The United States Army Rolls Out Custom App Marketplace

The United States Army has launched a proprietary application marketplace specifically for personel with access to iOS devices. The Army Marketplace Prototype currently features 12 mobile training applications for download on iOS devices. This is a major part of the Army's new Connecting Soldiers to Digital Apps (CSDA) initiative. The marketplace is still in prototype phase, so the selection of applications is limited. Non Army individuals can check out the available application here (must be on an iOS device). This marketplace grants the Army a new and exciting way to get important training materials into the hands of soldiers quicker than they ever could previously. Once it leaves prototype phase it will be able to deliver apps that work along with the Army's Common Operating Environment. Some awesome examples of the applications available are The Soldiers Blue Book, Army Pubs Mobile and a Tactical Breather Trainer. The Army plans to add many more applications to this service, and it has the potential to revolutionize the way the Army handles training. According to Lt. Gen. Susan Lawrence, "This prototype is a first step in establishing and exercising new submission and approval processes that will eventually enable Army members, organizations and third-party developers to release applications for Army-wide distribution." For the time being, iOS is the only supported platform, but they plan to add other mobile platforms down the line. It's great to see the Army embracing new technology for their soldiers, and this program can only lead to great things for the Army in the future. Source: Apple Insider