I am all for developing and fielding the best
technology to accomplish the mission. These technologies appear to be
very innovative and "unconventional." But we need to ensure we
are investing with equal if not greater priority in people and most importantly
their training and education as well as continuous and long term deployment of
the US or special warfare force overseas. And we should keep in mind that
even though some cutting edge technology can be defined as unconventional does
it not mean that it is necessarily suited for unconventional warfare. It
may be but then again it may not be. But now that unconventional warfare
is regaining notoriety, importance and priority there will be a great push
to connect everything to unconventional warfare just as we did counterterrorism
after 9-11. The truth is we still need to invest
in counterterrorism technology as well as training and
education. What we need to do is ensure we have balanced investment
across all the SOF disciplines and not keep chasing the shiny new thing (or in
the case of UW - the old traditional thing). Yes I am a
strong proponent of and believer in UW but I am a bigger
believer in all the disciplines of SOF as well as our conventional
forces and capabilities. We need to balance our investment across
the entire force and not become single focused on one type or another, i.e., we
cannot keep chasing the shiny thing and it will
be counterproductive if UW becomes that shiny new thing at the
expense of the other disciplines.
Socom seeks unconventional technology
Always looking to give commandos an edge in combat, U.S. Special
Operations Command has put out its latest technology and capabilities wish
list, calling for, among other things, a see-through-the-wall device, equipment
that can disable vehicles without harming occupants and technology that can
remotely gauge an individual’s credibility through physical characteristics.
Several times a year, the command, headquartered at MacDill Air
Force Base, puts out requests for information for a variety of goods and
services it feels would serve commandos. This latest request is for research
and development organizations, private industry and academia that might have
technologies to display during an upcoming Technical Experimentation
Collaboration event in June.
Being held at the Atterbrury-Muscatatuck Center for Complex
Operations in Indiana from June 16-19, the event is geared to highlighting
technologies supporting urban and unconventional warfare, according to the
request.
Unconventional warfare, a core activity for Army commandos, is
described as “activities conducted to enable a resistance movement or
insurgency to coerce, disrupt, or overthrow a government or occupying power by
operating through or with an underground, auxiliary, and guerrilla force in a
denied area, according to the military’s Joint Publication 3-05.
To that end, Socom wants to “explore emerging technology
solutions and revolutionary improvements in relevant technologies,” according
to the request, posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website.
The command is seeking candidates who can provide potential
solutions in a number of areas, including intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance, communications, target engagement, unmanned systems and
scalable effect weapons.
Among the specific solutions Socom wants are:
♦ A “see-through-the-wall” device that allows the detection of hidden
chambers in buildings and instantly creates a map of a room.
♦ Wearable omnidirectional antenna technology for dismounted
operators.
♦ Scalable Effect Weapons that can subdue or incapacitate without
killing single or multiple targets in closed and open environments, stop or
disable moving vehicles without killing the occupants and deterrent, control or
distraction technologies for use against dogs.
♦ Man-portable language translation devices.
♦ Automated interview transcription.
♦ A common visual augmentation device allowing users to wear a
single pair of eye and/or sunglasses which display all visibly consumable data
and allow normal vision.
♦ Credibility assessment technology to analyze physical
credibility indicators to perform remote assessment of individuals.
♦ Lightweight 5.56mm/7.62mm crew-served and automatic weapons
ammunition.
Socom has been running the collaborations for about a decade,
Lisa Sanders, then head of Socom’s Science & Technology department, told
the Tribune last year. Three or four times a year, the command puts out the
call for innovations to be assessed and holds events where operators try things
out. Aside from the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, they are usually held at
the Avon Park Air Force Range and Camp Roberts in California.
“This is a chance for them to give it to operators, to try it
and see how it works, then give positive feedback,” Sanders said in an
interview last year.
The program is a rare opportunity for people to take their ideas
from the pristine environment of a lab to see how it works in a field
environment, Sanders said.
The urban training center offers a mini urban and rural
environment, said Sanders, complete with a mini city hospital that has a power
plant, laundry and tunnels.
“You can practice or assess how things work for an operator in
close quarters,” said Sanders. The tunnels allow commandos to “go underground
and see if signals are affected.”
Interested parties must present solutions in the mid-level of
technology readiness, ranging from active research and development to
prototypes ready for demonstration. They have until April 2 to submit a
nomination package, according to the request. After a review, the government
may invite select candidates to demonstrate their technologies.
Those selected must be self-sufficient, according to the
request, pay for their own submission and transportation and all costs
associated with the experiments.
Socom will make invitations based on the extent to which the
technology represents a potential capability increase for commandos, as well as
technical maturity, relevance and adaptability to military operations and
missions, relevance to operational needs and to the focus area.
For more information, contact Socom at (813)
826-4646 or email tech_exp@socom.mil
@haltman
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