On June 6th, 2015, Richard Matt and David Sweat, were discovered missing at 5:17 a.m. from the Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York. Matt was serving 25 years to life and Sweat was serving life without parole. Following their escape, a three-week manhunt ensued. After three weeks, more than

In early October, in the wake of Hurricane Ian, Chris Teale, a staff reporter at Government Computer News (GCN),  authored an article about the need for communications both during and before natural disasters. In his article, Chris referenced a report by the Federal Communications Commission to illustrate the hurricane’s impact

In our last article in The Last Mile, we discussed how military and disaster response operations in subterranean environments— such as basements, tunnels, and underground structures, can face communications and situational awareness challenges. And these underground communications challenges can happen anywhere, even in areas that traditionally have reliable terrestrial and

No matter if it’s a warfighter deployed on a special operation in an off-grid environment, or an emergency responder in a dense urban area with weak cellular connectivity, having reliable means of communication and situational awareness is critical for a mission to be executed successfully. But in these environments where

Prior to deploying to a crisis response center in a remote location, humanitarian aid workers typically have an initial communications plan which includes a list of crucial stakeholders, their goals, and the hierarchy for sharing information on the crisis. Team leaders have to know who they need to talk to,

In our last article on The Last Mile, we sat down with Greg Albrecht – medic and goTenna Public Safety Technical Consultant – to discuss the conditions and impacts lack of communications and connectivity have on first responders in natural disaster environments. This week, Greg returns to discuss the critical

As connected devices and the network-enabled platforms and weapons systems of tomorrow make their way into every part of the mission, many across the DoD are looking to the rapidly advancing commercial satellite industry and 5G networks to deliver the military communications that they require to operate. Unfortunately, 5G networks

In a previous post on The Last Mile, we looked at some of the large technology trends that are poised to get funding across the nation and transform firefighting in 2022. I also discussed how the Biden Administration – seeing the increased frequency and severity of incredibly damaging wildfires –

In a list of the most devastating and destructive years for wildland fires since 1960, the worst five years in terms of acreage burned have all occurred within the past decade and a half. That means that we’re living in a time of more frequent, more deadly, and more devastating

When the Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK) was released a decade ago, its situational awareness and communications capabilities completely transformed how military, law enforcement, and emergency response teams coordinate and communicate during their missions. For more than 10 years, ATAK has been enabling any warfighter with an Android device to