American soldiers are being tracked in real time by adversaries using data purchased from commercial smartphone providers, despite warnings to the Pentagon more than a decade ago, and Congress must…
In April 2026, U.S. Central Command confirmed that commercial smartphone data was being used to target American forces stationed abroad. At the time, Iranian missile and drone strikes had left swathes of U.S. installations across the Gulf damaged or unusable, forcing commanders to disperse thousands of troops into hotels and offices with none of a base’s perimeter security. Every one of those service members still carried the same phone in their pocket, broadcasting location data that’s for sale to anyone with a credit card.
In April 2026, U.S. Central Command confirmed that commercial smartphone data was being used to target American forces stationed abroad. At the time, Iranian missile and drone strikes had left swathes of U.S. installations across the Gulf damaged or unusable, forcing commanders to disperse thousands of troops into hotels and offices with none of a base’s perimeter security. Every one of those service members still carried the same phone in their pocket, broadcasting location data that’s for sale to anyone with a credit card.
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