Army speeds up vetting process for training apps

The Army's Training and Doctrine Command is speeding up the process it uses to vet and approve mobile apps that soldiers can use on their smartphones and tablets.

The Army has bought its own software to vet new applications, eliminating the costly and time-consuming process of using outside organizations to screen the apps, officials say.

Soldiers use these applications for various types of training, including infantry skills, reporting sexual harassment and gunnery practice.

TRADOC's Command Capability Manager-Mobile, or TCM-Mobile, is using the vetting software to make sure applications are safe and meet government requirements.




Nearly 80 applications have been vetted so far with the in-house process, and none have been deemed too risky, said Matt Maclaughlin, TCM-Mobile's senior mobile instructional design specialist.



“It’s a way to reduce money that’s associated with commercial vetting solutions,” Maclaughlin said.

The new process takes a few days or a week, which cuts about five weeks off the vetting time, Maclaughlin said, getting the training materials out to soldiers more efficiently.





For each mobile app, Maclaughlin and his team report on the risks involved and create a paper trail to show that human eyes are involved in the vetting process in addition to the software.



“We also look at the way a mobile app interacts with the network and other servers outside of the device,” he said.

For example, if one of the apps allows users to send a link out to social media, that link could pose a threat to the soldier's device that runs the app.

The apps that are vetted may come from other Army organizations as well as TRADOC.

New apps

Apps in the works for soldiers include:

•Army Emergency Relief App
•National Training Center App
•Performance Triad App
•Vehicle Recovery Calculator App
TRADOC launched an app store last November, allowing soldiers to download apps created by the command.

Check TRADOC Mobile's Facebook page for upcoming releases.

Charlsy Panzino covers the Guard and Reserve, training, technology, operations and features for Army Times and Air Force Times. Email her at [login to see] .