Is mobility the key to DOD’s future?

Mobility has quickly become a large, and growing, asset to the Defense Department and transformed into a “must-have” for the agency, with combat personnel expecting -- and now getting -- the same ubiquitous Internet access as civilians, said a senior official.

Speaking at the 2nd Annual Defense & Security MOBILE Technologies Symposium, Robert Carey, DOD deputy CIO, discussed the department’s mobile strategies and what lies ahead for the agency in terms of the IT environment.

The concept of working anywhere on any device has shaped how DOD is moving ahead in the mobile sphere. Military personnel need to be able to access information wherever they are, on any device they happen to have, Carey said at the July 20 event organized by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association.  

“Mobility is key to the future of DOD; we’re not chained to our desks anymore,” he said. “I don’t care where our people are doing work.”

To support the overall governmentwide shift to a more mobile workforce, the agency is trying to figure out how to secure mobile devices. The department rolled out a strategy  on June 15 that identifies IT goals and objectives to leverage the power of mobile devices. The strategy focuses on improving three key areas: wireless infrastructure, mobile devices and mobile applications. 

 “We have to get on this technology train that’s basically Acela," Carey said. "It’s no longer a sleepy Amtrak train that was running pretty fast to start off with."