Secure PDA phone available for homeland defense.

• Position: SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs

General Dynamics C4 Systems has been awarded an $18 million contract by the National Security Agency to design and develop a combined mobile telephone and personal digital assistant.

The secure PDA phone will provide voice and data communications, including e-mail, web access and file viewing. The award is part of the secure mobile environment program, which calls for a single device for government users requiring "Type I" security that also provides wireless access to the government's secure internet protocol router Network (SIPRNet).

The PDA phone will operate via existing commercial...