We know how to protect our troops from telecom attacks. We’re just not doing it.
The carriers won't act without pressure. Congress and the Pentagon need to force their hand now.
By
John Doyle
July 30, 2026
A Soldier takes a cell phone picture as Lt. Col Astrid Ruiz-Fernandez, the exiting commander of the 205th Theater Public Affairs Support Element, speaks to the 205th TPASE for the last time as the commanding officer during a change of command ceremony June 7, 2025 at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, TX. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Staff Sgt. Blake A. Essex)
As the fight with Iran intensifies, the revelation earlier this month, first reported by The Financial Times — that Iran is targeting U.S. military personnel via their smartphones — should not surprise us. The war in Ukraine has supplied numerous stories of both Ukrainian and Russian soldiers killed when their cell phones revealed their location. And yet, U.S. servicemembers in the Middle East will likely continue to use their cell phones, just like Ukrainian and Russian soldiers in Europe do.
I know, because a generation ago in the Iraq war, I was an Army Special Forces communications sergeant, tasked with keeping my team in contact with command. I carried over 100 pounds of radio equipment in my rucksack, but also always kept a cell phone in my pocket. Despite tens of thousands of dollars worth of communications gear, the thing I knew would always work every time I turned it on was my cell phone.
Cell phones have only gotten better since then, and adoption (including military adoption) has expanded. Commercial cellular is nearly everywhere, reliable, and woven into our lives. Even top U.S. officials — who have teams dedicated to hauling classified communications equipment — have gotten in trouble using their personal smartphones for sensitive communication.
Modern warfare, much like the rest of modern life, runs on commercial cellular networks, which work beautifully but are easily compromised by our adversaries. Moscow learned this when Ukraine piloted drones deep within Russia, using Russia’s own cellular networks to blow up billions of dollars of military aircraft. But Russia can’t permanently shut down its cellular network any more than we can get our soldiers to stop using cell phones.
https://defensescoop.com/2026/07/30/we-know-how-to-protect-our-troops-from-telecom-attacks-were-just-not-doing-it/
