The U.S. Department of Defense has approved the use of five types of Samsung Android phones by its employees at their workplaces, Samsung Electronics Co. said Sunday.

The devices include the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S4 Active, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 and Galaxy Note 10, all equipped with security solution KNOX. They are now on the U.S. department's Defense Information System Agency's approved product list, the South Korean company said.

The phones run on Android 4.4 (KitKat) along with Samsung's KNOX workspace security platform, which includes system-level encryption for enterprise-based applications.

The approval means that these devices can be used by Pentagon employees on unclassified networks and other such federal agencies, the company said.

Samsung says that their devices passed over 100 requirements, including better encryption and intrusion detection, for getting the U.S. military's certification.

KNOX software provides security features that enable users to have both business and personal content on the same device, according to Samsung's website. Users can switch to either mode by clicking a single button without a need to reboot the device.

The world's largest handset maker said it is planning to offer a larger line-up of devices to other government agencies. Last month, the U.K government gave a similar go ahead to Samsung KNOX devices. (Yonhap)