Getting Started
Overview
Welcome to Apex Edge Training — the reference site for the tools your team uses in the field, from identity and messaging to mapping and full-motion video. This page is your starting point: set up your account first, then jump straight to whichever topic you need from the sidebar or the homepage.
Prerequisites
None — this is the first stop before diving into any specific tool.
Steps
1. Set up your Tactical ID account
Tactical ID is the single sign-on identity behind every other tool in this environment (TAK, RocketChat, Somewear, Compass, and more). If you don't have an account yet, register using whichever path matches your situation:
- Coalition Partner Registration — coalition/foreign partner personnel, civilian or military, without a DoD CAC.
- DoW User Login/Registration — the standard path for Department of War (DoW) personnel with a Common Access Card (CAC).
- Manual CAC Registration — manually registering with your CAC identifiers when a CAC reader / automated enrollment station isn't available.
- Non-Mil Partner Registration (United States) — non-military partner personnel (civilian contractors, agencies, partner organizations) based in the United States.
2. Confirm which applications you have access to
During registration you check off which applications you need. See Available Applications for what each one does, and Requesting an App After Enrollment if you need to add one later.
3. Configure your EUD
If you're setting up a new Android end-user device (EUD) for Watchtower, follow whichever enrollment path applies to your device:
- Setting Up an EUD with Knox Direct Enrollment — devices provisioned through Samsung Knox Direct Enrollment (cross-gesture QR trigger).
- Setting Up an EUD without Knox Enrollment — manual enrollment using the device's built-in QR scanner (six-tap trigger).
4. Log in to your TAK client
With your account set up, log in to whichever TAK client you use:
- ATAK — connect and log in via AuthFlow Configuration
- WinTAK — desktop client login
- WebTAK — browser-based client login
5. Head to the topic you need
Once your account is set up, use the sidebar or the homepage topic grid to jump into the tool you're working with:
- TAK — situational awareness and mapping (ATAK, iTAK, WebTAK, WinTAK)
- Compass — full-motion video
- MPU5 — mesh-networking radio
- Somewear — satellite GPS tracking and messaging
- RocketChat — team chat
Troubleshooting
- Not sure which registration path applies to you: see the Tactical ID module index — it breaks down CAC, non-CAC, and coalition partner paths.
- Forgot to request an app during registration: no need to re-register — see Requesting an App After Enrollment.