iPods at war: armed with music players, soldiers hunt for insurgents.

• Author: Jean, Grace V.
• Position: Training and Simulation

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* ORLANDO -- As they prepare for their daily patrols around Baghdad, soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division sync up their iPods, not with songs and movies, but with a laundry list of missions and audio files containing pre-recorded phrases in Iraqi Arabic or Kurdish.

Loaded with special software, the music players help them communicate with the populace and learn the local culture, and they occasionally serve as handy tools in their tactical missions, such as searching for persons of interest. The gadgets have been so useful that troops are now finding new ways to employ the technology.

The Army so far has purchased 300 of the Vcornmunicator Mobile LC devices. Since last fall, squad leaders from the 10th Mountain Division's 1st and 4th Brigades have been using the product in Iraq.

The simplicity that has made the iPod, manufactured by Apple Inc., so successful as a music player also relates to its combat applications. Soldiers simply scroll through as they search for mission data or for spoken phrases. The display shows the sentence phonetically and in script, and the user can play the corresponding audio clip, which also can be synced to an avatar, or computerized character, that gestures according to customs.

Connected to a speaker or megaphone, the device functions as a one-way language translator. Prior to having these devices, troops had to wait for an interpreter before they could engage local residents during patrols.

"We had very little training for the systems, because they're so easy to operate," said Cory Youmans, director for acquisition support at the Army's program executive office for simulation, training and instrumentation, or PEO STRI. "The vast majority of soldiers intuitively know how to operate an iPod."

That was one of the selling points for the product, he added. Soldiers in general are looking for lightweight equipment that is simple to operate and requires little maintenance and power, Youmans said in an interview.

The creator of the VCommunicator software--Orlando-based Vcom3D Inc.-originally designed it to teach soldiers basic Iraqi Arabic phrases. But now troops are finding new tactical applications for the device, said Ernie Bright, product manager at Vcom3D.

Troops also are uploading maps and other images and content onto the video iPods to assist them at vehicle checkpoints and door-to-door searches, said Bright.

If soldiers are looking for a particular individual, they can load a...