Thoughts on Mandatory Issued Govt Cell-Phones for All

All - IMHO if you are in the military you need to have reliable and secure communications. Therefore service members should be able to encrypt their calls when required. I have just the thing, it is a little device I worked on when I was in the military serving on the SecNav/CNO's secure communication team. The Navajo I or KY-40, is it ok if I use Navajo?

I would have to say (without any solid data) that the majority of service members already have a cell phone. If your only point is to get ahold of people then it doesn't have to be a smartphone. If the major point is that the young'uns can't afford it then give us a bigger break on the cell service (you know, the thing you have to pay monthly for). On AT&T we currently are under a FAN with a 15% discount only on a single line. That could be expanded and I have seen some companies offer a 25% discount on service. There is no reason for the government to fit the bill for the devices and the service.

Isn't this a little like Big brother is watching? I see a big white elephant if something like this comes about. How would you pay for all of them and does every member in the military get one? Good Greif I can't fathom how much that would cost. What happens when they get lost and or stolen, because you know that will happen just like other gear gets lost and stolen. Nothing like helping the enemy out by them having the technology to access command emails and such.

Definite NO! to that, CPT. Phones are easily misplaced or broken, and one that is paid for by the USG would not be "yours", and therefore not subjected to the best care. Yes, we could paycheck troops for phone damages, but try and prove that mine was damaged due to negligence, and yours was damaged due to pure happenstance.

Logistically, it would be a nightmare. MILLIONS of phones to track, maintain, and pay the monthly bills for. I'd be more open to everyone being issued a CAC-reader. Those are more cost-effective and useless without a CAC, and there are some that are commercially available for iPhones.

And - it's already been said numerous times - 90% of our Brothers and Sisters already have smartphones, and I'm fairly sure 100% of us feel we get issued enough crap as it is.

Answer every call and text immediately? But then how could we skate?

NO!!!!!

The cost would be astronomical, the phones would be abused, and the replacement costs would be high. We don't need to spend money on unnecessary things!!!!!!!

WTF are you crazy, having a leash attached to you is crazy,What if your tagging someone and don't know it's the C>O>'s wife or daughter

Wouldn't this make you a target? I used to have a cell phone for recruiting and whenever it rang it just made me apprehensive. Complete waste of money considering the Army is "broke" financially.

We already do that on deployments and I think that is where it is needed. In Garrison it wouldn't be a good idea. Just an added budgetary requirement in the era of constraint budgets. Top three at each level maybe (Co, BN, BDE) but not for the entire formation.

Here is my thoughts on the issue. First the pros of what you are proposing. I understand that thought process behind what you are saying here and I think that it would be a great idea. Now for the list of why I do not think it is in any way shape or form feasible.
1. You are proposing the ENTIRE force. This is something that is not feasible, we in mechanized or even now in SBCT's cannot even get the parts that we need "due to budget constraints." So, we add in a totally new and when all is said and done horribly expensive proposition. Next problem when you look at the soldiers that we would be issuing these too, I have a tough enough time ensuring that my NCOs are ensuring that they keep track of their OCIE. Add something other than a phone that they have to pay for and feel personally responsible for, then it is something that they will lose almost guaranteed.
2. So, if we bump it to ONLY SGT or SSG and above then you are talking a costly proposition, yet this is something where the more responsible group (in theory) but now you are not hitting your total target group that you were wanting.

So, I think in general the IDEA is a good idea. The REALITY of it (at least from what my 11 years of dealing with these guys has shown me) is that it simply would not work.

As far as what you are talking about making there a time period that people have to respond in a certain period of time, that is something that is just put into their weekend counseling's. After all, we are in the Army, we are Soldiers 24/7 yes we have weekends but at the end of the day, when all is said and done we are still on call. If our respective units are told that we are being sent to another country to fight, they do not wait until our "time off" is up before they send us. Regardless, when a leader calls you, there needs to be a certain amount of urgency in returning that call or text, if they do not have it then they need to be made to understand it.

That's my take on it, both versions of the topic.