In a request posted on FedBizOpps earlier this week, DARPA wrote: “In today’s military, handheld systems are characterized by a tight integration of specialized hardware with a narrowly focused software suite. Most of the handheld devices are heavily optimized for a particular task and are ill-suited for general-purpose use.”
The agency also called for a transformation in technical approaches and business processes that ideally would result in rapid development of applications and system enhancement used by warfighters; encouragement and support of competition among suppliers in the military applications development process, and support of new business models and streamlined processes to incentivize suppliers.