Military computers

Consumer computers are often driven by the latest and greatest to realize the highest possible performance, such as required to play games.

Many military computer systems are built around alternative plug-in bus structures such as VMEbus or Compact PCI.

A military computer may not provide for plug-in cards and be in a dedicated form factor for a specific application such as installation on a UAV such as the Global Hawk.

The Armed Forces have many numerical designations for computers or other equipment, to guide the military buyer's choice of appropriate technology for their application.

For instance, MIL-S-901D[1] would indicate that the computer passed shock and vibration requirements of specific tests for Navy installation.

Other more common requirements are MIL-STD-810 for environmental testing such as storage and operating temperature, humidity, salt spray, dirt, etc.

To address the risks associated with the increasing prevalence of commercial mobile devices (CMDs), a DoD Inspector General report from March 2013 identifies improvements necessary to track and configure commercial mobile devices to meet Army compliance standards.

"[4] The progress of small-scale computer technology in military applications was initially slow due to concerns about security and the ability to survive rugged environments and enemy weaponry.

Hazards in the field include water and corrosives, sand and wind, extreme temperatures, high shock and vibration, power interruptions, susceptibility to EMI/RFI radiation, etc.

In the last decade, improvements in design and operator interface have resulted in new mandates for the use of small computer technology in the military.

In the last 20 years, wide acceptance of small-scale computer technology in the military has occurred, and is likely to increase greatly.