{"id":44541,"date":"2019-08-08T20:33:24","date_gmt":"2019-08-08T20:33:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/08\/08\/tactical-tablets-that-will-aid-in-precision-strikes-and-fires-are-now-being-doled-out-to-grunt-squads\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:52:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:52:27","slug":"tactical-tablets-that-will-aid-in-precision-strikes-and-fires-are-now-being-doled-out-to-grunt-squads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/2019\/08\/08\/tactical-tablets-that-will-aid-in-precision-strikes-and-fires-are-now-being-doled-out-to-grunt-squads\/","title":{"rendered":"Tactical tablets to aid in precision strikes and fires are now being doled out to Marine grunt squads"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

They\u2019re not much bigger than the latest Samsung Galaxy <\/a>smartphone, but these tactical tablets won\u2019t be hailing Uber rides \u2014 instead they will help Marines rain down precision strikes, direct machine-gun fire and plot friendly positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The device is known as the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Common Handheld, and the Corps started fielding an early release version of the device to squad-level dismounted Marines earlier this year, according to Maj. Ken Kunze, a Marine spokesman. The devices will be fielded to \u201cdismounted maneuver leaders,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tablets will provide increased battlefield situational awareness by feeding friendly location information and allowing secure communications through texting. In August 2018 Marines training in Norway used the tablets to direct machine-gun fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The device can also be used to send spot reports of suspicious enemy activity or help direct precision fires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new tablets will provide fighters with a “secure handheld device that leverages commercially available platforms to provide digital command and control capability to squad-level dismounted forces at the tactical edge,\u201d Kunze said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But with any new technology comes risks of exploitation by tech-capable enemy forces, especially electronic devices that can communicate and track location data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Wall Street Journal <\/a>reported in 2017 that Russian forces were targeting and hacking smartphones of NATO troops in Poland and the Baltic states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To mitigate that risk with the new tactical tablet, the Corps worked with National Security Agency\u2019s Commercial Solutions for Classified program, which helps the military to reprogram commercial devices to operate in classified environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUp until this point, handheld commercial devices used for tactical purposes had to be reprogrammed with military-owned security not found in the original device,\u201d then-Maj. Kevin Shepherd, a Marine Corps Systems Command program lead, said in a command release. \u201cWorking with CSfC, we are using their approved list of devices. These devices will all have multiple layers of encryption, both on the phone and in transmission. If obtained by the wrong person, our devices should withstand any hacks long after the tactical information loses value.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tactical tablets are part of the Corps\u2019 push to deliver battlefield information and situational awareness down to the lowest tactical level possible, which will aid infantry squads in being less dependent on large-scale command outposts for data dumps and intelligence feeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn the maneuver side, the enabling capabilities like some of the [command and control] systems out there that allow you to push information in really detailed formats to the end user \u2026 All of a sudden that guy has got the same situational awareness that the three-star general has at the [Marine Expeditionary Force] headquarters,\u201d Maj. Gen. Mark Wise, deputy commander of Marine Corps Combat Capability Development Command, told reporters during a media roundtable Aug. 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\t