US Central Command says it has received multiple threat reports that adversaries could exploit commercial cellphone location data to target or surveil US personnel in the Middle East. Lawmakers, citing CENTCOM responses and a letter to the Pentagon, argue the
A cellphone is supposed to be a lifeline in a war zone. For some US Marines, it has also become a warning sign that the ground truth may be closer than anyone wants to admit—because location trails built for apps and advertisers can end up serving enemy eyes.
US Central Command. which oversees US military operations in the Middle East. has received “multiple threat reports concerning adversary exploitation of commercial location data to target or surveil US personnel in theater.” In written responses to lawmakers. CENTCOM said it used those threat reports to learn how American forces could be vulnerable to surveillance and to shape force protection measures in the region.
The central problem is not that troops are carrying phones—they are allowed to have and use personal phones in the area. The issue, CENTCOM says, is that guidance to disable geolocation capabilities may not fully protect them on commercial devices.
CENTCOM said its guidance notes that disabling geolocation capabilities does not always fully disable them on commercial products. That means personnel may have to implement comprehensive device security measures, including privacy setting reviews. It added that while government-issued phones are configured to disable mobile advertising tracking. some information isn’t blocked and can be edited by the user. The Pentagon’s Defense Information Systems Agency is working to completely remove that option on government-issued phones.
Lawmakers raised the heat in a letter sent Thursday to the Pentagon’s chief information officer. The letter cites CENTCOM’s April responses and says DoD has not taken basic steps to protect US military personnel from the counterintelligence and force protection threat posed by the collection and sale of personal information. including cell phone location data. by data brokers.
Over a dozen congressional members wrote that DoD has known about the threat for over a decade but failed to adopt “commonsense cyber defenses.” They also said DoD has confirmed to Congress that foreign adversaries are exploiting commercially available location data to target US military personnel in war zones.
Their request is straightforward: lawmakers are seeking clarity on what steps the Department of Defense is taking to address potential vulnerabilities.
The concerns land in a wider pattern already voiced by senior military leaders about cellphone use in general. Gen. Eric Smith, commandant of the US Marine Corps, previously warned that reckless phone use can lead to troops being located and targeted by enemy forces.
In a video shared in January 2025, Smith reminded Marines that battlefield cellphone usage could be fatal. The video depicts a Marine escaping enemy fire and seeking refuge in an abandoned building. He pulled out his phone, texted for assistance, and shared his location. As other Marines arrived to rescue him, an enemy strike hit the site, resulting in fatalities. The messages had been intercepted, leaving the troops at risk.
The danger, CENTCOM and Marine leaders argue, isn’t confined to accidental, location-sharing texts. It can come from the same kind of phone-tracking data that follows ordinary users for advertising purposes.
CENTCOM’s warning points to how complex the exposure can be: disabling geolocation features doesn’t always fully prevent commercial apps and products from exposing data. In combat zones, seemingly routine digital trails can become intelligence for adversaries trying to find, watch, or target US forces.
Smith, speaking about the shift in modern conflict, said last year: “The character of war continues to change.” He added that the proliferation of technology has made signature management essential on the battlefield.
At an event in Washington, DC, another Marine general recently said that on the battlefield, a cellphone “gets you killed.” Other services and leaders have issued similar warnings.
The stakes are not theoretical. The war in Ukraine has shown how cellphone usage. social media posts. and open-source information and geolocation can be used to target troops. In response, Russia has implemented several bans on cellphone use in combat areas, though the bans are not consistently followed.
Back in the Middle East, CENTCOM says it is using threat reporting to inform force protection measures. But for lawmakers. the core dispute is whether the practical steps taken so far match the scale of the counterintelligence risk—especially when the very devices and data streams designed for everyday convenience can. under pressure. become a map for someone hunting from a distance.
CENTCOM US troops commercial location data cellphone tracking data brokers force protection Defense Information Systems Agency DoD lawmakers counterintelligence signature management