Policy and policy formulation considerations for incorporation of secure mobile devices in USMC ground combat units

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited === Modern information technology evolves at a rapid pace, and the U.S.Marine Corps ground combat units require cutting-edge capabilities in order to maintain a competitive advantage. The advent and military application of smartphones and smartp...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Epstein, Robert J.
Other Authors: Roberts, Nancy
Published: Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School 2014
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10945/43908
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Summary:Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited === Modern information technology evolves at a rapid pace, and the U.S.Marine Corps ground combat units require cutting-edge capabilities in order to maintain a competitive advantage. The advent and military application of smartphones and smartphone applications provide a plethora of advantages that these forces seek to leverage, yet the very rapidity of their development presents a host of network security problems. This thesis examines the conceptual risk framework for incorporating smartphones into ground combat units, and uses a cutting-edge smartphone capability, the Field Information Support Tool, as a case study. Furthermore, the comparatively slow policy-making process of the DOD ensures that policy requirements will lag behind the emerging technologies and the novel threats these technologies introduce. This thesis conducts a policy review of existing DOD policies that apply to smartphones and network security, as well as examines and models the policy formulation process in an effort to reform it in a way more conducive to the incorporation of fast-growing capabilities.