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:– 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
• 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)
• 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
Abbottabad at 1AM (is a rare event).
• A huge window shaking bang here in Abbottabad Cantt. I hope its not the start of something nasty :-S
• Go away helicopter - before I take out my giant swatter :-/
• seems like my giant swatter worked !
• Since taliban (probably) don't have helicpoters, and since they're saying it was not "ours", so must be a complicated situation
• The abbottabad helicopter/UFO was shot down near the Bilal Town area, and there's report of a flash. People saying it could be a drone.
• people are saying it was not a technical fault and it was shot down. I heard it CIRCLE 3-4 times above, sounded purposeful.
• Two helicpoters, one down, could actually be the training accident scenario they're saying it was >>
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
45.4
13.7
15.3
20.9
4.7
2015
AndroidBlackBerry OSiOSWindows PhoneOthers
39.5
14.915.7
5.5
24.4
2011
AndroidBlackBerry OSiOSWindows PhoneOthers
Devices - Configuration Management
• 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
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The Future?