Soldiers may be deploying with Army-issued smartphones by next summer.

Secure, battle-ready smartphones will be on the way to soldiers within months, said an official leading the Army’s effort to harness mobile technology.

“A year and a half ago, if you mentioned smartphones, particularly around the acquisitions community, they looked at you like a heretic,” said Mike McCarthy, director of the mission command complex of the Future Force Integration Directorate at Fort Bliss, Texas. “Now, a lot of programs of record are looking at how to exploit the capabilities smartphones give you.”

By mid- to late 2012, McCarthy said, he expects to see smartphones and tablets fielded to soldiers in deploying units.

via Army Times, continued here.