Story

July 31, 2025

U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Victoria Paine, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

The U.S. military’s mobile rugged computing requirements are highly specific, varying, and at times counterintuitive. One size does not fit all in this environment, so engineers and designers should be prepared to go beyond simply understanding the needs and applications of the different branches and must actually be willing and able to provide the flexibility to tailor solutions to fit various situations and time frames.

Table stakes for entering the conversation around rugged mobile computing for the military begin with meeting military-specification (mil-spec), Hazards of Electromagnetic Radiation to Ordnance (HERO), Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2, and other specifications and standards. All of these important prerequisites are designed to shine the light on truly rugged devices capable of operating safely in and withstanding a broad range of military use environments. Also in the mix: the historically foundational factors of needing to optimize SWaP (size, weight, and power), and the newer addition of “C” (cost) for rugged mobile-computer manufacturers to balance and optimize.

Depending on the application, a manufacturer may be asked to provide unique configurations combining emergent technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) with legacy options or even to remove some features. This is where the field of providers narrows, as this space is not the place for inflexible commercial market offerings, commodity products, or machines that aren’t truly rugged. (Figure 1.)

[Figure 1 ǀ Drone control via field-deployed rugged tablets is part of the evolution of uncrewed aerial systems (UASs) in military applications. Image courtesy Durabook.]

Rugged: Specs make it more than an adjective

The federal government is getting much more specific in requests for quote (RFQs) about products meeting specifications and standards to ensure that military equipment and products including rugged mobile-computing devices meet quality, reliability, and compatibility requirements. While some specific requirements of each branch of the military may differ slightly from one to the next, the U.S. military is still very focused on mil-spec technical guidelines and standards used by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Key standards include:


MIL-STD-810H describes a broad range of environmental conditions a worthy rugged device must be able to withstand. The specification is maintained by a Tri-Service partnership (the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, and U.S. Navy).
MIL-STD-461G establishes interface and associated verification requirements for the control of emission and susceptibility characteristics of electronic devices. Approved for use by all departments and agencies of the DoD.
IPXX/Ingress Protection Code is a standardized system that classifies and rates the degree of protection that an electrical enclosure offers against the ingress of dust and water.
Part of meeting mil-spec standards for rugged computing in harsh environments, the HERO compliance program is designed to prevent accidental ignition of electrically initiated devices (EIDs) in ammunition and explosives due to radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields. It assesses how close electronic devices like a rugged laptop or tablet can be to munitions.
FIPS 140-2 specifies security requirements for cryptographic modules used to protect sensitive information in computer and telecommunications systems. Under U.S. government procurement rules, all solutions that use cryptography must complete FIPS 140-2 validation to ensure that end users receive a high degree of security, assurance, and dependability.
NIST 800-171 is a cybersecurity standard for protecting what’s known as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).
AS9100 is a quality-management standard ensuring that components are both traceable and manufactured by quality-compliant suppliers.

Contracts, schedules, and programs of record

Aside from product specs, each military branch and government agency uses various contracts to support the acquisition of its mobile rugged requirements. Prospective government customers will know a manufacturer is serious about serving the segment and offering its best price if that company is listed on indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contracts, blanket purchase agreements (BPAs), and U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) schedules.

Within the U.S. military, a program of record (POR) is a formally approved, funded program with a dedicated line item in the budget. Under the auspices of a POR, government program managers want to see production cycles and roadmaps from providers that can be supported long-term.

After the standards, the variations

Some mobile-computing features that are standard in the commercial world can pose security issues for U.S. military and federal government agencies. For instance, mobile connectivity is one feature considered essential in the commercial world – the latest-possible generation of mobile connectivity standard being the most desirable – and connectivity everywhere is a must. But this isn’t the case with DoD or federal customers who may ask to have Wi-Fi removed because they don’t want the signal broadcast.

When DoD customers need to operate in an extremely restricted or “non-comm” environment, the provider must build units without the Wi-Fi module, enabling the potential user to leverage other, noncommercial secure-communications technology without compromising security. Here, the ability to be flexible with engineering and manufacturing is essential to meeting requirements and satisfying the end user. What this looks like in play is that, whether the end user is communicating through satellite or other means, the communications will typically come back through an RJ45 connection, which the provider would hard-wire in when needed. The other option would be to communicate through an RS232 port to a radio, which enables the user to hook a tablet or laptop into their radio on the battlefield or in other remote locations.

In sensitive locations or situations, the government customer may want a system without Wi-Fi, without Bluetooth, without a camera, or with some legacy capability. They want connectivity where it’s simply controlled, such as satellite or other types of communications. Part of the rationale for this is that it is much more difficult to hack into a secure satcom or other type of system than it may be with more common, more open Wi-Fi signals.

Joe Guest, President of Durabook Federal, serves the government market with a background of three decades of experience gained serving in the U.S. Air Force, the National Guard, and private sector government sales. Joe held business-development and executive leadership positions at other rugged mobile computing and notable tech-industry companies.

Durabook    www.durabook.com/us/