Cell Phone Technology and the Impact on Military Operations 

With the rapid advances in modern cell phone technology, a cell phone is no longer just a way for one person to talk to another. While a basic phone is limited to a small address book and voice mail, an advanced phone can send and receive text messages, Short Messaging Service (SMS) messages, retain contact information, take pictures and videos, and function as a computer. In February 2010, the International Telecommunication Union estimated there were more than 4.6 billion cell phones in use worldwide, and the number continues to grow. As this form of communication expands, it places an increasing burden on members of our Armed Forces and those involved in interviewing and questioning individuals who are hostile to the United States.

Small teams such as the Weapons Intelligence Teams (WIT) are being employed to conduct a very unique task on today's battlefield crime scenes. Small teams are being tasked to gather and identify digital media which may or may not contain any actionable intelligence for the field commander. This task which in itself can be complicated is further complicated with a time limit for scene processing of 5 to 60 minutes. In today’s modern law enforcement world there is typically no time limit for the processing of crime scenes as there are no tactical or typical time challenges associated with a crime scene. At the traditional digital crime scene great care can be taken to preserve the evidence in its most pristine form allowing for itemized evidence labeling and chain of custody documents being created. Small teams such as WIT cannot operate using the policies and procedures of a stateside law enforcement element.