Got an idea for an app to transform the battlefield? The UK government has a £30 million boost to spend

We’ve all heard the phrase, “there’s an app for that” – and it’s pretty much true. Almost any industry, service or need you can think of has at least one or two apps dedicated to it (and often thousands or millions). One area that this may not have been true of before now is defence.

This week though, it looks like all that is about to change as the UK government has announced a£30 million funding boost to fast-track battlefield apps. That means if your business has a revolutionary or unique idea for an app that could transform military tactics or operations around the world, now could be the perfect time to make a pitch.

The Ministry of Defence, Joint Forces Demand and The RT Hon Gavin Williamson CBE MP announced the news this week, stating, “The funding, drawn from the multi-million Transformation Fund, will spark a step change in the development of application software for the Armed Forces and allow the rapid adaption of the state-of-the-art technology to be used in extreme environments, from natural disasters to the frontline.”

The Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson says that cutting-edge, specialist applications is the perfect partner for an Armed Forces that is quick to adapt and react. He says new technologies allow the creation of specialist apps that are “tailored, secure and responsive” – traits that could give the military the edge they need to subdue emerging threats and outmanoeuvre the opposition.

The official statement recognises that apps function as, “…responsive software that can visualise and automate secure, critical information, tailored to their mission, anywhere in the world.”

This cutting-edge approach means that defence specialists will now be able to create sophisticated, useful apps that meet the operational commander’s requirements – whatever those requirements may be and whatever the location of the particular unit. With the £30 million funding boost, developers should be expected to create, test and deliver apps within a matter of days. As the mission concerned then develops, the app itself should also then be adapted and changed to keep pace with the needs of the unit and mission its supporting.

The Ministry of Defence, Joint Forces Demand and The RT Hon Gavin Williamson CBE MP say that 18 applications of this nature have already been delivered to the United States Air Force (USAF). The USAF and Marine Corps already use apps.

The apps to be delivered to the UK military are initially expected to focus on things such as decision making, command and control but this may be extended to other areas including defence, logistics and even medical support in future.