TransApps (Transformative Applications) was a program of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the United States Department of Defense. The goal of the program was to demonstrate rapid development and fielding of secure mobile apps on the battlefield. With its agile and user-centric approach, the DARPA program specifically addressed the limitations of the slow requirements-centric software development cycle followed by many Army programs of record.
The TransApps program created a rapid development and enhancements process within the tactical environment, and embedded a small team of trainers and developers within the deployed military units in Afghanistan, the program also tackled a wide range of issues related to hardware and software security, agile map-imagery distribution and enhancements, combat radio integration, disconnected and connected users, and third party app testing and integration. Unlike a typical DARPA program at the time, the program brought together multiple contractors and Government personnel in a co-located incubator-like environment during the program's lifetime.
By the end of the program, roughly fifty apps were deployed in a secure operational environment.
Timeline
The TransApps Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) was released in March 2010. The BAA noted a range of potential use cases, including tactical battlefield applications, as well as humanitarian missions and disaster recovery. The TransApps program was devised and initially managed by Dr. Mari Maeda – developer of a previous DARPA project, the Tactical Ground Reporting System (TIGR). Many of the existing requirements of the TIGR application provided the foundation for the follow-on baseline requirements for TransApps. These included a renewed emphasis on user-centric development, as well as a focus on security, functionality under limited connectivity, and a broader suite of applications.
TransApps was initially awarded in September 2010 to the Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI), with the focus on building a secure, mobile app store. This was followed a few years later with a contract awarded to Metronome to build out the app store. The app store, simply referred to as the "Marketplace" emphasizes a flexible and extensible environment to meet a wide range of mission needs, within a collaborative development environment to optimize DARPA's investment. Moreover, it serves as a key component in innovating the acquisition process, expediting the time from application development to mission use. Over time, Metronome has expanded the marketplace to focus on mobile and cyber security as well.
While there has been much success, TransApps initially relied upon the Dell Streak, which was discontinued in 2011. Since then, the TransApps platform has adjusted to function on a range of hardware, including Motorola Xoom, Galaxy Note, and Samsung S4. In addition to security, additional emphasis has also been placed on usability and visualization via the iWarrior SBIR that falls under TransApps. In 2012, TransApps was identified as one of the top 25 C4ISR breakthroughs of the year. In April 2013, DARPA awarded a contract to GXM Consulting to continue to expand the functionality and robustness of the smartphones.
TransApps not only has focused on security abroad, but has also employed the capabilities domestically. TransApps supported first response and law enforcement personnel during the 2013 Presidential Inauguration. That same year, TransApps also was present at the Boston Marathon, providing similar support for first responders, and did so again at the 2014 Boston Marathon. During FY2014, TransApps is working with the Army Nett Warrior Program to fully transition the project to the Army as a program of record.
The TransApps Ecosystem: DARPA-Hard Innovations
The TransApps program pursued novel functionality and security for the operational user, but also pursued a new acquisition paradigm to significantly decrease the time and money from development to operational use. TransApps was required to create a modern mobile capability within the constraints of a tactical operating environment. The applications are the most visible feature, and required and benefited from constant feedback from the user community. However, the vast majority of the innovations dealt both with expediting the acquisition process to deliver timely capabilities for the warfighter, as well as handling the network/security and operations/logistics within a tactical environment.
Altering the Acquisition Paradigm
The normal DARPA acquisition process involves three to four months of selecting a winning proposal, an additional three to four months to negotiate the contract, and then continuing with the same vendor for three to five years. In contrast, the TransApps program sought to replicate best practices from the commercial world, including an integrated and collaborative working environment indicative of a start-up, and quickly moving from development to mission use.
The TransApps program pursued a "warfighter empowered acquisition" mentality to field capabilities faster and in sync with current warfighter requirements. TransApps sought to establish a new acquisition model that can circumvent the standard bureaucratic delays with developing and fielding capabilities. This new business model required navigating both technological as well as bureaucratic hurdles to quickly field the new applications.For an overview of some of the hurdles and lessons learned from DoD acquisition, see: http://www.aei.org/speech/foreign-and-defense-policy/defense/dhs-acquisition-practices-improving-outcomes-for-taxpayers-using-defense-and-private-sector-lessons-learne/ In 2012, Maeda, then the deputy director, Defense Sciences Office at DARPA said, "Today, we have 3-to-4000 users in an ongoing program in Afghanistan using a secure, robust Android handheld device. We roll out new capabilities every three to four months, from new apps to new server capabilities."
TransApps not only pursued a new model for acquisition, but also represented a shift in development processes, one that entailed placing the engineers in the users' environment. In 2012, a TransApps team, including computer scientists, spent nine months in Afghanistan to gather user requirements, and develop and test applications. They also were able to reach back to the larger TransApps team in the United States to expedite development and quickly provide capabilities to tactical users.
Instead of fielding capabilities at the end of the development process, the TransApps pilot efforts gathered immediate feedback, identifying quickly which requirements were met, technical bugs in devices, as well as ideas for the next development cycles based explicitly on user feedback.DARPA focuses on technology for national security. Aerotech News and Review. DARPA Device Lauded by U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan. EPTech. DARPA has worked with the U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command's Communications-Electronics Center (CERDEC) to ensure downrange support and mission-driven development.http://armyalt.va.newsmemory.com/rss.php?date=20120406&edition=Army+AL%26T+Magazine&subsection=Field+Expedient&page=118alt2012april-june_fieldexpedient.pdf.0&id=art_0.xml&device= As Doran Michels, the DARPA Program Manager in charge of TransApps, explained in a December 2013 press release, "We wanted soldiers to drive the development of the applications so we knew the apps could evolve in real time with dynamic mission requirements."
Less than a year after awarding the TransApp program, a pilot program was underway with the 3rd Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan to test the mobile devices running the Android OS. In addition to testing the security, the TransApps team also developed a dozen applications by mid-Fall 2011. This pilot effort helped harden the requirement for functionality within disconnected as well as connected environments. The development process can be viewed as a 'wireless to the edge' approach, tightly integrating with potential tactical users. This has provided the opportunity to ensure usability and applicability across an array of use cases. The initial requirements focused on high-resolution mobile imagery and additional ways to interact with and navigate the geospatial applications. Once these initial requirements were satisfied, the users immediately began identifying and asking for additional functionality. In many instances, users identified novel use cases that extended beyond the original intent, and thus expanded the utility of the mobile devices. For instance, although the handheld devices first emerged as a way to explore and interact with detailed maps, it soon became apparent that they could also be used as collection platforms.
The involvement of the user community had operational impacts as early as 2012. According to a Wall Street Journal article, "During a battle in a village near Kandahar, Afghanistan, Lt. Kevin Pelletier used a tablet computer with a custom map application to direct soldiers' movements. As thousands of rounds flew through the village near Kandahar, Lt. Pelletier used the device to more quickly direct the movement of his soldiers. Two days later, the village was cleared with zero casualties." Not only did this process impact immediate operational support, but also helped set the foundation for scaling the capability. The reiterative process between user feedback and development efforts enabled the quick escalation from application within smaller units to company, battalion and then brigade levels.http://seekingalpha.com/article/867571-military-ops-a-new-market-for-these-5-tech-stocks, citing the article: Spencer E. Ante. "Military Takes Apps to War: Soldiers Use Mobile Devices for Mapping, Networking, Virtual Lineups." The Wall Street Journal, September 4, 2012. Similarly, Major Tim Terese has used the TransApps smartphone to plan operations in Afghanistan, and called it a, "vast improvement in dismounted situational awareness."
Security & the Tactical Environment
TransApps focuses on developing functionality on an Android platform, emphasizing the requirement to securely function within limited bandwidth environments as well as without connectivity. Android was chosen over iOS systems due to the open architecture that would enable modifications for developers to create a secure kernel for the operating system. DARPA customized the Android kernel, hardening the stack and implementing the ability to check for data integrity. The stack included a custom-modified Android-operating system and Linux kernels, with a security stack that includes protection for data at rest, data in transit, authentication, and app vetting and control.
Unlike in the commercial world, where security resides on the network, due to the patchy communications in theater, TransApps needed to adjust to ensure security resided within the phone itself. According to Michels, the security is so robust that "it would take several CPU years to crack the log-in password on a military Android." TransApps also had to ensure that the devices could integrate with the existing military infrastructure. The smartphones needed software that could recognize and function within the particular data constraints of whatever waveform was used, be it PRC-152, MPU4 or Satcom. This is essential, as data outages occur often in theater, and the handheld devices needed to contain the essential data in the event of a communications loss. The secure system uses military radios rather than commercial, wifi or cellular networks, according to DARPA.