Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) | |
---|---|
Country | United States of America |
Branch | Defense Media Activity |
Type | Multimedia and Information |
Role | Media and public relations |
Part of | US Department of Defense |
Commanders | |
Director | Scott Betts |
The Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS), formerly the Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System, is an operation supported by the Defense Media Activity (DMA). It provides a connection between world media and the American military personnel serving at home and abroad. It supports all branches of the U.S. military as well as its coalition partners in the Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility. [1]
A network of portable Ku-band satellite transmitters in a hub in Atlanta, Georgia, and other locations, feed DVIDS with PR and combat content, including live video feeds. [2] DVIDS broadcasts videos, photographs, podcasts, audio, webcasts, interviews, and print products (e.g., publications). [3] [4] [5]
The service currently uses Aspera software for its data and imagery transmission and storage needs. [6] It operates DefenseTV, a military television-channel accessed through FireTV, Chromecast or Roku, [7] [8] and offers the Military 24/7 mobile app, which delivers news, video, and photos supplied directly by deployed service members. [9] It maintains an archive for ongoing operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain. [10]
Scott Betts leads the Department of Defense DVIDS program via Defense Media Activity, Defense Enterprise Media Systems (DEMS), at Fort Meade, Maryland. [11]
The Islamic National Army, also referred to as the Islamic Emirate Army and the Afghan Army, is the land force branch of the Afghan Armed Forces. The roots of an army in Afghanistan can be traced back to the early 18th century when the Hotak dynasty was established in Kandahar followed by Ahmad Shah Durrani's rise to power. It was reorganized in 1880 during Emir Abdur Rahman Khan's reign. Afghanistan remained neutral during the First and Second World Wars. From the 1960s to the early 1990s, the Afghan Army was equipped by the Soviet Union.
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