NS Military Realism Consultancy Thread Mk X Purps Safe Space

[Husseinarti]

"hey sgt we got a message on the tablet from 2nd platoon"

"what is it"

"its a dick."

"oh."

[Chinese Peoples]

Should we hand out laptops to our soldiers?

In what context?

In a tactical context on the squad level, a small 7-inch tablet is fully sufficient for anything a soldier might need to do.
Some will argue even that is excessive.

Communications, probably. The idea is that if more laptops are carried, then there's a small chance that a crash will result in severed communication. The laptops will of course be designed to comply with military environments and its concomitant hazards. With a decent webcam, it should offer more than a radio receiver set.

Specs:
CPU Intel Xeon E3-1230
RAM 8 GB DDR4 DIMM
Screen 13" 1080p
Graphics nVidia Quadro M620 (1 GB)
Battery 92 kWh

USB 3.1 w/ Thunderbolt, USB 3.0, Ethernet, audio jack, HDMI-out and HDMI-in, VGA-out, parallel printer port, serial port, PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports, DVI-out, DVD/CD combo drive, charger port.

[Allanea]

In what context?

In a tactical context on the squad level, a small 7-inch tablet is fully sufficient for anything a soldier might need to do.
Some will argue even that is excessive.

Communications, probably. The idea is that if more laptops are carried, then there's a small chance that a crash will result in severed communication. The laptops will of course be designed to comply with military environments and its concomitant hazards. With a decent webcam, it should offer more than a radio receiver set.

The difficulty isn't that they're computers.

Soldiers in the real world are often issued small tablets, or 'phones', or simply radios with screens. Encrypted, digital communications are normal even for some terrorist groups.

However, a laptop presents problems beyond just 'it is a computer'. The difficulty is not the computer part, ithe difficulty is the part it has a keyboard, which most soldiers plain don't need.

A military 'tablet' can easily be used to receive information, direct the fire of artillery and aviation assets, etc. Even third-world militaries now have Android apps that help aiming artilleryfire.

But unless your soldier needs to carry out elaborate tasks that require typing out extensive texts, he plain doesn't need a laptop.

[Allanea]

[It's worth saying that, among the different weird things I got to do in the Army, 'system administrator' was one of them, and I did it for about a year.]

[Chinese Peoples]

Communications, probably. The idea is that if more laptops are carried, then there's a small chance that a crash will result in severed communication. The laptops will of course be designed to comply with military environments and its concomitant hazards. With a decent webcam, it should offer more than a radio receiver set.

The difficulty isn't that they're computers.

Soldiers in the real world are often issued small tablets, or 'phones', or simply radios with screens. Encrypted, digital communications are normal even for some terrorist groups.

However, a laptop presents problems beyond just 'it is a computer'. The difficulty is not the computer part, ithe difficulty is the part it has a keyboard, which most soldiers plain don't need.

A military 'tablet' can easily be used to receive information, direct the fire of artillery and aviation assets, etc. Even third-world militaries now have Android apps that help aiming artilleryfire.

But unless your soldier needs to carry out elaborate tasks that require typing out extensive texts, he plain doesn't need a laptop.

But an actual keyboard means faster typing, and that means more information can be sent via text; a laptop can also lend itself to leisure use and video conferencing. Encryption will be a standard feature of these laptops. Also, it means soldiers will not need to carry as many paper files.

[Allanea]

Under absolutely no circumstance should a military computer that's connected to a military network be used also for personal use. The irresponsibility of designing a system where this is explicitly permitted is a terrifyingly bad idea.

[Allanea]

Also I'm not clear what 'information' a regular soldier should be sending via text.

He can already say anything he wants into the machine, and 99% of people talk faster than they type.

Moreover, you can do targeting by simply touching a stylus to a screen and pressing a few button. Same for sharing info about enemy units.

A modern radio or tablet already tells your commander where you are to the meter.

So the need to type or even say things is reduced.

[Chinese Peoples]

Under absolutely no circumstance should a military computer that's connected to a military network be used also for personal use. The irresponsibility of designing a system where this is explicitly permitted is a terrifyingly bad idea.

I see. What about allowing personnel to bring their own laptops to their positions?

[Taihei Tengoku]

Under absolutely no circumstance should a military computer that's connected to a military network be used also for personal use. The irresponsibility of designing a system where this is explicitly permitted is a terrifyingly bad idea.

I see. What about allowing personnel to bring their own laptops to their positions?

you emit you die

[Allanea]

Under absolutely no circumstance should a military computer that's connected to a military network be used also for personal use. The irresponsibility of designing a system where this is explicitly permitted is a terrifyingly bad idea.

I see. What about allowing personnel to bring their own laptops to their positions?

In practice personnel will be doing it even if it's forbidden unless you're fighting someone with an EW system so good that it lets them shoot people by the mere electronics siganture of a laptop from 2 km.

IDF troops used to deploy into combat with illegal sofas. As in the furniture bit.

[Chinese Peoples]

Also I'm not clear what 'information' a regular soldier should be sending via text.

He can already say anything he wants into the machine, and 99% of people talk faster than they type.

Any kind of information, because a laptop has the ability to retain data in its system, unlike a conventional radio set. You might want to review what you said, or reference what you said in writing a report.

Moreover, you can do targeting by simply touching a stylus to a screen and pressing a few button. Same for sharing info about enemy units.

But laptops can also have touch screens amenable to stylus interaction. The keyboard part can be folded back to allow it to be used as a tablet.

A modern radio or tablet already tells your commander where you are to the meter.

So the need to type or even say things is reduced.

[The Akasha Colony]

Specs:
CPU Intel Xeon E3-1230
RAM 8 GB DDR4 DIMM
Screen 13" 1080p
Graphics nVidia Quadro M620 (1 GB)
Battery 92 kWh

USB 3.1 w/ Thunderbolt, USB 3.0, Ethernet, audio jack, HDMI-out and HDMI-in, VGA-out, parallel printer port, serial port, PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports, charger port.

Most of those features are unnecessary. Troops do not need a 1080p screen or a GPU, that simply adds extra cost and weight (for the GPU) as well as increased power consumption, resulting in reduced battery life. And battery life and reliability are the two most important factors. A 768p screen will easily suffice, and there is no need for most of those legacy connectors. If you are wealthy enough to issue laptops with these specs to troops, you can afford to replace your old IBM Model M keyboards.

Realistically though a device like this is simply unnecessary for the vast majority of troops. They don't need a big 13" screen, they don't need a keyboard, they don't need 8 GB of RAM and a discrete GPU, or Thunderbolt connectivity. They can get everything through a simple, more durable, and more compact tablet or phablet form factor. A 13" ruggedized laptop is around 8 lbs, while an iPad mini in an Otterbox case weighs only 2.3 lbs.

But an actual keyboard means faster typing, and that means more information can be sent via text; a laptop can also lend itself to leisure use and video conferencing. Encryption will be a standard feature of these laptops. Also, it means soldiers will not need to carry as many paper files.

Soldiers don't need to send that much information, generally speaking. And when they do, they can just talk. Video calls can be done via a mobile device just fine, and aren't hugely common anyway because they gobble bandwidth and require the participants' visual attention, meaning they can't do anything else.

Under absolutely no circumstance should a military computer that's connected to a military network be used also for personal use. The irresponsibility of designing a system where this is explicitly permitted is a terrifyingly bad idea.

I see. What about allowing personnel to bring their own laptops to their positions?

That's worse, because regular people are idiots and regularly get their computers infected with malware, which will then be spread to the military network. Troops will always try to do it, and in this case you need to be sure that you keep these devices apart from anything sensitive, on a separate network designed for unsecure things and personal use.

[Chinese Peoples]

I see. What about allowing personnel to bring their own laptops to their positions?

In practice personnel will be doing it even if it's forbidden unless you're fighting someone with an EW system so good that it lets them shoot people by the mere electronics siganture of a laptop from 2 km.

IDF troops used to deploy into combat with illegal sofas. As in the furniture bit.

Perhaps this way personnel can have a more uniform channel of communication with the external world, such as accessing bank accounts remotely via e-banking. The MoD can give virtual lessons and notices to personnel conveniently, too.

[Taihei Tengoku]

Do you seriously think they're going to do this inside the BTR or in a foxhole

They'll check their bank statements when they get R&R

[Allanea]

I'm not sure what the definition of the 'position' is here. People do have computers in FOBs, forts, and trench dugouts. But I'm not sure if those are 'positions' per se.

[The Akasha Colony]

In practice personnel will be doing it even if it's forbidden unless you're fighting someone with an EW system so good that it lets them shoot people by the mere electronics siganture of a laptop from 2 km.

IDF troops used to deploy into combat with illegal sofas. As in the furniture bit.

Perhaps this way personnel can have a more uniform channel of communication with the external world, such as accessing bank accounts remotely via e-banking. The MoD can give virtual lessons and notices to personnel conveniently, too.

They can do this back at the base where there are workstations set up for personnel to use. They do not need to be issued laptops just so they can see whether their pay got deposited.

[Chinese Peoples]

Specs:
CPU Intel Xeon E3-1230
RAM 8 GB DDR4 DIMM
Screen 13" 1080p
Graphics nVidia Quadro M620 (1 GB)
Battery 92 kWh

USB 3.1 w/ Thunderbolt, USB 3.0, Ethernet, audio jack, HDMI-out and HDMI-in, VGA-out, parallel printer port, serial port, PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports, charger port.

Most of those features are unnecessary. Troops do not need a 1080p screen or a GPU, that simply adds extra cost and weight (for the GPU) as well as increased power consumption, resulting in reduced battery life. And battery life and reliability are the two most important factors. A 768p screen will easily suffice, and there is no need for most of those legacy connectors. If you are wealthy enough to issue laptops with these specs to troops, you can afford to replace your old IBM Model M keyboards.

The 1080p screen is included because most digital content consumed today is native at that resolution, including the information produced by the armed forces. The Quadro GPU is there to virtualize 3D spaces, which might be sent as digital files so personnel can study a space before invading it, or that is what I think. The M620 is also quite modest with its power consumption, which is also why that CPU was chosen. A SATA SSD is included in the system because of traditional HDD's inability to cope with shock. The legacy connectors are there to enhance its adaptability in less developed environments, such as printing something with an old printer raided from an abandoned office building.

But an actual keyboard means faster typing, and that means more information can be sent via text; a laptop can also lend itself to leisure use and video conferencing. Encryption will be a standard feature of these laptops. Also, it means soldiers will not need to carry as many paper files.

Soldiers don't need to send that much information, generally speaking. And when they do, they can just talk. Video calls can be done via a mobile device just fine, and aren't hugely common anyway because they gobble bandwidth and require the participants' visual attention, meaning they can't do anything else.

I see.

I see. What about allowing personnel to bring their own laptops to their positions?

That's worse, because regular people are idiots and regularly get their computers infected with malware, which will then be spread to the military network. Troops will always try to do it, and in this case you need to be sure that you keep these devices apart from anything sensitive, on a separate network designed for unsecure things and personal use.

Would it therefore, in this case, be more convenient to mass-issue laptops so infections have more predictable behaviour and are more easily removed by trained personnel?

[Chinese Peoples]

Perhaps this way personnel can have a more uniform channel of communication with the external world, such as accessing bank accounts remotely via e-banking. The MoD can give virtual lessons and notices to personnel conveniently, too.

They can do this back at the base where there are workstations set up for personnel to use. They do not need to be issued laptops just so they can see whether their pay got deposited.

What if a permanent (or even temporary) base is unfeasible to set up with serious infrastructure? With workstations, you have to provide desks and chairs, as well as separate monitors; with a laptop all that can be on one's lap.

[Gallia-]

I see. What about allowing personnel to bring their own laptops to their positions?

you emit you die

yer

[Taihei Tengoku]

It would make sense to keep laptops where they belong, i.e. at the company/battalion CP, and have them use bandwidth only when they need to.

"Studying a space before invading it" is the purpose of leader's recon and patrolling.

They can do this back at the base where there are workstations set up for personnel to use. They do not need to be issued laptops just so they can see whether their pay got deposited.

What if a permanent (or even temporary) base is unfeasible to set up with serious infrastructure? With workstations, you have to provide desks and chairs, as well as separate monitors; with a laptop all that can be on one's lap.

Then the mission doesn't require laptops, or you are a joke army incapable of the simplest logistics

[Chinese Peoples]

It would make sense to keep laptops where they belong, i.e. at the company/battalion CP, and have them use bandwidth only when they need to.

"Studying a space before invading it" is the purpose of leader's recon and patrolling.

But inside a space...

What if a permanent (or even temporary) base is unfeasible to set up with serious infrastructure? With workstations, you have to provide desks and chairs, as well as separate monitors; with a laptop all that can be on one's lap.

Then the mission doesn't require laptops, or you are a joke army incapable of the simplest logistics

I honestly think lugging a laptop is the simpler solution to establishing an entire modern office.

[The Akasha Colony]

The 1080p screen is included because most digital content consumed today is native at that resolution, including the information produced by the armed forces. The Quadro GPU is there to virtualize 3D spaces, which might be sent as digital files so personnel can study a space before invading it, or that is what I think. The M620 is also quite modest with its power consumption, which is also why that CPU was chosen. A SATA SSD is included in the system because of traditional HDD's inability to cope with shock. The legacy connectors are there to enhance its adaptability in less developed environments, such as printing something with an old printer raided from an abandoned office building.

Perhaps you might want to look at actual ruggedized laptops to figure out specs first. Notice a few things: the 768p screen (with a focus on very high brightness for outdoor visibility), the extremely large battery for long battery life, the lack of GPU (modern integrated graphics will more than suffice, no one's playing Crysis) and lastly, the huge size. Because that's the form factor necessary to make a laptop suitably rugged for such uses.

You would not want to try to connect to old devices lying around because they cannot be trusted for security reasons.

No one's going to be sending "virtualized 3D spaces" either. From a practical standpoint, it's time-consuming to even think about modeling them. For another, it eats enormous amounts of bandwidth, which is always in short supply in the field. And when troops aren't in the field, they can use regular workstations to handle more intensive tasks if they need this capability. But generally speaking, modern combat software is extremely utilitarian and basic, intentionally so.

Would it therefore, in this case, be more convenient to mass-issue laptops so infections have more predictable behaviour and are more easily removed by trained personnel?

Just have workstations available for their use at the base. They're too clunky to lug around and use in the field.

It should be emphasized that properly disciplined troops in the field will keep communications to a minimum. Which is why they don't all need these laptops and their fancy features, because they won't be sending 3D virtualization files or videoconferencing or sending huge typed up reports or whatever.

What if a permanent (or even temporary) base is unfeasible to set up with serious infrastructure? With workstations, you have to provide desks and chairs, as well as separate monitors; with a laptop all that can be on one's lap.

Then you're sort of fucked, because these are basic features of any command post from battalion on up. And if you can't manage to set up a command post, you're in trouble.

Military workstations are generally all integrated into a single rolling desk unit that includes the tower, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and any other necessary peripherals. The chair is just any old folding chair or convenient box. It's not rocket science. Roll out the desk, plug it in to a generator, and find a box or folding chair or even just stand for a bit to use it. No one's looking for a whole cubicle complete with fake plants, old pictures of the family, and filing drawers full of TPS reports.

In fact, the US Army is working on converting medium trucks into mobile workstation spaces, so you can do everything on the truck itself. It makes the whole HQ thing a lot more mobile and quicker to set up and take down.

[The Corparation]

IDF troops used to deploy into combat with illegal sofas. As in the furniture bit.

I feel like there's a story here or at the very least a funny picture or two.

[Chinese Peoples]

The 1080p screen is included because most digital content consumed today is native at that resolution, including the information produced by the armed forces. The Quadro GPU is there to virtualize 3D spaces, which might be sent as digital files so personnel can study a space before invading it, or that is what I think. The M620 is also quite modest with its power consumption, which is also why that CPU was chosen. A SATA SSD is included in the system because of traditional HDD's inability to cope with shock. The legacy connectors are there to enhance its adaptability in less developed environments, such as printing something with an old printer raided from an abandoned office building.

Perhaps you might want to look at actual ruggedized laptops to figure out specs first. Notice a few things: the 768p screen (with a focus on very high brightness for outdoor visibility), the extremely large battery for long battery life, the lack of GPU (modern integrated graphics will more than suffice, no one's playing Crysis) and lastly, the huge size. Because that's the form factor necessary to make a laptop suitably rugged for such uses.

Nobody will be playing Crysis with the Quadro M620 (I didn't pick the GTX 1080). The battery that I've specified would actually out-perform that of the Panasonic laptop.

You would not want to try to connect to old devices lying around because they cannot be trusted for security reasons.

Well, obviously people will be keeping an eye over that consideration when they're connecting.

No one's going to be sending "virtualized 3D spaces" either. From a practical standpoint, it's time-consuming to even think about modeling them. For another, it eats enormous amounts of bandwidth, which is always in short supply in the field. And when troops aren't in the field, they can use regular workstations to handle more intensive tasks if they need this capability. But generally speaking, modern combat software is extremely utilitarian and basic, intentionally so.

I personally think, given the amount of effort that this nation's armed forces has expended to invest in technology, providing 3D modelling of terrain/buildings in certain localities, prepared in advance by some form of automatically surveying technology (akin to Google Maps street view or Google Earth), will not be out of the question.

Military workstations are generally all integrated into a single rolling desk unit that includes the tower, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and any other necessary peripherals. The chair is just any old folding chair or convenient box. It's not rocket science. Roll out the desk, plug it in to a generator, and find a box or folding chair or even just stand for a bit to use it. No one's looking for a whole cubicle complete with fake plants, old pictures of the family, and filing drawers full of TPS reports.

I see; they will be adopted.

[Taihei Tengoku]

Just fuckin

go outside and see it for yourself