Officials Approve Implementation Guides for Mobile Devices

American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, May 3, 2013 – Pentagon officials yesterday approved the security technical implementation guides for BlackBerry 10 smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets with BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, as well as Samsung's Android Knox, to be used on Defense Department networks. “This is a significant step towards establishing a multivendor environment that supports a variety of state-of-the-art devices and operating systems,” Air Force Lt. Col. Damien Pickart, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement announcing the approval. Several mobile devices and operating systems are going through the Defense Information Systems Agency's review and approval process. A security technical implementation guide approval establishes a configuration that allows a secure connection to DOD networks, which facilitates the process by eliminating the need for security reviews at the individual organization level, Pickart explained. However, he added, yesterday's decision does not result in product orders. The level of security necessary throughout the department does not rest solely on any one mobile device, Pickart said, adding that the network and software also must be secured and managed appropriately. An integral part of the secure mobility framework will be the Mobility Device Management and Mobile Application Store, which is in source selection now and anticipated for award in early summer, he said. “We are pleased to add Blackberry 10 and the Samsung Knox version of Android to our family of mobile devices supporting the Department of Defense,” the spokesman said. “We look forward to additional vendors also participating in this process, further enabling a diversity of mobile devices for use within the department.”