Army Hits Pause on ‘Wearable Computer’ Program

Considering the state of the economy, I can see why the military might want to put something like this on hold but the idea of replacing a wearable computer with a smartphone based system? I'm not too sure about that.

Debi Dawson, a spokeswoman for the Army office overseeing the Nett Warrior program, confirms that the Army has put the multi-million effort on pause. “It has not been cancelled,” Dawson emphasizes. But it smells like the Pentagon is reconsidering the purpose of Nett Warrior in a fundamental way. The idea behind it is to give soldiers a suite of digitized maps, cameras, computers and communication tools that they can strap to their kit and to stay connected during the fog of war.

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Considering it costs thousands of dollars per solider to equip them with the wearable system and the software creation is much stricter I can see why the choice of using smartphones.

However smartphones are notoriously un-secure .. I'm a bit surprised that the military is willing to use hardware and software that can be hacked by angry terrorist with even a slight amount of talent towards hacking. I would mix the old school method of following regular printed maps with smartphones only coming into play for enemy locations , conditions or intel .. but I sure as fuck wouldn't trust a smartphone in the middle of Afghanistan to direct me to the nearest terrorist hide out..

do you really need a wearable computer when you only fight people who dont even have indoor plumbing?

toiletducky said:

do you really need a wearable computer when you only fight people who dont even have indoor plumbing?

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Do not underestimate the enemy - Sun Tzu?

LordBritish said:

Do not underestimate the enemy - Sun Tzu?

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This. Yeah, many of the insurgents are amateurs, but some of them are smart and tough as hell. Those guys WILL mess you up if you don't use every advantage you have. Think about if you were in their position, fighting a force like the US military, and how you would do it. Can you think of some good weapons and tactics? Remember, they're as smart as we are, in their home territory, and have years or decades of experience.

Back on topic, IIRC the Army was looking at using a modified version of the Android OS. I don't know much about smartphone security, but I bet you could make it secure if you had tight control of the OS and available apps (as opposed to downloading infected apps).

I'm a non reader, but I assume that this is a continuation of the Land Warrior system? I really don't see how all of this has taken so long to develop given the advancements of mobile equipment over the years. Its possible more can be done with an off the shelf unit with a custom OS.

" The idea behind it is to give soldiers a suite of digitized maps, cameras, computers and communication tools that they can strap to their kit and to stay connected during the fog of war. "


It also means that your enemy can get this info also!!!

Stupid idea!!!

This has been "in development" since before I went into the Army in '98. The only people who truly give a damn about this project are the ones that wouldn't be using it on a daily basis.

Anyways...the simplest solutions have ALWAYS been the best. A paper map and compass are fool-proof (well, unless you're a cherry LT). A rugged radio and NODs help. ...but TRAINING and only training is what completes the mission.

I was an airborne infantryman and I can say firsthand that most of the "fancy" equipment was usually left behind (shit GPS and infrared scopes). On a squad and even platoon level, it's near useless. ...not to mention that in most situations, you don't have the convenience to fiddle with something or even allow the slightest margin of error. (Imagine being in the middle of the moment right before you get into a traffic accident...would you be reaching for your cell phone to operate the GPS to find out where you were and make a 911 call?)

...not to mention that half of the guys that I was in with, didn't have the tech experience to learn how to use something in depth. To this day, Facebook and email are still a challenge for a lot of the guys that I was in with.

Godmachine said:

Considering it costs thousands of dollars per solider to equip them with the wearable system and the software creation is much stricter I can see why the choice of using smartphones.

However smartphones are notoriously un-secure .. I'm a bit surprised that the military is willing to use hardware and software that can be hacked by angry terrorist with even a slight amount of talent towards hacking. I would mix the old school method of following regular printed maps with smartphones only coming into play for enemy locations , conditions or intel .. but I sure as fuck wouldn't trust a smartphone in the middle of Afghanistan to direct me to the nearest terrorist hide out..

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They make encrypted blackberries....I'm sure they could make a secure smartphone.

Dear Lord, this reminds me of the scene in the first Transformers movie where they're fighting the scorpion robot and to get air support they have to call on a cell phone with a credit card and listen to the guy in India offer a service plan before actually connecting the call. I can just see an iPhone battery exploding and being mistaken for incoming fire and a bunch of nearby civies getting hosed as a result...

Godmachine said:

Considering it costs thousands of dollars per solider to equip them with the wearable system and the software creation is much stricter I can see why the choice of using smartphones.

However smartphones are notoriously un-secure .. I'm a bit surprised that the military is willing to use hardware and software that can be hacked by angry terrorist with even a slight amount of talent towards hacking. I would mix the old school method of following regular printed maps with smartphones only coming into play for enemy locations , conditions or intel .. but I sure as fuck wouldn't trust a smartphone in the middle of Afghanistan to direct me to the nearest terrorist hide out..

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Not a valid argument. The government/military does use secure smart phones. The security issue with 'consumer' phones is why Obama was forced to not use his blackberry and use a secure smartphone instead. Too bad the British never figured that out or their esn and accounts wouldn't have been hacked and the whole drama they are going through right now would have never happenned.

PynkFloydd said:

I was an airborne infantryman...

...not to mention that half of the guys that I was in with, didn't have the tech experience to learn how to use something in depth. To this day, Facebook and email are still a challenge for a lot of the guys that I was in with.

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So, you were infantry and it baffles you as to why you worked with unintelligent people?

(Do I have to explain it?)

BBA said:

So, you were infantry and it baffles you as to why you worked with unintelligent people?

(Do I have to explain it?)

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Actually I worked with a LOT of intelligent people. Surprise, surprise. Your "logic" that just because someone grew up in a different era, economic class or lifestyle and wasn't experienced with technology is stupid, shows a lot about you and your own intelligence. (I specifically said "lacked experience" with a system. ...which takes longer to train them. Doesn't mean they're incapable of learning it. Any 8th grader would be able to assess the same.)

A lot of the guys in my unit also moved on to special operations (which requires an above average ASVAB score) and a lot of the officers were West Point (which is harder to get into than Harvard). Most came to my unit for the same reasons as myself; we LOVED the job, the rush from jumping out of planes and getting sent around the world. Nobody was there by force or because they had no other option. The unit was all volunteer.

Maybe if you were educated better, you'd know that?