Know Your Gear: Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK)

The Android Team Awareness Kit (or Awesome Team Awareness Kit for non-Android versions), ATAK for short, is a software driven technology originally developed by Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) scientists and engineers.

You’ve probably seen photos of military personnel using a chest-mounted tablet computer or smart phone and wondered what software or app they were using. Most likely it was ATAK. Over the past several years of using and refining in real-world combat zones by Special Operations forces and warfighters, this technology package has been adapted to fit the missions of local, state, and federal agencies. It is also at the heart of the US Army Nett Warrior system.

The combat version to the technology, referred to as Android Tactical Assault Kit, is used for tactical information feeds, various analytics and visualizations. Tactical uses include mission planning, situational awareness, mission execution, and call for fires solutions such as close air support, land or naval artillery or missiles.

When the technology is used in non-military operations such as law enforcement, event security, forest fires, or hurricanes, AFRL deploys a civilian version that they can even license to industry or local governments for their own use. During natural disasters such as Hurricane Florence, which paralyzed parts of the East Coast in September 2018, the software provided invaluable, life-saving, real-time mobile capabilities such as live video feeds, personnel tracking, image sharing, site surveys, augmented reality, geospatial mapping, navigation, and chat. Situational awareness in combat or during a natural disaster is a game-changer that can exponentially improve a team’s probability of success.

*Photo credit: The Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Chemical and Biological Technologies Department.*

Using ATAK operators can view the location of other operators and potential hazards, a major advantage over only relying on hand-held radio transmissions for communications and awareness. ATAK can be downloaded to a phone, tablet, or handheld device. It can be projected onto a large screen in a conference room, attached to an operator’s forearm, thigh, or chest for hands-free use. This technology informs users with up-to-the-second situational awareness that becomes critical in high-stress, hazardous environments.

ATAK also empowers collaboration across agencies, enabling joint-mission teams the ability to cross-communicate with one another. During disaster relief efforts, AFRL teams with agencies like FEMA, the National Guard, the Cajun Army, Customs and Border Patrol, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense.