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According to CNN, soldiers this summer tested Android, Apple and Windows phones and tablets in the field for several military uses. These included sending text messages, GPS location tracking, and filing reports. The Army recently ran a six-week test program in New Mexico and Texas to test the suitability of mobile devices during combat.

Both Android and Apple worked well in the desert tests. Initially, one of the Android phones, a Samsung model, had some problems connecting, as did the iPhone, but eventually those issues were resolved.

The Army said smartphones will help the military better defend itself against cyber-attacks and also avoid the need for developing even more software. Army engineers have even worked out a way for the military apps to work on both iOS and Android platforms.

The smartphones, which would be used in concert with tactical radios in the field, might be more understandable to today's younger soldiers than traditional military equipment.

"These young soldiers grew up with this technology, they're very familiar with it. They're very comfortable with it," said Michael McCarthy, an Army director for the program, to CNN.

The military has already been working on warfare apps for smartphones, with combat divisions using custom apps to coordinate attacks in field exercises. An app for war, based on a super-charged version of Google Earth's virtual globe, offers live images from cameras mounted on unmanned aerial drones.

This summer's smartphone testing, done under desert warfare conditions, may serve a good introduction for the apps that have already been developed.

While the Army is enthusiastic about the tests, it admits cyber-attacks could be a real problem when using mobile technology in the field. Hackers have already hit other military targets, including a significant attack on Lockheed Martin, the nation's largest military contractor, earlier this year. Hackers frequently target military businesses in an effort to crack national security data. A successful hack into a soldier's smartphone may therefore be a serious matter for troops.

One way the Army will reportedly combat hacking is by devising "cell tower in a suitcase" gear that creates a limited range wireless network that soldiers activate when service is unreliable or unsecured.

The military has not yet locked down plans for smartphone use in combat, but says the devices may become a vital tool in years to come. With technological advances continuing to grow, the same device teenagers use at home to update Facebook may be increasingly used by troops as a tool of war on a battlefield.