This App Allows Troops To Request Equipment They Need For Their Missions

A charity has provided an app that allows troops to request specific equipment needed to complete their missions.

The charity, Troops Need You, was first established in 2007 by retired Lt. Col. Eric Egland, who observed that there was constantly an overflow of care packages the troops didn't need, yet troops weren't always able to obtain the equipment they needed to complete their mission from the federal government.

"You have this gap of troops not having what they need to do their mission, and then you have this excess of American people donating time, money, love, support. They want to support but they're doing it in a meaningless way," Egland told The Daily Wire, "and I thought, what if you could just connect those two and reconcile those and say, hey, instead of buying candy, why don't you donate $25 and we'll use that to buy the infrared hunting cameras that these units need for their outpost security on their perimeter because their perimeter security package that's built by some $50 billion contractor hasn't arrived or is broken."

Troops Need You fills those gaps by providing military personnel with equipment like "infrared hunting cameras, night vision binoculars and weapon accessories," according to a press release.

Typically, these orders were requested online but with their recent launch of a mobile app, troops and special operations forces can request materials and equipment and people can donate money straight from their smart phones.

"Every troop carries their personal mobile device with them into combat," said Egland. "That's the world's reality: our mobile devices are indispensable, even when we're in a shooting war in a foreign place. So what this allows is troops to request equipment that they need for their mission through their personal mobile device." 

Egland added, "Previously, we would do it through the web and through emails, so this is the next generation of making it even easier for troops to get what they need for their fight. And for the American people, this is a new way for American people to donate to buy specific items that the troops specifically request and see what those items are, and then even see a progress bar as people donate for a specific item to see where it is."

The app also provides people with updates on when troops receive those items, including photos of the troops using the specific equipment and a "thank you" note from the troops.

Troops Need You is currently focused on getting camouflage uniforms to a set of special forces battling ISIS, as the camouflage uniforms they currently have don't conceal them very well in the terrain they're in.

The charity is hoping to raise $9,700 as soon as possible to help these forces.

"They need these uniforms fast," Egland said. "Let's get it to them."

Troops Need You website and app can be found here.