Military

Clearing hurdles to tablet adoption

It is widely accepted that ruggedized tablets are becoming the military’s mobile platform of choice. Nonetheless, a few hurdles remain on the road to more complete adoption. While commercial acceptance of tablets already is well established, the military sets a higher bar in some regards.

Some see the foremost sticking point as being essentially doctrinal. As with any new technology, broad-based adoption depends to some degree on having a firm agreement on the rules of the road. The military services are not quite there yet.

“It is just too ugly right now. No one has common definitions, everyone has their own authority and their own checking points, their own things going on,” said Brad Curran, industry analyst with Frost & Sullivan Aerospace and Defense. “The main concern is always security, and when you have all these different programs, you inevitably end up with holes.”