Unveiling the Digital Chasm in Defense, as highlighted by Signal
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is embarking on a mission to develop a secure, mobile-first, user-centered communications app, a move driven by the need for modern, efficient, and effective military communications. This endeavour is set against the backdrop of AI integration, cybersecurity, and modernization priorities highlighted by expert bodies such as the Defense Innovation Board (DIB) and recent federal AI policy initiatives.
The White House AI Action Plan, released in July 2025, underscores the importance of accelerating AI adoption within the DoD to maintain military technological preeminence. This includes the need for secure and reliable AI-enabled systems and infrastructure modernization to support mission-critical communications and operations.
The plan calls for the integration of AI into warfighting and back-office operations via secure, "secure-by-design" technologies. This emphasizes the importance of security, privacy, and resiliency as foundational design criteria for DoD apps and services.
The establishment of an "AI & Autonomous Systems Virtual Proving Ground" to test and validate AI technologies in military contexts suggests a structured, rigorous approach to app development and deployment within the DoD.
The DIB has historically advocated for human-centered design principles. This implies building DoD communication apps with a mobile-first approach focused on user experience, simplicity, and operational efficiency, facilitating rapid adoption and effective usage by military personnel.
Cybersecurity is a top priority. The Action Plan highlights enhancing critical infrastructure cybersecurity to protect against evolving threats, including those targeting AI and communications systems, which directly informs app security requirements and frameworks.
Federal procurement and regulatory frameworks are being updated to remove barriers to innovation while ensuring robust security and compliance. This means that new communications apps need to align with these evolving standards for software used in DoD settings.
While not specific to DoD, commercial platforms enhancing IoT device security and management (such as automated patching and connectivity solutions) influence secure communications development by exemplifying automation and resilience practices relevant to the DoD's environment.
In light of these recommendations, the DoD's communications apps should be developed with mobile-first, user-centered design prioritizing ease of use for military personnel in diverse operational settings. They should also incorporate integrated AI capabilities tested rigorously within a virtual proving ground to ensure security and operational trustworthiness. A secure-by-design architecture is essential, protecting against cyber threats and ensuring privacy and data integrity.
The recommendations reflect an ongoing push by the Defense Innovation Board and government initiatives toward modern, secure, and user-friendly military communications solutions enabled by advanced AI and cybersecurity frameworks.
Interestingly, the DIB published a guide titled "Detecting Agile BS" in 2018, emphasizing the importance of talking with and observing software users in action. Zac Staples, founder and CEO of Fathom5, advocates for starting to build software iteratively, transparently, and in direct partnership with the people who use the tools. He suggests putting acquisition professionals side-by-side with actual users in field exercises, schoolhouses, and operational units.
The need for a federal workforce that is skilled, resilient, and ready to meet evolving mission demands is also paramount. The continued absence of a mobile-first, mission-ready communications app indicates that the Department of Defense is still not listening to the people who matter most: the users themselves.
In the past, senior U.S. officials have used the encrypted messaging app Signal for national security matters, highlighting the need for a secure, user-friendly app within the DoD. Signal offers end-to-end encryption, role-aware chat alerts, one-touch emergency channels, location-aware routing, mission audit features, authentication built for real users, an intuitive UI, and no training required.
The continued efforts and recommendations for developing a secure, mobile-first, user-centered communications app for the U.S. Department of Defense underscore the importance of putting users at the forefront of app development, ensuring security, and leveraging the power of AI and cybersecurity frameworks to create modern, efficient, and effective military communications solutions.
- The White House AI Action Plan, issued in July 2025, emphasizes the need for the federal workforce, particularly the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), to incorporate AI and data-and-cloud-computing technologies into warfighting and back-office operations.
- To achieve secure, mobile-first, and user-centered military communications, the DoD should collaborate with actual users, following human-centered design principles, and leverage AI-enabled systems that have been rigorously tested within an AI & Autonomous Systems Virtual Proving Ground.
