The Pentagon Prohibits Personnel From Playing Pokemon GO On Government-Issued Phones

When news broke that Iran had decided to ban Pokemon GO over 'security concerns,' many gamers found the decision to be an extreme one. Iran's federal government, along with Russian officials, have elected to ignore those thoughts in favor of national security. And, now, it looks like the U.S. government is also looking to restrict the game's usage - just in a much, much smaller way.

The Pentagon is now asking military members and personnel to avoid playing Pokemon GO on their government-issued cell phones. Spokesperson Gordon Trowbridge said taxpayers would probably "appreciate government phones being used for government business" and not casual gaming.

"We have asked, as we do periodically, that Defense Department personnel avoid putting the game and similar games on their government-issued mobile devices," Trowbridge explained. He did clarify that there's not currently a ban on playing Pokemon GO on Defense Department property so long as the area isn't located on private or restricted land.

It would be awkward is the Pentagon promoted a full-on ban of the app at its location. After all, there's a gym at the center of the Pentagon's courtyard.

Other smaller military bases have also commented on the risk Pokemon GO provides to trainers, including those who work on stations. For instance, Joint Base Lewis McChord has told employees to "not chase Pokemon into controlled or restricted areas, office buildings, or homes on base."

It's only a matter of time until restrictions have to be put on playing the game during battle. Just recently, a video went viral of Ukrainian soldiers playing Pokemon GO on the frontline of war while armed with machine guns.

So, yeah. Maybe we should avoid that for the foreseeable future.