security and Reception

What problems is the military going to face with this technology advance? The same as any other industries; security and reliability. Military security concerns are associated with tracking the location devices within the smart devices and locating the troops. Also the devices can potentially be hacked, giving away defense strategies. Reliability in service connection is another concern, the military is trying their own custom devices that will hold connection even in the remote parts of a country.

Security Solutions

To solve these problems and maintain the benefit of the convenience of a smart device like the Ipad the military are using smart device ‘test runs’.  The Air Force and Navy are testing pilot programs integrated with Malware and Virus internet protection installed to test potential attacks. Find out more from the Los Angeles Times Business News.

Reference W. J. Hennigan, LA Times.com Image:  Don Barletti, LA Times/September 26, 2011.