Mobile Computing at USSOCOM
The Numbers
• iTunes
– 10 billion songs sold
– 15 billion apps downloaded
The Numbers
• 8 trillion text messages will be sent in 2011
• 300,000 mobile apps have been developed in three
years
• 1 in 4 mobile apps once downloaded are never used
again.
The Numbers
• There are 5.3 billion mobile subscribers (that's 77
percent of the world population).
• Half a billion people accessed mobile Internet
worldwide in 2009. Usage is expected to double
within five years as mobile overtakes the PC.
• Many mobile Web users are mobile-only, i.e. they
very rarely use a desktop to access the Web. US 25%
users are mobile-only.
• High-speed mobile networks - almost one in five
subscribers have access to fast mobile (3G or better).
The Numbers
• 101 million smartphones were sold in 2010-Q4,
versus 92 million PCs.
• Smartphone shipments, grew 87% year over year,
while PCs only grew 3%.
• One in two Americans will have a smartphone by
Christmas of 2011, compared to just one in 10 in the
summer of 2008.
Is it a phone or a computing device?
Mobile applications
• Stand alone App
• Enterprise App
• Stand alone then
download App
Mobile applications
• Kill Al-Qaeda App
• Different Missions =
Different Apps
• Tools
• Force multiplier
Mobile applications
• How do we make
operators life easier?
• Not just another brick
to carry
• Save weight
• Save money
• Save time
• Do more
Mobile applications
• Tracking via Cell phone
– 33% of women
would track their
spouse
– 31% of men would
track their spouse
• Military tracking
– Good and Bad
Mobile applications
• Comms:
– Team Comm App
– Call for Fire App
• Biometrics:
– Collect biometrics during
execution
– Facial recognition
• Enterprise:
– Remote Device Wipe App
– Pictures, video, network
analysis
– Blue Force Tracker
– Civil Affairs
• Stand- alone:
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SATCOM alignment App
Explosive Calculation App
Basic GPS App
Kindle-like, pdfs
• Tech manuals, FMs, SOPs
• Medical docs
• Utilities:
– PowerPoint Viewer App
– PDF Viewer App
Unclassified to Classified
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Full Motion Video
3D Training Manual App
Weapons Capability App
Team Chat App
Team VTC App
Translation App
Laser Range Finder App
Radio Over IP (ROIP) App
Frequency Management
Team (VOIP)
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Merck Manual App
Sniper Ranging App
Disaster Recovery App
Littoral Tide App
CBRN App
Text App
Building Material
Calculator App (for
construction)
• Divemaster App
• Targeting App
• SOF “Facebook”
Social Media
• Helicopter hovering above
• The abbottabad
Abbottabad at 1AM (is a rare
helicopter/UFO was shot
event).
down near the Bilal Town
area, and there's report of a
• A huge window shaking bang
flash. People saying it could
here in Abbottabad Cantt. I hope
be a drone.
its not the start of something
nasty :-S
• people are saying it was not
a technical fault and it was
• Go away helicopter - before I
shot down. I heard it CIRCLE
take out my giant swatter :-/
3-4 times above, sounded
• seems like my giant swatter
purposeful.
worked !
• Two helicpoters, one down,
• Since taliban (probably) don't
could actually be the
have helicpoters, and since
training accident scenario
they're saying it was not "ours",
they're saying it was >>
so must be a complicated
situation
Social Media
Social Media
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Facebook for SOF?
Roadmap
• Environment I – Unclassified data over
commercial Network
• Environment II – Secret and below over
Commercial Network
• Environment III – Secret and below over SOF
Network
Challenges
• Bandwidth
– DC is OK, but Africa, South Asia….
• Acquisition model
– Production
– 2 yr lifecycle – Hopefully!
• IA, IA , IA (Devices, Apps, Network)
• Configuration Management
• It is all about the Data!
Information Assurance
• Hardened OS?
• Hardened Devices?
• Or COTS?
OS - Configuration Management
Microsoft
• XP – Oct 2001
• Vista – Jan 2007
• W7 - Jul 2009
Android 1.0 – Sept 2008
• 1.1 – Feb 2009
• 1.5 – Apr 2009
• 1.6 – Sept 2009
• 2.0 – Oct 2009
• 2.2 – May 2010
• 2.3 – Dec 2010
• 3.0 – Feb 2011
• 4.0 - Now
Mobile OS Share
2011
2015
Android
24.4
5.5
39.5
15.7
14.9
BlackBerry
OS
iOS
Windows
Phone
Others
Android
4.7
BlackBerry
OS
20.9
45.4
15.3
13.7
iOS
Windows
Phone
Others
Devices - Configuration Management
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iPhone – Jan 2007
iPhone 3g – Jun 2008
iPhone 3GS – Jun 2009
iPhone 4 – Jun 2010
iPhone 4S – Oct 2011
iPad 1 – Apr 2010
iPad 2 - Mar 2011
• 33 HTC Android Devices
in 3 years
Takeaways
• Fast moving – less than 2 year lifecycle
– “Only constant is change”
• Not your Grandfathers desktop
– Production model = change
• Configuration Management nightmare
Support the Warrior
The Future?