Special Operations OUTLOOK 2021 magazine

2021-2022 EDITION

MARSOC

Engages the Future FEATURES

USSOCOM AT&L Emerald Warrior International SOF

353RD SPECIAL OPERATIONS GROUP PHOTO

A formation of MC-130J Commando IIs flies off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, on Jan. 6, 2021. As the only Air Force Special Operations Command unit in the Pacific, the 353rd Special Operations Group is the focal point for special operations aviation activity in the Indo-Pacific Command theater.

USSOCOM

USSOCOM SOF AT&L Overview COURTESY OF USSOCOM

Special Operations Forces Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (SOF AT&L), part of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), ensures special operations forces (SOF) have the equipment and services required for them to complete missions across the globe.

SOF AT&L is organized into program executive offices (PEOs) and directorates. The PEOs include Command, Control, Communications and Computers (C4); Fixed Wing; Maritime; Rotary Wing; Services; SOF Support Activity; Special Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Exploitation (SRSE); and SOF Warrior.

The directorates include Acquisition Comptroller, Agility, Resources, Operations, Procurement, Logistics, and Science and Technology.

SOF AT&L provides full life-cycle management by seamlessly developing technologies within the Science and Technology Directorate, to producing and fielding that technology in programs of record through the PEOs, and finally to sustainment and eventual divestiture through the Logistics Directorate.

SOF AT&L is manned by military and civilian personnel from all four military services. While SOF AT&L is co-located with SOCOM headquarters on MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, SOF acquisition professionals also serve at military installations globally.

COMMAND, CONTROL, COMMUNICATIONS AND COMPUTERS (C4) In fiscal year 2020, Program Executive Office-C4 continued fielding transformative capabilities and pursuing research, development, testing, and evaluation efforts that will truly transform special operations forces (SOF) communications capabilities while also migrating the information technology environment to a hybrid cloud architecture.

The Tactical Communications Program Management Office fielded: • 9,635 Tactical Radio systems

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• 564 SOF Deployable Nodes (SDN) items, of which 141 were complete systems • 5,813 Tactical Local Area Network (TACLAN) items • 51 Radio Integration Systems (RIS) • 562 Handheld Link-16 (HHL16) radios • The SOF Deployable Nodes (SDN) program completed its labbased security assessment of NSA’s approved Cross-Domain Solution to be incorporated into the SDN-ISR Kit. • SDN completed its first procurement of 40 DualBand Terminals from the newly awarded Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) contract, resulting in 40% cost savings.

• The Next Gen Tactical Communications (NGTC) Program of Record (POR) completed a Limited User Evaluation and procurement of 2,400 Next Generation Manpack (AN/ PRC-167) radios. NGTC also fielded 9,635 Next Generation Handheld (AN/PRC-163) radios, achieving full replacement quantities for some components.

353RD SPECIAL OPERATIONS GROUP PHOTO

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USSOCOM / AT&L A formation of MC-130J Commando IIs in flight off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, on Jan. 6, 2021. The 1st Special Operations Squadron operates the MC-130J, providing infiltration, exfiltration, and resupply of special operations forces and equipment in hostile or denied territory.

The Enterprise Networks (EN) fielded: • 4 Intermediate Processing Nodes (IPNs) and 22,470 IT devices/systems.

• Radio Integration System (RIS) program processed multiple task orders on behalf of PEO Fixed Wing and other programs to integrate gateway software that simplifies the communication between dissimilar military standards and vendorspecific solutions.

• Command, Control, Communications, and Computer Information Automation Systems (C4IAS) implemented a complete transition of the command’s unclassified network (NIPRNet) to Microsoft Office 365 cloud-based services.

• The C4IAS POR awarded the Blackberry Enterprise Services (BES)-2 life cycle replacement known as Agile Reach. Agile Reach, the CIO’s top initiative, delivers critical C2 services via a classified smartphone to SOCOM senior-level personnel.

• The Commercial Cloud Management Office (CCMO) supports the CIO’s multi-cloud, hybrid cloud strategy and provides the command cloud oversight, consumption analytics, and the appropriate service-level agreements and DOD component cybersecurity controls.

• EN also completed the process of transitioning the Airborne

Intelligence Surveillance & Reconnaissance Transport (AISRT) to the SCAMPI POR. AISRT provides high-quality, low-latency transport of AISR sensor data supporting Command and Control (C2) through, with, and among AISR assets. The SCAMPI program replaced the legacy network monitoring solution providing the headquarters, components, and TSOCs with enhanced monitoring and alerting solutions on all networks (SOFNET-U, SOFNET-S, and SOCRATES).

• The Multi Mission Payload (MMP). The MMP team conducted developmental testing (DT) of the MMP-Heavy, bringing electronic attack and cellular broadcast closer to operational capability. Sustainment programs like the Media Production Center (MPC) focused on modernization and radical change through significant upgrades to revolutionize the reachback capability, and a project to digitize over 10,000 deteriorating media products, making them available in the cloud.

FIXED WING The Program Executive Office-Fixed Wing (FW) consistently teams with government and industry partners to rapidly develop and field capabilities that enable SOF warfighters to win. PEO-FW successfully executed $2.4 billion in fiscal year 2020 supporting SOF-unique fixed-wing capabilities.

• The AC-130W team continued to support multiple emerging combat needs, including advanced defensive measures and the ability to strike through all weather.

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USSOCOM / AT&L

353RD SPECIAL OPERATIONS GROUP PHOTO

u An airman from the 73rd Special Operations Squadron marshals an AC-130J Ghostrider to its parking location after landing at Kadena Air Base on March 29, 2021. Regularly stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida, this was the first time the updated J model of the AC-130 had landed or operated in Japan.

• The AC-130J team continued manufacturing and modification of the AC-130J, to include delivering the 20th aircraft to AFSOC. The team also accelerated development of improved GPS hardening, upgraded combat systems officer station, and multiple defensive systems.

• The AC-130J High Energy Laser team, including Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, completed critical steps toward the delivery of the revolutionary beam steering control system that will hold the laser on target during flight.

• The Armed Overwatch Team conducted downselect, pre-award activities via Other Transaction Authority Agreements (OTA) to identify prototypes capable of meeting requirements.

The Armed Overwatch program will provide a cost-effective, austere capable, multi-role aircraft that can support disaggregated SOF conducting deployed missions.

• The CV-22 team continued integration and began the developmental flight test program for the Terrain Following/Terrain Avoidance (TF/TA) Silent Knight Radar (SKR) system.

• The team continued MC-130J Capability Release (CR)-1 delivery by installing SOF-peculiar Special Mission Systems (SMS), Electronic Warfare Bus, and Defensive Systems Upgrades on eight aircraft. PEO-FW Detachment-1 received the first CR-2 modified test aircraft with CR-1, MC-130 Terrain Following (Silent Knight Radar), and Airborne Mission Networking, and began system developmental ground and flight test.

• The Radio Frequency Countermeasures (RFCM) team completely revamped its acquisition strategy to deliver capability to AC-130J and MC-130J aircraft. The RFCM team completed four evaluations involving subsystem demonstrations and follow-on development and production proposals in an OTA competition. This was the first OTA-based contractual effort to competitively award a follow-on FAR based production contract over $500 million in the DOD. • The AC/MC-130J Integrated Tactical Mission Systems team performed two flight demonstrations with an aircraft open systems architecture. The team also performed a three-month period of software sprints to mature automated mission planning and rerouting capabilities hosted on the MC-130J and AC-130J Special Mission Systems suite.

• The MQ-9 program fielded the first Automatic Takeoff and Land Capability in 2020, designed to reduce the OCONUS footprint.

The MQ-1C program continued to support the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment with SOF-peculiar modifications.

• The Long Endurance Aircraft (LEA) program continued to support with 24/7 “no blink” airborne ISR. Additionally, the program procured two Pipistrel light sport aircraft and converted them to unmanned systems.

• The Manned ISR team completed an operational evaluation of an alternative precision navigation system for potential fleet-wide implementation.

• The Non-Standard Aviation (NSAv)/Aviation Foreign Internal Defense (AvFID) program inducted 18 aircraft into the Block 20++ modification line. The Block 20++ upgrade includes Mode V IFF, long-range comms, dual-mode infrared (IR) taxi lights, and secure HF. The AvFID program provided 1,746 C-145A hours of SOF mobility, multi-engine training and 2,310 Armed C-208 hours of ISR and precision strike training to foreign partners.

• The Tech Insertion team executed a small business innovation research (SBIR) Phase III contract to mature an all-weather radar capability for manned ISR platforms. The radar successfully demonstrated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 through improvements (Moving Target Indicator [MTI] from SAR Motion Video on High-Value Targets) to NSP-7(X) radar software, firmware, hardware for real-time operation on armed or unarmed/manned or unmanned ISR or strike platforms.

Key procurements in fiscal year 2020: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

4 MC-130J production aircraft 8 MC-130J CR-1 modified aircraft 1 MC-130J CR-2 modified test aircraft 1 CV-22 production aircraft 6 CV-22 Block 20 modified aircraft (completes fielding of Block 20 Common) 4 CV-22 Block 20 MCOI (Mission Computer Obsolescence Initiative) modified aircraft 1 CV-22 SKR modified test aircraft 5 AC-130J aircraft 144 GBU-49 Guided Bomb Units 500 GBU-39B/B Laser Small Diameter Bombs 750 GBU-69/B Small Glide Munition 1,440 AGM-176A Griffin Missiles 10 MQ-9 Block Five Extended Range aircraft 2 Pipistrel LEAP aircraft 3 U-28 aircraft

Overview on Armed Overwatch Last year, congressional defense committees asked SOCOM to conduct additional analysis to evaluate whether other material solutions or methods of employment of existing aircraft might meet Armed Overwatch acquisition program requirements. They also recommended using an independent entity to accomplish the analysis. In response, SOCOM awarded a contract to the RAND National Defense Research Institute in November to take on the effort. The analysis was completed in March, and RAND briefed the results to the congressional defense committees.

SOCOM is preparing to conduct a demonstration of candidate Armed Overwatch platforms and has awarded five fixed-price prototype project OTAs totaling $19 million. The awardees will demonstrate prototype systems evaluated against well-defined criteria. If the prototype project is deemed successfully completed by the government, the contractor may be requested to provide a production proposal for a follow-on production award. SOCOM

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p Special Warfare Combatant Craft Crewmen of Naval Special Warfare Special Boat Team 12, and U.S. Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 31, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), test expeditionary refueling capabilities with a Combatant Craft Medium (CCM) during a refueling operation on the pier of U.S. Naval Base Guam, Feb. 21, 2021.

has and will continue to work closely with Congress throughout the acquisition process for Armed Overwatch, and appreciates its feedback and support.

The Armed Overwatch acquisition program aims to provide special operations forces with deployable, affordable, and sustainable manned aircraft systems capable of executing close air support, precision strike, and armed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance requirements in austere and permissive environments for use in operations against violent extremist organizations.

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MARITIME Program Executive Office-Maritime consists of a team of five program management offices: Surface Systems, Undersea Systems, Naval Special Warfare, SOF Undersea Mobility, and SOF Combat Diving. The PEO-Maritime portfolio provides both surface and undersea maritime mobility platforms in various stages of development, production, and sustainment, as well as cutting-edge SOF Combat Diving equipment. In 2020, PEO-Maritime’s successes included verifying SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) MK 11 interoperability with U.S Navy submarines, taking delivery of the first Dry Combat Submersible, and reaching full operational capability of Combatant Craft Assault (CCA).

• USSOCOM accepted the first production Dry Combat Submersible (DCS 1) in early 2020 and proceeded into the Developmental Test (DT) phase followed by operational test.

DCS 2 is preparing to ship to the United States to continue final system integration, while the DCS 3 pressure hull completed

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final inspections at Cuxhaven, Germany, and shipped to the subcontractor’s U.K. facility. Pre-contract award activities for DCS Block II are ongoing to develop the next-generation capability providing interoperable capability with U.S. Navy submarines.

The SDV MK 8 program is in sustainment, with a phased replacement by the SDV MK 11 Shallow Water Combat Submersible. The SDV MK 11 completed a major milestone, successfully demonstrating interoperability with a Dry Deck Shelter (DDS) configured Virginia-class submarine. The MK 18 Mod 1 UUV delivered an additional two systems, for a total of four delivered systems.

UUV systems are currently undergoing SOF-peculiar modifications for delivery in FY 21. SOF Combat Diving (CD) is a key commonality factor for special operations mobility; providing a capability to interface equipment with all PEO-M platforms. The SOF CD program utilizes Middle Tier of Acquisition authorities to develop and field SOF-peculiar diving equipment.

SOF CD program completed rapid prototyping efforts of a handheld diver navigation system, and began procurement and fielding of the production articles.

The CCA program delivered CCA hull 32, the final craft to reach FOC. A follow-on CCA production contract was awarded to initiate the CCA re-capitalization effort. The CCM program delivered a total of 29 craft and is on track to achieve FOC milestone of 30 craft in early FY 21.

CCFLIR2 integration was finalized and successfully completed operational testing.

The CCH program’s SEALION III is in production and ready for propulsion trials. Delivery of the SEALION III in FY 21 will fulfill the FOC requirement. SEALION I completed its overhaul and was restored to a fully mission capable status.

The CCFLIR 2 program completed conditional fielding & deployment release (CF&DR) with two systems deployed on SEALION II and two systems installed on CCMs. Full Rate Production (FRP) is ongoing with an additional delivery order of 25 systems placed on April 20.

U.S. MARINE CORPS PHOTO BY LANCE CPL. BRIENNA TUCK

USSOCOM

U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY STAFF SGT. STEVEN K. YOUNG

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY AIRMAN 1ST CLASS DWANE R. YOUNG

USSOCOM / AT&L

p Top: U.S. Army soldiers enter an MH-47G Chinook helicopter assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, before it takes off during Weapons School Integration (WSINT) at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, Dec. 2, 2020. p Above: U.S. Special Forces assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) wait in formation after conducting fast rope maneuvers out of an MH-60M Black Hawk helicopter near Aalborg, Denmark, Sept. 2, 2018.

• The Maritime Precision Engagement (MPE) program continues design and development efforts for a munition solution and craft integration. The end result will provide Naval Special Warfare an offensive and defensive capability, initially onboard the CCM. The Special Operations Craft Riverine (SOCR) inventory of 24 craft remains operational and sustained through SOFSA.

Key deliveries/fieldings in fiscal year 2019: • 1 CCA, 4 CCM • 14 CCFLIR2

• 2 UUV MK 18 Mod 1 • 3 SDV MK 11

ROTARY WING Pro gram E xecutive O f fice - Rotar y Wing (RW) provides the Army Special O p eratio ns Aviatio n Co mman d an d 1 6 0 th Sp e cia l O p e rati o n s Aviati o n Regiment (SOAR) (Airborne) with the most advanced RW aircraft, mission equipment, and training systems available. To accomplish this critical mission, PEO-RW focuses on readiness, advanced

technologies, and life-cycle logistics to ensure the 160th SOAR maintains a comparative advantage against all potential threats. Along with the Technology Applications Program Office and Product Manager SOF Training Systems, PEO-RW resources strategies that suppor t a three-part acquisition strategy of technology recapitalization, lethality and survivability upgrades, and planning for the future of SOF vertical lift. This strategy resulted in PEO-RW successfully executing more than $535 million to develop, deliver, and sustain the SOF helicopter fleet in fiscal year 2020.

• The Mission Enhanced Little Bird Program Management Office (PMO) continued the A/MH-6 Block 3.0 qualification effort and postured the program to start the Block 3.0 modification line in early 2021. The PMO has also delivered 48 of 51 Block 2.2 aircraft to date.

• The MH-60M PMO continued aircraft deliveries of the Block 1 modification, which provides better situational awareness for aircrews, as well as increasing payload availability and reliability for SOF operators.

• The PMO has delivered 35 of 72 Block 1 aircraft to date. The MH-47G PMO awarded several major contracts supporting the MH-47G Block II program, to include awarding a $125+ million contract procuring eight renew and one new MH-47G Block II. • The PMO achieved a significant milestone in August 2020 by accepting the first Block II aircraft from Boeing.

• The Mission Equipment team partnered with the Silent Knight Radar team to initiate an effort to fuse sensor data from the disparate systems to provide enhanced situational awareness, with a demonstration planned for early 2021.

• Fielded nine Block 1.0 MH-60Ms (35 total to date), increasing performance with 105% rotor capability.

• Fielded seven Block 2.2 A/ MH-6Ms (48 total to date), increasing safety with crashworthy seats.

• Fielded first MH-47G Block II aircraft.

• Awarded Lot 3 production contract for eight MH-47G renew and one new MH-47G BLK II, recapitalizing the RW heavy assault fleet.

• Fielded nine Q-250 brownout cameras.

• Fielded 15 Small Tactical Terminal (STT) radios (in collaboration w/ PEO-C4).

• Fielded 101 P3I-EAGLE conversions.

• Fielded 230 Automatic Dependent Sur veillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) receivers.

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USSOCOM / AT&L • Fielded 80 Video Processor Module (VPM)-8600B units.

• All five Combat Mission Simulators received a common software and hardware architecture.

SOF DIGITAL APPLICATIONS The Program Executive Office for Special Operations Forces Digital Applications (PEO-SDA) was officially chartered/activated on June 1, 2020. The PEO’s mission is to rapidly consolidate, integrate, acquire, and/or divest of SOF-unique software solutions through the use of the Agile Acquisition Framework’s Software Acquisition Pathway and by utilizing commercial best practices while providing “cradle-to-grave” management for the duration of required capabilities. The PEO provides acquisition expertise in support of the command’s significant investment in the chief data officer, the chief information officer, and the Digital Engineering Lab. The office will also assist USSOCOM in meeting the command’s priorities by aligning software/digital investments with the National Security Strategy and the Command Planning Guidance to support counterterrorism/counter-violent extremist organization threats as well as strategic competition requirements. Finally, the PEO will attempt to close the gap we are currently witnessing in this domain between our capability and our near-peer competitors’ capacity.

• The Distributed Common Ground/Surface System Special Operations Forces (DCGS-SOF) Enterprise and All Source Information Fusion component continued to enhance the Fusion Analysis Development Effort (FADE) platform to meet all source analyst requirements.

• The DCGS-SOF Geospatial Intelligence Processing, Exploitation and Dissemination (SGIP) component established a life cycle sustainment manager for the program, fielded multiple deployable/tactical SGIP kits, tested the next generation cross domain system, and matured the ability to incorporate 3D modeling into the Full Mission Video Processing, Exploitation and Dissemination workflow.

• Special Operations Forces Preparation, Rehearsal, Execution and Planning (SOFPREP) partnered with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to support a new national capability for federated co-production and dissemination in support of simulations training and 3D visualization in support of operations.

• The Mission Command System/Common Operating Picture (MCS/COP) conducted market research that will support formal program initiation in the first quarter of fiscal year 2021. MSS delivered: • 177 high resolution geospatial intelligence data sets • 26 Deployable/Tactical SGIP systems • Three FADE Master trainer courses • 34 SOF Analyst courses • Special Operations Mission Planning and Execution (SOMPE): SOMPE is one of the major contributors to the Tactical Assault Kit (TAK) suite of software applications.

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SOF WARRIOR Program Executive Officer-SOF Warrior (SW) provides combat overmatch today and in the future for both counterterrorism and strategic competition. The office is comprised of 10 Joint Program Management Offices and more than 250 military, civilian, and contractor personnel. This team is charged with planning and executing $1.8 billion to develop, acquire, and field a multitude of

p Special Forces soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) exfiltrate a counter improvised explosive device lane in an MRZR LTATV at Panzer Local Training area near Stuttgart, Germany, June 11, 2020.

critical special operations-peculiar warfighting capabilities – fielding multiple SO-peculiar capabilities to improve SOF operator lethality, mobility (maritime, air, and ground), communications, situational awareness, protection, survivability, training, and human performance. PEO-SW fielded 38.8 million rounds of ammunition, pyrotechnics, demolitions, breaching, and kinetic items/devices; 15,417 weapons, accessories, lasers, and visual augmentation systems; 198,728 items/sets/kits of individual and survival equipment, EOD, and chemical biological protection items; more than 9,412 operator and medic kits and 212 casualty evacuation kits/sets; 10,183 Information Technology Automation Devices; 847 ISR end items; 668 ground mobility platforms; 25 maritime surface craft platforms; 869 communications systems/devices; 286 Electronic Counter Measure (ECM) Systems; 624 Counter Unmanned Aircraft systems; and 2,372 Chemical/Biological Protection items to SOF operators.

• Program Manager (PM) Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Special Programs (SP) managed 13 diverse commodity areas, executing approximately $137 million in procurement and approximately $47 million in RDT&E for FY 20.

• Throughout FY 20 PM NSW-SP managed: one ACAT III Program of Record (PoR), nine projects, 35 Combat Evaluations (CVs) and one study.

• PM NSW-SP fielded 1,407 small arms weapons; 50 shoulderfired weapons; 4.5 million rounds of small arms ammunition; 144 explosive devices; 283 scalable effects kinetic payloads; 1,706 visual augmentation devices; five production maritime surface craft; 20 maritime craft that underwent substantial engineering retrofits; 20 Blue Force Tracking devices; 344 tactical radios; 110 ground mobility vehicles; 18 ISR Indagos; and 108 unmanned systems.

• PM for Family of Special Operations Vehicles (PM-FOSOV) managed and executed $335 million in FY 20 across a portfolio of five active programs, featuring a fleet of 3,274 light, medium, heavy, and non-standard commercial vehicles (NSCVs) with 404 mechanics and field service representatives

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p Program Manager-Family of Special Operations Vehicles (PMFOSOV) conducted limited user evaluation on the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) Heavy Gun Carrier (HGC).

• PM for Sensitive Activities (PM-SA) managed 85 Acquisition efforts in excess of $182 million in fiscal year 2020.

• PM-SA provided program and system acquisition management in support of selected SOF units and specified special programs to enable Sensitive Activities.

• The team acquired and delivered 9,000+ intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems, special communication devices, physical and virtual special communications nodes, software capabilities, and information technology hardware items.

• PM-SA and SOF AT&L-KP completed SOF AT&L’s firstever competitively awarded Experimental Transaction Agreement (ETA) using 10 U.S.C. 2373, Procurement for Experimentation Purposes, as well as SOF AT&L’s first-ever virtual classified Source Selection Evaluation Board (SSEB) due to COVID-19.

• PM for Communications and Intelligence Support Systems (PM-CISS) executed more than $58 million across a portfolio of seven projects and 115 program/project/purchase efforts.

• PM-CISS continued to lead five platform Capability Area Working Groups charged with developing highly specialized technologies.

• Successfully executed multiple National-Level classified development efforts leading to the fielding of several classified national SOF operational enhancements for intelligence capabilities.

• PM for Counter Proliferation (PM-CP) managed and executed $150 million during fiscal year 2020. These funds were utilized

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deployed worldwide. Demand for ground mobility continued to increase, with the team fielding: 168 Ground Mobility Vehicle (GMV) 1.1s, 94 NSCVs, 137 LTATVs, and 22 Bearcat Armored Personnel Carriers in support of 12xx operations.

PM-FOSOV executed the reset of 25 GMV 1.0 and 12 MATVs. PM-FOSOV successfully awarded a $109 million seven-year IDIQ contract in support of follow-on LTATV efforts and awarded two OTA contracts totaling $4.8 million through National Advanced Mobility Consortium/ACC Detroit Arsenal for eight prototype, purpose-built NSCVs. PM-FOSOV conducted Limited User Evaluation (LUE) on the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) Heavy Guns Carrier (HGC).

This effort was necessary to assist USSOCOM in determining where the JLTV vehicle fits within the USSOCOM Mobility portfolio. PM-FOSOV completed engineering design for the C5ISR Phase IV kits to accommodate the next-generation SOF Handheld and Manpack Radios.

PM for SOF Survival, Support, and Equipment Systems (PM-SSES) managed more than 13 diverse commodity areas, executing $155 million in fiscal year 2020.

PM-SSES enhanced capability through development of the SPEAR GEN V-B and MSAP GEN II Ballistic Plates, TRL 7 prototype systems of the next-generation Rotary Wing helmet and Clandestine Body Armor product improvement efforts.

Fielding and Deployment releases were issued for the FTHS ground ballistic, non-ballistic, and Coxswain helmet systems, the Military Alpine Reece System for cold weather protection, safety belts and lanyards, and the personal signature management system, providing significant enhancements to operator protection capabilities.

PM-SSES supported the acquisition of 191,432 operator survival support and individual equipment items and 9,624 medical kits and tactical combat casualty care sets.

USSOCOM / AT&L

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• PM-SP delivered an array of multi-functional SIGINT, EW, and Cyber sensors to meet urgent requirements.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (S&T) Mission: Strategic Engagement continues to strengthen relationships and build the SOF network with DOD and Department of Energy laboratories; federally funded research and development centers; university affiliated research centers; academia; and industry in order to leverage and influence their larger efforts against USSOCOM S&T priorities. Strategic Engagement’s processes seek to discover new technologies, reduce redundancies, gain efficiencies, and synchronize long-range future planning to enable SOF to maintain the operational advantage.

S&T Futures executed three Innovation Foundry (IF) and two Rapid Capability Assessments (RCAs). The outputs of the RCAs culminated in one Integrated Tech Sprint Demonstration. These events coalesced in developing disruptive capabilities and how they may impact SOCOM mission sets for future SOF operators in a changing Future Operating Environment (FOE). All events paired SOF warfighters with non-traditional engineering and scientific communities in government, industry, and academia across the United States to identify potential capability gaps. Concept Capability Packages, white papers, experimental prototypes, and videos are available for key stakeholders.

• The Joint Acquisition Task Force (JATF) approached the HyperEnabled Operator (HEO) concept by seeking to provide the operator with cognitive overmatch, or the ability to dominate the situation by making informed decisions faster than the opponent.

• To increase situational awareness, reduce cognitive load, and accelerate decision-making in austere and denied environments, the JATF has begun developing OWC, a system that brings computing resources to the edge.

• OWC provides the operator with the ability to detect and understand people, vehicles, and places in the environment while simultaneously learning contextual relevance and significance.

The system can operate over multiple nodes, offering realtime, local processing with overlapping data capture.

• The JATF identified a need for flexible local communications infrastructure that reliably scales long-range in a satellitedenied environment. BLoS (Beyond Line of Sight) is unique in its flexible positioning and ability to be employed across terrain that would otherwise challenge traditional communication technology.

• “We conducted a very successful S&T Enterprise Portfolio Review [STEPR] event held virtually Sept. 15-16. All projects currently funded with SOCOM S&T resources, including new projects beginning in fiscal year 2021 were briefed, as well as the S&T enablers [Strategic Engagement, Futures, SBIR, and Technical Experimentation]. This will become an annual event, aligned to our project development battle rhythm,” said Lisa R. Sanders, director of Science and Technology.

• BLoS aims to allow operators to securely transmit highbandwidth information (such as live video streaming) across long distances from tactical units at the edge, even while on the move.

• The JATF worked with Johns Hopkins University to gauge the state of reliable speech-based translation technology in a virtual tabletop exercise. Pathways forward will be developed next year.

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in support of a portfolio consisting of three major lines of effort featuring Electronic Countermeasures (ECM), Counter Unmanned Systems (CUxS), and Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD).

The team acquired and delivered 115 ECM systems, 254 CUxS devices, and 7,300 various operator employed kits that provide critical protection capabilities for globally deployed SOF. Specific accomplishments include: Support to three CUxS Combat Mission Need Statements (CMNS).

PEO SOF Warrior/PM-SP received the prestigious DOD AT&L David Packard Award for Acquisition Excellence.

PM-SSES received the USSOCOM AT&L Innovator Team Award.

PM-CP received the USSOCOM AT&L Adapter Team Award.

PEO-SW, despite the world wide coronavirus pandemic, executed all appropriations IAW OSD benchmarks (OTA) Prototype for a Modi Special Application Module (SAM); the Multi-Service Modi procurement of 419 systems, saving 45% per system across the enterprise and accelerating Full Operational Capability four years ahead of schedule; execution of 17 CUxS combat evaluations across SOF, leading to the development of a capability development document; and, the training of more than 1,250 personnel on ECM/ CUxS. PM for SOF Lethality (PM-SL) awarded more than $50 million in various lethality commodity areas, and procured more than $102 million of various munitions, totaling more than 36.4 million rounds. The team displayed a good deal of innovation as it worked around challenges imposed by COVID-19 in order to plan and execute numerous testing events and operational assessments.

The Visual Augmentation Systems (VAS) team awarded eight contracts/delivery orders for new laser and optics devices totaling more than $40 million. The team exceeded OSD obligation rates for the VAS portfolio.

The Precision Strike Systems team completed two User Operational Assessments for the SPIKE Non-Line-of-Sight operators training/combat evaluation and the APKWS/ VIPERS live-fire event. The Target Engagement Team planned and conducted an aggressive test strategy resulting in the completion of an operational test on the Advanced Sniper Rifle as well as a limited user test comparing the Extreme Sniper Strike Operations rifle chambered with the . 375 EnABELR against the Mk.15 .50-caliber Heavy Sniper Rifle and the M107 .50-caliber Long Range Sniper Rifle.

PM for Special Programs (PM SP) managed 138 efforts (nine programs and 129 pre-program efforts) while executing 1,469 procurement actions and $792 million in investment and O&M funds.

The Tactical Assault Kit (TAK) Program was the recipient of the prestigious David Packard Award for acquisition excellence.

PM-SP also advanced the maturity of the Multi-Domain Analytics Platform (MDAP). MDAP is a requisite edge architecture and capability that can scale to the lowest echelon, and integrate with disparate and decentralized devices for a vendor to “plug and play” its device (including cameras, internet scrapers, EW devices, biometric devices, and Wi-Fi detectors).

PM-SP transitioned two Counter-Integrated Air Defense System (CIADS) capabilities into programs, and these systems will provide a layered capability to exploit threat system vulnerabilities while operating in anti-access/area denial environments.

U.S. MARINE CORPS PHOTO BY CPL. ETHAN M. LEBLANC

USSOCOM / AT&L • The JATF submitted a Call to Industry asking for technology capable of analyzing collected data at the edge in real time. A tech sprint is planned for next year.

• Biotechnologies/Human Interface completed development of blood and pharmaceutical cooling system, fluid warming system, field antidote for snakebites, broad-spectrum venom inhibitor, high altitude and increased performance study, and synthetic delta agonist study.

• Continued development of U.S.-sourced freeze-dried plasma system.

• Continued brain health baselining studies i.e. assessing and tracking tactical (traumatic brain injury) forces initiative and repetitive low-level blast imaging; effects of whole blood donation; recovery technologies and wearables; nutritional supplements for extended performance; exercise mimetics; and bioelectric signals (in-ear EEG) for warfighters.

• Developing Human Performance (HP) through sleep restoration, circadian acclimatization, mindfulness training in SOF candidates, advanced data analytics (Smartabase), hemorrhage control through CRISPR/CAS9 cellular engineering, and focal array lens (day/night capability) for warfighters Next-Generation Intelligence, Surveillance & Re co n n a is s a n ce/ Ta c ti c a lly Re l eva nt Situ ati o n a l Awareness.

• Completed development and testing of Shearwater, a Small Unmanned Aerial System (SUAS) BLoS communications and data transport system enabling Class 4/5 UAS capability in Class 3 systems.

• Successfully contracted nine new starts in fiscal year 2020, stemming from both Broad Agency Announcements and the 2019 SOFIC Disrupter event.

• With the AFWERX Strategic Financing program, began leveraging roughly $15 million over four years in private and AFWERX funding for the Eye Mounted Display Effort Network & Data Management.

• Supported the research and development priorities of the Commander, Acquisition Executive, and S&T Director for contested communications, cyber operations, and alternative navigation technologies and incorporated Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) and edge computing technologies in support of these objectives.

• Five new contracts awarded that support SOCOM Research and Development Priorities and address SOF capability gaps, and one cyber project in support of Naval Special Warfare.

• Collaborated with the following laboratories to support portfolio requirements: Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Army Research Laboratory, AFWERX, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, Applied Physics Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratory to support the development of the portfolio Next Generation Effects/Precision Strike.

• Completed 6.5mm Aeroshell prototype project demonstrating increased capability in support of PEO-SW, Navy Surface Warfare Center-Crane, and Joint Service Small Arms Program (JSSAP) customers.

• Successful technology development and prototype demonstration of a classified Maritime Disablement Operations system.

Working transition to PEO-SW for acquisition.

• The Wide Area Scalable Effects Platform project successfully conducted vertical take off and landing, transition to level flight, extended flight time, and target engagement. Compiling results for provision to interested entities for possible transition as a Coalition Warfare Program project.

p A U.S. airman with Special Operations Forces Medical Element, 18th Wing, prepares freeze-dried plasma during a simulated casualty evacuation drill at Ie Shima, Okinawa, Japan, Oct. 8, 2020.

• Continued multiple signature management efforts aimed at reduction of acoustic, visual, infrared/thermal, and electromagnetic signatures of various SOF systems.

• Safely conducted three TE events focused on a multitude of SOF future technology capabilities. Postponed and canceled two events due to impacts of COVID-19.

• The Technology and Industry Liaison Office (TILO) received 418 submissions and conducted over 50 briefings/demonstrations from industry.

• Developed and released the Engage SOF (eSOF) platform to provide a next-generation TILO capability.

• Participated in five small business roundtables.

• The Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) awarded 12 Phase I and 32 Phase II contracts.

• USSOCOM collaborated with the U.S. Air Force in co-funding three projects, including the first SBIR to support the USSOCOM chief data officer.

• Utilizing the Pilot Program for Development of TechnologyEnhanced Capabilities with Partnership Intermediaries authorized by FY 20 legislation, awarded more than $5 million to five small businesses. This pilot increased small business participation by 200%, reduced contracting time by approximately 80%, and decreased the time from initial award to prototype delivery by 60%.

This article was edited for style and consistency.

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AFSOC

EMERALD WARRIOR

EMBRACES AFSOC STRATEGIC GUIDANCE

As it follows the mandates of Air Force Special Operations Command’s “AFSOC Strategic Guidance 2020” in transitioning from the “AFSOC We Needed” to the “AFSOC We Will Need,” the Air Force component of U.S. Special Operations Command is exploiting a range of transformational opportunities. One aspect of the transformation process is evident in AFSOC’s “Emerald Warrior” series of special operations exercises. Special Operations Outlook recently spoke with exercise planners to learn more about recent changes in these SOF events.

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Characterizing the current spectrum of global changes as “a strategic inflection point,” the “AFSOC Strategic Guidance 2020” clarified the need for “significant adjustments” to transform the command to ensure readiness to operate in the new environment.

A concrete example of that transformation can be found in the latest iteration of AFSOC’s Emerald Warrior (EW) exercise series. Conducted at multiple locations from Feb. 16, 2021 to March 5, 2021, the “EW 21.1” exercise was designed to provide joint force participants with realistic and relevant training on multiple SOF scenarios. Event locations included

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Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico; Hurlburt Field, Florida; and both Camp McCain and Camp Shelby, Mississippi.

CHANGING CONSTRUCT While past iterations of EW have focused largely on counter-violent extremist organization (C-VEO) operations, featuring enhanced teamwork across multiple SOF organizations, EW 21.1 focused less on direct

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY STAFF SGT. JOSEPH PICK

BY SCOTT R. GOURLEY

AFSOC A Deployed Aircraft Ground Response Element (DAGRE) member assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command provides airfield security during Emerald Warrior 21.1 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, March 3, 2021. Special Tactics operators assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing, DAGRE members, and Combat Aviation Advisers assigned to the 6th Special Operations Squadron teamed up to conduct a full mission profile featuring airfield security, personnel recovery, and casualty evacuation. Emerald Warrior is the largest joint special operations exercise where U.S. Special Operations Command forces train to respond to various threats across the spectrum of conflict.

action and more on what planners describe as an all-domain construct.

“This year, we’ve expanded outside of our normal focal area to an all-domain construct, featuring the increased use of space, cyber, intelligence, public affairs, and information operations,” explained U.S. Air Force Col. Kevin Koenig. Assigned to AFSOC Headquarters, Koenig served as the exercise-director for the recent EW 21.1.

“Our goal is to be prepared in all domains to deter adversaries now and avoid future conflicts,” he said. “We’re also testing new elements within the command, while still

maintaining our partner nation and joint training.”

Participating partners in the most recent exercise included both Lithuania and France.

Elaborating on the shift in emphasis away from a direct-action focus, Koenig noted that the new direction continues a similar shift in the prior year’s event.

“Last year’s Emerald Warrior exercise, EW 20.1, took place in the arctic environment,” he said. “And for this year’s exercise, we’ve continued to focus on the security priorities within the National Defense Strategy, specifically competing in the high-end fight

against near-peer adversaries, focused on joint all-domain operations and addressing great power competition.”

He continued, “This year, we conducted training in complex, irregular environments in multiple locations across the United States. These operating locations simulated many of the geographical features our forces will most likely encounter when deployed. The exercise did still have portions that continued our efforts to become more effective and more efficient in C-VEO, but the overall concept was to move away from the direct-action C-VEO fight for this exercise.”

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AFSOC

Maj. Sean Owenby elaborated on the all-domain operational aspects. An Air Force Information Operations Officer by military specialty, he split his duties during EW 21.1, both on the “white cell” and as the information operations lead on what he called the “player side.”

Emphasizing that “indirect approaches” are extremely important in great power competition, Owenby said that the Air Force has been working with experts like Sandeep Mulgund, Ph.D., an adviser for Headquarters, U.S. Air Force, who has been a leading visionary for a concept called Command and Control of Operations in the Information Environment.

“What that boils down to in a ‘catch phrase,’ if you will, is that we want to lead with information, in our planning, in our execution, and in our assessment. That does not mean that our physical power is no longer important, or that those capabilities no longer matter. It’s just that the narratives out there, as you’ve probably noted in the news, tend to dominate the decision-making and how things move and ebb and flow in the strategic environment.”

He traced the emergence of the new concept to the 2018 update to DOD Joint Publication 3-0, Joint Operations, which introduced “Information” as the seventh joint function enabling joint force commanders to integrate, synchronize, and direct joint operations.

“Since that time, there has been a working group comprised of professionals from across the Air Force to develop this concept and integrate it into operations as well as exercises,” he said. “And Emerald Warrior provides a great venue for that.”

Koenig acknowledged that the new concept is also reflected in the “AFSOC Strategic Guidance.”

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“AFSOC’s ‘Strategic Guidance’ is being folded into everything we do here at the headquarters to include our training, preparation efforts, and most definitely our exercises,” he said. “We are focused on the future operating environment and unforeseen challenges.

And SOF will continue to focus on specific problems that basically shape the environment and generate options for joint force and our coalition partners in the future.”

He added that Emerald Warrior not only exercised the skills of participating units but also provided a critical opportunity to test future concepts in line with that strategic guidance.

“The exercise will continue to fuel ongoing innovation and experimentation efforts within AFSOC – the ‘AFSOC We Will Need,’ operating between crisis response, counter-VEO, large-scale contingencies, and global competition,” he asserted. “And the training our forces received during this iteration of Emerald Warrior is a testament to that commitment; training credible forces and strong international partnerships, which this year included our partners Lithuania and France.”

He noted that models based on past EW events might have included more than two partner nations, pointing to the complications that COVID-19 had imposed on the most recent iteration.

“The command is getting after the Strategic Guidance in multiple ways,” Owenby echoed, pointing to additional callouts and clarifications subsequently provided by command leadership,

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY AIRMAN 1ST CLASS VICTORIA HADDEN

ALL-DOMAIN ENVIRONMENT

p A U.S. Air Force CV-22 Osprey lands at Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, Michigan, Jan. 21, 2020, during exercise Emerald Warrior 20.1, undertaken under arctic conditions.

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY SENIOR AIRMAN EDWARD CODDINGTON

USSOCOM

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY SENIOR AIRMAN EDWARD CODDINGTON

p Above: U.S. Air Force Special Tactics operators assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing prepare for a night insertion from an MC-130H Combat Talon II assigned to the 15th Special Operations Squadron as a part of night insertion training during Emerald Warrior 21.1 at Hurlburt Field, Florida, Feb. 24, 2021. u Right: U.S. Air Force Special Tactics operators assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing parachute from an MC130H Combat Talon II assigned to the 15th Special Operations Squadron as a part of insertion training during Emerald Warrior 21.1. Water jump training is a key part of Emerald Warrior, which focused on U.S. partner-nation relationships while emphasizing joint force interoperability.

identifying the need for investment in the areas of information operations and strengthening integration with both space assets and cyber.

“So, in a very short amount of time, you have been able to watch an evolution of not only AFSOC writ large but also within this Emerald Warrior exercise, embracing and getting after the challenges that have been identified in our ‘Strategic Guidance,’” he said. “We’re getting after this, and not just with pen on paper.

It’s actually happening when we integrate and plan and execute here at AFSOC.” Asked about specific scenarios selected for the exercise, Duane Douglas, lead planner for a team of 12 contractors from U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) who supported the exercise, observed, “We have been following the National Defense Strategy over the last several iterations of Emerald Warrior. Then, this year, we were also focusing on the National Security Strategic

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Guidance as we went ahead. Additionally, being SOF-experienced personnel, we realize that special operations forces can be utilized, as one of our mottos states, ‘Any Time, Any Place.’ So we have that awareness factored in.”

Translating that guidance to individual exercise vignettes, he added, “Emerald Warrior iterations allow the participants to not only be exposed to multi-domain operations but also see the cause and effects of a multi-domain environment as it develops the battlespace.”

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LESSONS LEARNED When it comes to specific lessons learned during EW 21.1, Lt. Col. David Allen, who is assigned to AFSOC Headquarters and acted as the deputy exercise director, reflected on new ways of integrating human capital and the ground domain with the air, space, and cyber domains.

“We really would be doing ourselves a disservice if we didn’t roll all of those into the exercise,” he said. “In the past, we’ve integrated those and tried to do all-domain

p Above: A KC-46A Pegasus aircraft assigned to the 344th Air Refueling Squadron looms in the night above an MC-130J Commando II aircraft, assigned to the 9th Special Operations Squadron, during the Emerald Warrior training exercise at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, Feb. 22, 2021. Participants from units across the Special Operations Command enterprise tested their mission capabilities in support of developing future capabilities for the high-end fight during Emerald Warrior 21.1. t Left: Special Tactics operators assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing, and forward-area refueling point members assigned to the 1st Special Operations Logistics Readiness Squadron, coordinate with U.S. Navy MH-60 Seahawk helicopters and an Air Force MC-130H to establish a forward arming and refueling point (FARP) location during exercise Emerald Warrior 21.1, at Hurlburt Field, Florida, Feb. 20, 2021.

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY SENIOR AIRMAN EDWARD CODDINGTON

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY SENIOR AIRMAN VERNON R. WALTER III

AFSOC

AFSOC t Members of the French special operations forces line up on a wall during a raid on an opposing force-held village in cooperation with U.S. Air Force Special Tactics operators assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing during Emerald Warrior 21.1, Feb. 25, 2021, at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. Emerald Warrior focused on U.S. partner-nation relationships while emphasizing joint force interoperability.

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY STAFF SGT. RIDGE SHAN

EMERALD WARRIOR FUTURE

operations. But this year, I think we’ve used it more effectively. So, in terms of lessons learned, I’d start by saying that our experience on past EWs has fostered all-domain operations implementation in 21.1.”

As far as first-look lessons derived from the most recent exercise, he was quick to identify the importance of planning flexibility.

“As you know, this year, we faced a lot of different barriers due to COVID and its impact on things, including the locations where we could go. But all of the wing planners from the get-go remained very flexible during the entire planning process, and they were able to adjust and then execute at different locations, all the way down to the last minute,” he said.

Allen added that most of the EW 21.1 “surprises” did not emerge during the planning process but rather came from the participants during the event itself. As one example, he pointed to how participants quickly developed an increased appreciation for the Combat Air Advisor (CAA) mission that was executed by the 492nd Special Operations Wing during the exercise.

“Moving forward, obviously we’re going to continue to make use of the CAA mission set and the abilities to communicate objectives with our Lithuanian and French counterparts,” he said. “In EW 21.1, that allowed them to gain knowledge of tools outside of their normal environment, which will enhance the skill set they already possess.”

Reiterating that the all-domain aspect was one of the biggest takeaways from the exercise, Koenig added, “We started the exercise telling the participants they were going to have to utilize space, cyber, information operations, and public affairs.

But it wasn’t until the first day of exercise where they got some training, and they met the people we had on hand who are experts in those fields, that they fully realized what we were asking of them. And I think they were surprised, but all of the participants jumped on board and really, really took it to heart.”

Owenby agreed, stating, “I observed that while sitting among this group of individuals comprising public affairs, space, cyber, and intel, there was an incredible change in the demand signal and the thought process and evolution of thought process in the planning from day one of the exercise to the completion of the exercise.”

Acknowledging that training had been provided to all exercise participants at the various locations via video teleconference and that the documentation helped to guide things initially, he continued, “But it was about the time the first week wrapped up when you started to see the shift in mindset.

It was really impressive as it went along. And what it underscored at the end is that we’ve got to further develop that capability and that new way of thinking in our command and to leverage this and other exercises and events moving forward.”

Koenig was asked about those future events and whether they would continue to focus less on direct action.

“The short answer is yes,” he responded.

“We will probably continue to focus less on direct action. There still will be counterVEO elements to most of our exercises and there still will be individual training events that participating units have to accomplish.

But overall, the focus is going to be on the demands of the future operating environment and the direction of the ‘AFSOC Strategic Guidance.’”

“To build off of that, I think we will continue to focus on the all-domain aspects of our exercise,” Allen offered. “Having the domains work closely together this time really worked out, and I think there was good training by everyone. For example, most people who think of cyber don’t really know what the capabilities truly are. But by participating, they actually get to learn firsthand how much domains like space and cyber integrate.”

“This exercise is going to be continued to be committed to our partner nations and the threats they face, while increasing strength and relationships with those allies,” Koenig summarized. “The goal will always be to work directly with the other militaries, because that interoperability is critical to deter potential adversaries and hone the skills necessary to act as part of the overall coalition.”

He concluded, “During past iterations of Emerald Warrior, which a lot of USSOCOM components and partners remember, the focus tended to be on individual training events and the C-VEO fight, where we would train and rehearse similar events, over and over again, throughout the two- to threeweek time frame. What has changed now, as you have heard throughout our discussion, is that’s probably no longer going to be the case. The exercise will continue to train for mission essential tasks, but they will be developed into an overall exercise with strategic objectives. EW will no longer be simply an exercise where we do multiple rehearsals of the counter-VEO skill sets.

Emerald Warrior is about AFSOC staying relevant and future-focused.”

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MARSOC

MARSOC ENGAGES THE FUTURE

BY SCOTT R. GOURLEY

United States Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) continues its development and realignment, during which the critical need to prevail on today’s battlefields is being balanced against the anticipated challenges of tomorrow’s scenarios. In both cases, MARSOC’s ability to assemble and deliver small, flexible, threat-focused Marine Special Operations Teams (MSOTs) represents a key contribution to operational success.

MARSOF 2030 Many of MARSOC’s recent realignment activities reflect the guidance of “MARSOF 2030,” a document released in March 2018 that presents a strategic vision for optimizing the employment of Marine Raiders across the globe and in a range of diverse settings. “‘MARSOF 2030’ was a call to action within the command,” observed the Marine Raider Training Command Commander and “MARSOF 2030” contributor Col. Travis Homiak. “And since its release, the command has made significant progress on each of four identified pathways: Cognitive Raider; MARSOF as a Connector; Combined Arms for the Connected Arena; and Enterprise Level Agility.”

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Homiak explained that the first pathway, Cognitive Raider, represents a recognition by the command that the Marine Raiders within MARSOC need to evolve with the operating environment.

“Creating operational and strategic effects in the future will require Marine Raiders with an equal amount of brain to match brawn; foresight in addition to fortitude,” he said. “As such, MARSOC must focus and invest in continuing education, cognitive enhancement, and resiliency. Consequently, the Cognitive Raider pathway is MARSOC’s innovation pathway to increase emphasis on the qualities of intellect,

p A Marine Raider rappels from a UH-1Y Venom with his K-9 partner during a Special Operations Capabilities Specialist-D (Multi-Purpose Canine Handler) training exercise.

U.S. MARINE CORPS PHOTO

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judgment, creativity, and teamwork, while maintaining attributes like determination and endurance that have been the hallmarks of Marine Raiders since World War II.” While reflecting that proud heritage, the Cognitive Raider pathway places greater emphasis on the attributes that are considered necessary for Marine Raiders to be successful in the future operating environment.

Commander, Marine Forces Special Operations Command Maj. Gen. James Glynn explained, “For the past 15 years, MARSOC has been focused on counter-violent extremist organizations [C-VEO] operations. As we place increased focus on strategic competition, Marine Raiders will have to exercise other ‘muscles’ in order to be effective. The Cognitive Raider pathway is giving today’s Raiders the insight and education necessary for the future.”

“The Cognitive Raider is not a qualification; it’s a mindset,” added MARSOC Operations Senior Enlisted Adviser Master Gunnery Sgt. Otto Hecht. “It includes a level of intuitive expertise, combined with experience, to understand and operate within every domain. Every Marine Raider should strive to be the Cognitive Raider. To be cognitive is a mental process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and senses.”

A formation of MC-130J One foundational aspect of Cognitive Raider Command is the annual IIs flieswhich off theiscoast Okinawa, Cognitive Raider Symposium, usedofto develop the on Jan. 2021. The 1st Special force as well as raise the Japan cognitive and 6, knowledge base of the Operations Squadron operates the command’s Marines, sailors, and civilians. Additionally, the MC-130J providing infiltration, symposium, which brings subject-matter experts on cross-domain exfiltration, and resupply of special functions, policy, and strategy from forces outside MARSOC to Camp operations and equipment in Lejeune every year to learnhostile and expand the territory. command’s network, or denied

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U.S. MARINE CORPS PHOTO BY CPL. PATRICK CROSLEY

also provides a forum to address the other three pathways identified in “MARSOF 2030.”

The second pathway, MARSOF as a Connector, reflects a global environment in which special operations forces leverage and enhance the effects of the joint force to include the use of other aspects of national power. “In this, MARSOC is in the unique position, given its size and placement, as a key connector to embrace critical government partners and formulate and strengthen networks to achieve operational success,” Homiak stated, noting that the positioning also sets the stage for the third pathway, Combined Arms for the Connected Arena.

MARSOC’s lead cyberspace planner offered the example of the power of intertwining information, intelligence, and cyber: “MARSOC capitalizes on the opportunity to utilize the joint force sensor system and shooter architectures that facilitate both cyber and kinetic ‘kill chains.’ The multi-domain environment provides multiple opportunities for MARSOC to place its adversaries in multiple dilemmas forcing a change in their decision calculus.”

The fourth and final pathway identified in “MARSOF 2030,” Enterprise Level Agility, refers to how MARSOC’s relatively small force size confers an organizational agility that allows the command to rapidly reorient the organization to confront new challenges as they emerge.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION A vital aspect of further expanding that organizational agility can be found in MARSOC’s broad spectrum of ongoing diversity and inclusion (D&I) activities.

At its most basic conceptual level, MARSOC’s diversity, equality and inclusion strategy is nested in both the Marine Corps’ D&I plan and USSOCOM’s D&I Strategic Plan. Both the Marine Corps and USSOCOM’s respective plans consist of four lines of effort (LOEs).

The Marine Corps LOEs are 1) Recruitment and Accessions; 2) Talent Management and Development; 3) Education, Training, and

pU.S. Marines with U.S. Marine Forces Special Operations Command prepare to board MV-22B Ospreys with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 164 (Reinforced), 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, prior to executing a raid for Realistic Urban Training at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California, June 8, 2020. Marines trained in an unfamiliar, urban environment, focusing on tactics, techniques, and procedures applicable to raid operations.

Culture of Inclusion; and 4) Commandership. USSOCOM’s LOEs are 1) Organizational Climate and Culture; 2) SOF Integration; 3) Education and Training; and 4) Sustainment.

Translating those lines of effort to a reality that benefits MARSOC, MARSOC began with the establishment of its D&I committee.

“To institutionalize diversity, equality, and inclusion, MARSOC established the Diversity and Inclusion Committee as a top-down approach to provide oversight and guidance throughout the command,” explained Lt. Col. Veronica Kaltrider, D&I officer. “We believe that the commander sets the environment of his/her command and is in the best position to lead change within the organization. The committee meets once quarterly to review the effort of the Diversity and Inclusion Working Group that meets regularly to determine barriers to success and to create appropriate mitigation strategies to address challenges.”

Short-term goals of the committee begin with the identification of where inclusion barriers might exist and determining ways to eliminate them.

“We are looking at our organization, our training, our leadership – nothing is off the table when it comes to determining how to create an environment where all members of this command regardless of gender, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or other factors feel valued for their contribution,” Kaltrider asserted. “A diverse organization is an operational imperative, and we want to capitalize off each individual’s unique skills and experiences.”

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CREDIT

USSOCOM

Hecht reinforced these thoughts, observing, “These initiatives also tie into our MARSOC 2030 vision to operate within all domains and leverage unique experience and capabilities of all our Marine Raiders.”

Beyond the committee, MARSOC leadership is currently directing and adjusting existing command feedback mechanisms to incorporate D&I topics. Examples range from the addition of D&I questions to command climate surveys to conducting focus groups from all ranks and status to gain a pulse of the command.

These actions are already being applied, as evidenced by the April 2021 Commanding General Readiness Inspection, which included five D&I questions. The MARSOC D&I Working Group is currently reviewing those responses and will make appropriate recommendations to the D&I Committee regarding any issue that might require attention.

“MARSOC will continue recruiting quality personnel from within the Marine Corps,” Kaltrider said. “One challenge has always been finding personnel who want to volunteer for special operations. This includes those who would choose to become a Special Operations Officer [SOO], Critical Skills Operator [CSO], Special Operations Capability Specialist [SOCS], or other Combat Support and Combat Service Support personnel. Diversity is valuable to our organization; our Functional Capability Advisors [FCAs] are in constant coordination with the Marine Corps monitors and occupational field sponsors to bring in Marines that have unique experiences and capabilities that can enhance our command.“

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SPECIAL OPERATIONS CAPABILITY SPECIALISTS A unique characteristic of MARSOC is the inclusion of Special Operations Capability Specialists into all echelons down to the team level. SOCS provide the professional force within MARSOC to conduct specialized activities that require skills not found or skills that require greater individual proficiency than the Marines in the Fleet Marine Forces (FMF).

Assigned to billets at the team, company, and battalion levels, the SOCS provide expertise in eight separate areas: SOCS-E Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist; SOCS-F Signals Intelligence/ Electronic Warfare Specialist; SOCS-G Geospatial Specialist; SOCS-H Counterintelligence/Human Intelligence Specialist; SOCS-I AllSource Intelligence Specialist; SOCS-B Fires Specialist; SOCS-C Communications Specialist; and SOCS-D Multi-Purpose Canine Handler.

Marine Raiders have always received critical combat support throughout the command. However, what many once viewed as “enablers” are now more correctly recognized to be cross-trained organic specialists who can be assigned as part of MARSOC’s flexible, threat-focused teams. SOCS not only provide unique skills and capabilities, but they also offer diversity of thought, experience, and individual backgrounds that are necessary in future operational environments.

Due to the vital nature of their contributions, as well as the sensitivity of some of their operations, SOCs and CSOs described their contributions only by Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) and SOCS code.

In the case of SOCS-E, for example, MARSOC is the only component within USSOCOM with an organic SOF EOD capability that provides the four pillars of MARSOF EOD support: Assault Support; Technical Support and Technical Surveillance; Support to SOF Sensitive Site Exploitation; and Support to Theater Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction efforts.

“The mission of the MARSOF EOD program is to recruit, screen, and select Marine EOD Technicians to support the full range of

U.S. MARINE CORPS PHOTO BY LANCE CPL. JACQUELINE PARSONS

p U.S. Marines with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, and with Alpha Company, 1st Marine Raider Battalion, Marine Forces Special Operations Command, clear a room during Exercise Raven 21-03 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, Nov. 16, 2020. Bravo Company acted as a partner-nation force with which the Raiders integrated. MARSOC is in a unique position to act as a key connector to leverage and enhance the effects of the joint force and partner nations.

U.S. MARINE CORPS PHOTO BY CPL. ETHAN GREEN

MARSOC special operations assigned to MARSOC in support of the USSOCOM commander, and/ or the geographic combatant commanders via Theater Special Operations Commands,” explained one SOCS-E technician. “All U.S. Marine Corps EOD personnel are manned, trained, and equipped to detect/locate, access, triage, diagnose, stabilize, render safe/neutralize, recover, exploit, and/ or dispose of hazards from foreign and domestic sources, unexploded explosive ordnance, improvised explosive devices, and weapons of mass destruction that present a threat to operations, installations, personnel, or materiel. In addition, MARSOF EOD is manned, trained, and equipped to support all SOF core activities and operations assigned to MARSOC.” He highlighted five unique qualities of Marine SOCS-E: Marine Raiders possess the only EOD Technicians that operate independently, while all other services operate in two- to three-man teams; MARSOC EOD Techs are integrated into the Marine Special Operations Teams and are not “bolt on” attachments prior to deployments; MARSOC EOD have a service-approved school teaching SOF EOD; MARSOC EOD have Human Intelligence-trained SOF EOD Techs; and MARSOC EOD are the only SOCS in MARSOC with the exact same physical standards as the CSO/SOO. Asked to elaborate on the SOCS training pipeline, he offered, “It teaches SOF-specific skills related to shoot, move, communicate, medicate, and then goes into how to adapt your technical MOS training to support the different SOF missions. MARSOC EOD Techs are expected and assessed on their ability to perform as a one-man EOD Team Leader.”

“The MARSOC EOD Tech is exposed to more unique opportunities than the conventional EOD techs,” he continued. “They have the experience of dealing with events that are in the national news, because they are constantly deployed in politically sensitive environments. They are embedded with intel and all other cross-domain requirements and reports to feed the U.S. government intelligence community.”

On a personal level, he identified his most memorable SOCS-E experience as “exploiting a first-seen ISIS-produced improvised rocket launcher as part of the Mosul offensive,” adding, “SOCS, like all other Marine Raiders, are quiet professionals who don’t often advertise their accomplishments, but they are a force multiplier that allows the formation to adapt to any mission or threat.”

One CSO was quick to concur, offering his own vignette involving his combat deployment with SOCS-Es:

p Special Operations Capability Specialists with 2nd Marine Raider Support Battalion refresh their medical, patrolling, and radio skills during a primer course at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, March 15, 2021. The primer course focuses on skills such as tactical combat casualty care, patrolling, communications, and shooting proficiently with various weapon systems.

“As SOCS are so thoroughly integrated at every level within the command, there are few memorable moments I can recall where a SOCS was not involved in some way,” he offered. “That said, the most memorable moments I’ve had with SOCS has to be with the SOCS-Es Explosive Ordnance Disposal Techs on my deployments to Afghanistan. My team was in the Helmand province on both of my Afghanistan deployments. Those who know anything about that region know that IEDs were the central operational problem facing coalition forces fighting the Taliban. While I was always impressed with the expertise and bravery our SOCS-Es brought to bear on the problem, it was the sense of responsibility that my techs had for the team that sticks with me the most.

The SOCS-Es on my teams understood that a large portion of the responsibility for the success and survivability of the team rested on their shoulders. Our techs were ruthless in preparing the CSOs and the other SOCS on the team for the type of environment we had to operate in. Like most running around those regions at the time, we were not perfect in avoiding every IED. But by the grace of God, luck, and the dedication of our SOCS-Es, my teammates and I came home with both legs attached.”

While SOCS-Es provide EOD expertise, SOCS-Gs optimize the impact of geospatial intelligence.

“Prior to joining MARSOC, I held the MOS of Imagery Intelligence Analysis Specialist, which strictly deals with the interpretation and analysis of both still and full-motion imagery,” said one SOCS-G. “My current mission within MARSOC is to provide direct geospatial intelligence [GEOINT] support to a Marine Special Operations Company and respective special operations teams.

Specifically, as a SOCS-G, I’m responsible for the direct tasking and control of aerial intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance [ISR] assets, the production, analysis, and dissemination of geospatial products and data, collections operations management, and providing a liaison between the Marine Special Operations Company and external intelligence organizations.”

He also highlighted the differences between the SOCS training pipeline and that of his previous occupational specialty.

“A SOCS candidate receives advanced training within the pipeline from Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) and the Special Operations Fundamentals course, which are both designed to give the SOCS requisite special operations tactical knowledge. For the intelligence SOCS, the

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U.S. MARINE CORPS PHOTO BY CPL. ETHAN GREEN

MARSOC pipeline ends with graduation from the Multi-Discipline Intelligence Operators Course [MDIOC]. MDIOC provides advanced training to create an expert within each respective intelligence field, but also incorporates cross training into the different intelligence fields such as GEOINT, HUMINT, SIGINT and All-Source Intelligence. MDIOC ends with a culminating 10-day exercise that fully immerses the SOCS candidates into a multi-discipline deployment scenario, where they are evaluated on their abilities as a multi-discipline intelligence operator. This pipeline, and the training it entails, is leaps and bounds beyond what the traditional Marine Corps occupational training provides, in both the challenges it presents and the learning opportunities it provides to the candidates,” he said.

SOCS-F Signals Intelligence/Electronic Warfare Specialists deploy at every MARSOF echelon to inform the commander on the adversary’s capability through collections and analysis of the adversary’s communications.

Noting that the MDIOC allows MARSOC to combine seven individual Marine Corps occupational specialties into the SOCS-Fs, one specialist highlighted the criticality of integrating SOCS, CSO, and SOO capabilities at the Marine Raider Training Center and continuing that integration throughout individual and unit training phases, stressing, “The SOCS are integral members of the team and not attachments.”

Another SOCS specialist, a SOCS-H, described his tactical contributions as a specialist who is trained to answer intelligence requirements utilizing the multi-discipline intelligence operations approach to conduct special operations: “A SOCS-H has two different missions: human intelligence and counterintelligence,” he explained. “Human intelligence, or HUMINT, is derived from information collected and provided by human sources, including intelligence interrogation, source operations, and debriefing. HUMINT is often the only source that can satisfy critical intelligence requirements, as information derived from HUMINT collection is often unavailable by technical means.

“By comparison,” he continued, “counterintelligence encompasses five functions [collection, analysis and production, investigations, operations, and functional services] conducted to identify, deceive, exploit, disrupt, or protect against espionage, other intelligence activities, sabotage, or assassinations conducted for or on behalf of foreign powers, organizations, or persons, or their agents, or international terrorist organizations or activities.”

MARSOC’s SOF All-Source Intelligence Analysts (SOCS-I) provide the ability to conduct all-source analysis, target development, collections requirements management, and the integration of multi-intelligence reporting and analysis into fused assessments, products, and reports across the full spectrum of special operations core activities. SOCS-Is are in a variety of analytic billets across the Raider Intel Enterprise.

SOCS-B Fires Specialists are Fire Support Marines also certified and qualified as Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs). As such, they function as the primary aviation, surface, and naval fire support and assault support subject-matter expert to special operations forces within SOCOM at the team level.

SOCS-C Communications Specialists are premier multidiscipline tactical communications professionals who provide technical expertise in the full array of communications systems and are capable of enabling command and control in the most challenging austere environments. Frequently deploying with Marine Special Operations Teams and Companies, they are subject-matter experts in all communication situations.

“SOCS-Cs are SOF Communicators, [and] as part of the Raider team, must shape fully connected operational environments to

p An Explosive Ordnance Disposal Marine with the Marine Raider Regiment practices sensitive site exploitation as part of Special Operations Forces Level 1 training course at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Feb. 24, 2021. SOF Level 1 gives the EOD Techs basic knowledge of the different scenarios they might encounter while at MARSOC, and helps prepare them for attachment to a Marine Special Operations Team. Successful completion of SOF Level 1 is required to graduate and become a Special Operations Capabilities Specialist-E.

support the full spectrum of special operations in all domains and environments,” explained one. “They are multi-disciplined communication professionals able to plan, install, operate, maintain, and defend joint networks, and services, in order to ensure Marine Raiders succeed in all information environments.“ Another critical SOCS specialty is the SOCS-D Multi-Purpose Canine Handler (MPC). Manned, trained, and equipped to support all SOF core activities and operations assigned to MARSOC, the MARSOC MPC teams provide assault support and assist with the SOF sensitive site exploitation process.

“The mission of the MARSOF MPC program is to recruit, screen, and select Marine MPC Handlers to support the full range of special operations assigned to MARSOC,” offered one SOCS-D handler. “All U.S. Marine Corps MPC personnel are manned, trained, and equipped to detect and identify conventional explosive hazards from foreign and domestic agitators, including unexploded explosive ordnance and improvised explosive devices, that present a threat to operations, installations, personnel, or materiel. In addition, SOCS-D teams are trained to detect, deter, immobilize, and apprehend high-value targets attempting to hide and/or flee target locations.”

They identified key areas where the SOCS-Ds are unique: MARSOC MPC Handlers have the largest service commitment in the SOCOM enterprise to become masters at their craft to provide the highestquality capability of explosive and human detection; MARSOC MPC Handlers are specifically trained to integrate into the Marine Special Operations Companies prior to deployments and within the MSOC according to the mission.

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U.S. MARINE CORPS PHOTO BY CPL. ETHAN GREEN

BENEFITS TO THE FLEET MARINE FORCE SOCS are employed within every USMC formation. As SOCS progress and develop, they can be assigned to multiple units within and outside of MARSOC to enhance and develop USMC force design along with MARSOC 2030.

“The SOCS experience within MARSOC provides advanced knowledge and tactics, techniques and procedures that are established within a SOF environment, that conventional units cannot always provide,” offered one SOCS-E. “The SOCS experience also provides opportunities for movement into external units or opportunities, and allows these joint relationships to follow back into the FMF.” “Returning SOCS to the FMF contributes to the Marine Corps’ mentally agile professionals who are suitable for any challenge, in a rapidly changing world,” echoed a SOCS-F/G/H/I representative. “The experience gained from non-standard deployments, to often austere environments, against a determined enemy is invaluable. A SOCS may do three deployments while at MARSOC, and each one is uniquely different. This exposure naturally equips SOCS returning to the FMF with the innate ability to understand the utility of emerging technologies, and provides unique perspectives on the nation’s adversaries.”

Other SOCS were equally enthusiastic about the exchange of skill sets between MARSOC and the FMF. “Operational tempo, learning to invest in your own training, and exposure to the joint environment are just some of the areas where I see direct benefits,” said a SOCS-B JTAC. “The joint environment is rarely seen by Fire Support Marines in the fleet. With the MAGTF [Marine Air-Ground Task Force] being a self-sustaining, self-supporting agency, it’s rare to work with a NSW [Naval Special Warfare] higher headquarters, host/partner nation indirect fire, or

p Marines attending the Special Operations Forces Fundamentals course, Marine Raider Training Center, fine-tune their map reading and land navigation skills at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Dec. 11, 2020. SOF Fundamentals is designed to equip high-performing Marines with additional skills and concepts required to be effective in special operations and provide combat support expertise in intelligence, fire support, communications, explosive ordnance disposal, and canine operations as part of a Marine Special Operations Team.

supporting assets from the U.S. Air Force. But a SOCS-B brings those experiences back into the FMF.” “Throughout a tour at MARSOC, SOCS are exposed to areas in and out of their primary occupational specialty,” added a SOCS-F. “This exposure and experience is not normally found in the FMF. I left MARSOC in 2012 as a SOCS-F and went back to the FMF. While there, I realized my exposure and experience in collections, analysis, reporting, communications, policy, and the range of military operations made me a better-rounded SIGINT/EW Marine.”

“MARSOC takes the determination, drive, intelligence, and expertise of FMF Marines and exposes them to unique opportunities,” said Hecht. “We have the benefit of great Marines in our ranks from the FMF and we capitalize on their experience and character to make our ranks better. For our part, we return them to the FMF on a reoccurring basis to allow for their professional development and educations.

These FMF returners are also uniquely qualified to enhance FMF capabilities and USMC future force design.”

Summarizing how the size and structure of MARSOC provides unique benefits to USSOCOM, Glynn concluded, “MARSOC’s size is part of its strength. In other words, the organizational dexterity and unity of action MARSOC possesses provide SOCOM with an agile, adaptable force to meet unexpected or rapidly changing technological and operational requirements.”

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NSW EQUIPS FOR EMERGING THREATS U.S. NAVY PHOTO BY MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 1ST CLASS PAOLO BAYAS

BY SCOTT R. GOURLEY

36 Special Operations Outlook

NAVSPECWARCOM

In his prepared April 28, 2021 posture statement before the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, Rear Adm. H.W. Howard III, commander, Naval Special Warfare Command, asserted: “Today, our nation faces unprecedented challenges and increasing geopolitical risk; the rise of peer adversary powers, economic and social disruptions, and lowering technological barriers to new informational, biological, chemical, and improvised nuclear threats – which form together a crucible of destabilizing threats and opportunities.”

q

He added, “Naval Special Warfare [NSW], as the nation’s premier naval commando force, is undergoing deliberate and urgent transformation to meet new threats and create opportunities to maintain competitive advantage.”

TRANSFORMING FOR GREAT POWER COMPETITION In addition to a range of transformational activities involving personnel, organizational structure, and command and control capabilities, Howard acknowledged that some transformative investments had been “refocused on ensuring global access in the maritime domain with a range of mobility, signature, and scalable kinetic and non-kinetic effects capabilities.

“Each capability investment is distinctive and designed to increase the lethality or survivability of the joint force across the competition continuum and into crisis and conflict,” he said. “True to special operations core tenets, we aim to serve as an ‘inside force’ creating dilemmas for the adversary and advantage inside where the enemy perceives superiority across all domains.

With our rapid, force-wide transformation, we are delivering on the creative ways we can asymmetrically solve hard problems

t West Coast-based Naval Special Warfare (NSW) operators execute land warfare operations with NSW Training Detachment (NSWTD) 1. Naval Special Warfare Group (NSWG) 1 trains, deploys, and sustains NSW forces throughout the world to support combatant commanders and U.S. national interests.

and do the things we must do now ahead of crisis.”

Elaborating on those themes during subsequent testimony, he offered, “We will never underestimate the enduring threat of terrorism to the homeland.

When we look at the threats, the technological barrier to entry to those threats is dropping. Our concern is in biothreats, synthetic bio, improvised nuclear weapons.

We can never underestimate those threats to the nation.”

Turning toward potential “peer threats” to the country, he said, “On China, specifically, and Russia, we are looking at how to modernize as rapidly as we can our comparative advantage in the maritime domain, both on and under the sea. And it is the access for intelligence operations, it is the access for dilemmas that undermine confidence and provide escalation offramps. That is the main thing that Naval Special Warfare is focused on. My sense is we will always contribute to counterterrorism. I think the nation will need our capabilities there. But the distinctive capabilities we have in the maritime domain for peer threats, that is our main effort.”

MARITIME PORTFOLIO The materiel basis for those distinctive maritime domain capabilities was highlighted a couple of weeks later, during the virtual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC), when USSOCOM Program Executive Officer for Maritime Capt. Randy Slaff offered a broad overview of his equipment and platform portfolios.

Slaff asserted that a review of the “National Defense Strategy” (NDS) served to highlight the importance of maritime special operations capabilities. “We think that the capability we bring dovetails perfectly into the guidance outlined in [NDS],” he said.

“We’ve received great support for the

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USSOCOM PHOTO BY SGT. MONIQUE O’NEILL

p Naval special operations forces from the Greek Underwater Demolition Team (DYK), Cypriot Underwater Demolition Team (UDT), and U.S. Navy Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen (SWCC) conduct visit board search and seizure (VBSS) evolutions aboard a Combatant Craft Assault (CCA) in Souda Bay, Greece, during a trilateral exercise.

maritime portfolio in recent years, and we continue to drive the NDS principles into tangible capabilities, as we strive to rapidly provide an enhanced capability and GPC [great power competition] environment through platforms designed to provide assured access in denied environments.”

Referencing his arrival at USSOCOM in August of 2020, he told the virtual audience that he continued to be amazed by the operatorfocused and agile acquisition mindset exhibited by the USSOCOM team, which includes external stakeholders and industry partners.

“This week is a testament to the industry-government partnership in support of our special operations forces [SOF],” he said. “The contributions you make to our SOF warfighters every single day is critical to our national security, and that’s especially true in the Naval Special Warfare community and PEO Maritime as we shift our focus from counter violent extremism to great power competition.

“Maritime is a great place to be during the pivot to GPC,” Slaff added. “And the maritime portfolio is vital to USSOCOM’s near- and far-term strategic vision, due to the unique capabilities that we can and will be able to provide.”

He observed that the maritime portfolio is somewhat unique in that the majority of systems are specifically designed and procured for special operations.

“We don’t have the luxury of piggybacking off of service acquisition programs and then leveraging SOF modifications to meet requirements,” he said. “So the majority of the maritime portfolio are SOF built, specifically to meet NSW needs.”

The unique capabilities in the USSOCOM maritime portfolio are divided between five program managers: Surface Systems; Undersea Systems; Combat Diving; Unmanned Undersea Vehicles/SEAL Delivery Vehicles; and Dry Deck Shelters.

SURFACE SYSTEMS Surface Systems encompass programs like Combatant Craft Heavy (CCH), Combatant Craft Medium (CCM), Combatant Craft Assault (CCA), Special Operations Craft-Riverine (SOC-R), Combatant Craft Forward Looking Infrared (CCFLIR), and Maritime Precision Engagement (MPE).

“What you’ll see in the surface platforms is that they are at a different level of maturity compared to the undersea portfolio,” Slaff began. “These are platforms that are fielded. They’re out there.

They’re in use. And they are great craft.”

He offered the example of the CCH “Sealion,” which provides longrange insertion and extraction capabilities. Two technology demonstrator platforms were transferred from the Navy to USSOCOM, with a third platform awarded to Vigor Works, LLC.

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VIGOR WORKS PHOTO

USSOCOM

“We’ve got all three built,” Slaff said. “The last one has yet to be delivered to the operator, as she undergoes some backfit on engineering. But transfer is imminent and will happen in the next couple of months, so all three will be downrange and ready to go for the operator.”

The CCM MK 1 is a multi-role surface combatant craft with the primary mission of inserting and extracting special operations forces in medium threat environments. Also manufactured by Vigor Works, 30 of 30 craft acquired have now been fielded. One additional craft was added post-contract award, with that vessel slated for delivery next year.

CCA provides the capabilities for medium-range maritime assault, interdiction, insertion, and extraction. The platform is manufactured

by U.S. Marine Inc., with 32 CCAs now fielded and a hot production line replacing existing craft with new ones off the assembly line.

The Surface Systems portfolio also includes the CCFLIR, a multisensor electro-optic system that enhances SOF effectiveness through improved abilities for detection, recognition, identification, ranging, tracking, and highlighting objects of interest. Manufactured

by FLIR Systems Inc., the system is integrated and deployed on both CCH and CCM and is in the design and test stage for integration on CCA. As of the SOFIC update, 47 out of a planned 58 CCFLIRs had been delivered.

SOC-R is currently in sustainment with no related platform acquisition activities at this time. The MPE program addresses maritime SOF interest in a standoff, loitering, man-in-the-loop weapons system that can be deployed on combatant craft and capable of targeting individuals, groups, vehicles, and small oceangoing craft. The program consists of combatant craft alterations in cooperation with munition

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development now underway within the USSOCOM Program Executive Office for SOF Warrior.

UNDERSEA SYSTEMS The Undersea Systems office has responsibility for USSOCOM’s Dry Combat Submersibles (DCS).

“Dry combat submersibles improve our competitive advantage by providing a greater range and payload capacity for the operator,” Slaff said. “By remaining dry, there is less impact to the divers in transit, enabling them to maximize their operational time on station.”

He said that the current DCS “Block I” consists of three surfacelaunched boats: DCS 1, which is finishing up developmental testing at Little Creek, Virginia, and should enter operational testing in the Tampa, Florida, area later this summer; DCS 2, now undergoing factory acceptance testing at the Lockheed Martin facility in West Palm Beach, Florida; and DCS 3, which is in production and being

U.S. NAVY PHOTO BY MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 1ST CLASS ADAM BROCK

p Above: Three Combatant Craft Heavy (CCH) have been built, with two already transferred to USSOCOM and another expected to be soon. u Right: Sailors deployed with the expeditionary mine countermeasures (ExMCM) capability of Task Force 75 and Special Warfare Combatant Crewmen assigned to Special Boat Team 12 recover a MK 18 Mod 2 unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) onto a Combatant Craft Medium (CCM) in Pago Bay, Guam.

U.S. NAVY PHOTO BY MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 1ST CLASS MATTHEW C. DUNCKER

U.S. NAVY PHOTO BY CHIEF MASS COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST CHRISTOPHER PEREZ

NAVSPECWARCOM t Left: Naval Special Warfare (NSW) operators onboard a SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) MK 11 conduct routine navigation training. While the MK 11 appears similar to the MK 8 SDV, the MK 11 is larger and is equipped with updated computer and communications systems. q Below left: West Coast-based Naval Special Warfare (NSW) operators participate in combat swimmer training.

PEO Combat Diving is undertaking modernization efforts across a number of areas.

outfitted with mechanical and hydraulic systems at MSubs Ltd. in the United Kingdom.

“As you can see, all three are progressively moving closer to being fielded and getting into operators’ hands,” he said.

“Once online, this capability will complement the [MK 8 and MK 11 series] wet submersible fleet by increasing the mission set available to NSW while protecting the operators in a dry environment.”

Pointing to the next generation, he described “DCS Next” as “a variant that will provide incremental capability upgrades based on moving toward a submarine interoperable asset.

Acknowledging that USSOCOM is “pretty early in the process” regarding DCS Next, he identified a range of ongoing activities, including market research, upcoming industry days, risk-reduction studies, and modeling and simulation.

This work will be followed by host sub interface studies, submersible tactical data assessments, cost modeling, and optimal vehicle size studies.

COMBAT DIVING “Maritime mobility involves the capability to deliver combat forces at sea,” Slaff said.

“And this commodity begins with the individual combat diver. That operator is our number one asset, and [the] SOF Combat Diving program supports the individual diver as well as its interface with all PEO Maritime platforms.”

He highlighted a number of accomplishments in the Combat Diving arena, which he described as “undergoing a massive modernization effort” with the establishment of formal requirements definitions in four key areas: maritime environmental protection, communication, navigation, and propulsion.

Maritime environmental protection activities, for example, include enhanced

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thermal regulation with active and passive heating and cooling, a full-face mask for use with a closed-circuit rebreather and incorporating voice communications, an excursion-capable oxygen underwater breathing apparatus, and protection from expanded threats.

Another focus area, underwater communication, is conducting efforts involving both diver-to-diver and diver-to-platform communications, incorporation of the Android Tactical Applications Kit (ATAK), and both acoustical and optical communication options for text and data, voice (breathing air as well as helium/oxygen), and full motion video.

Slaff said that Combat Diving is pursuing a developmental strategy directed toward the elevation of commercial technologies with modifications to make them SOF unique, adding that the efforts are based on three- to five-year life cycles that continually rebuild readiness with greater performance and affordability.

U.S. NAVY PHOTO BY JOHN NAREWSKI

UNMANNED UNDERSEA VEHICLES/SEAL DELIVERY VEHICLES Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (UUV)/SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) activities place a spotlight on the new MK 11 SDV. Manufactured by Teledyne Brown Engineering, the MK 11 is the next-generation freeflooding “wet” combat manned submersible to transport special operations forces personnel and equipment for a variety of missions.

It is designed to replace the legacy MK 8 series platforms that have been in service since the mid-1990s.

The MK 11 is 12 inches longer and 6 inches taller and wider than its predecessor, featuring enhancements like: Intel Core i7 processors; secure SSD; GB Ethernet backbone; improved software and user interface; higher accuracy navigation; and increased cargo and payload capacity.

“The key takeaway [for the MK 11] is that we’re delivering a more capable platform to the fleet that is upgraded to capitalize on 20 years of improvements in computers and communications as well as miniaturization, providing more space within the platform for operators and equipment, and much greater capacity for situational awareness and delivery of products to the operators,“ Slaff said.

The first two new boats were delivered in May and June 2018, with boats 3, 4, and 5 delivered March-June 2020. Current plans

p The Virginia-class fast attack submarine USS North Dakota (SSN 784) returns home to Submarine Base New London, Jan. 31, 2019, from its maiden deployment, with a Dry Deck Shelter (DDS) mounted to the deck. Along with a DDS Modernization program to enlarge and improve the six DDS in service, NSW is working to ensure the availability of Virginia-class SSNs to carry the DDS as Ohio-class SSGNs are decommissioned.

call for delivery of boats 6–10 during the period FY 22 through FY 23.

One significant milestone surrounding the SDV programs was the completion of interoperability testing with a host submarine, which occurred in July of 2021 and was characterized by Slaff as “a big victory for this program.”

The MK 18 UUV is something of an exception to the earlier portfolio categorization, since it is a U.S. Navy-provided platform that can be equipped with purpose-built modular plug-and-play sensors and payloads to meet SOF-peculiar requirements.

“The government has accepted four systems and each system has three vehicles,” Slaff explained. “So we’ve got 12 vehicles already and plan to deliver systems one through five to the fleet by the end of this fiscal year [Sept. 30, 2021].”

DRY DECK SHELTERS Dry Deck Shelters are a certified diving system that attaches to both converted Ohio-class SSGNs as well as Virginia-class SSN submarines. The six shelters in the Navy inventory achieved full operational capability in FY 91, with the first of those shelters now undergoing a DDS Modernization Project to increase payload volume (extending the shelter by 50 inches), increase capacity for launch and recovery, allow for remote operations, reduce risk to the host submarine, and reduce operator fatigue.

Other identified efforts included working with the Navy to ensure the availability of more Virginia class vessels to serve as host submarines as the SSGNs are “sunsetted” near the end of this decade.

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USASOC U.S. Army Special Operations Command: People, Readiness, Modernization

USASOC PHOTO

COURTESY OF THE USASOC COMMAND TEAM

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USASOC

History has taught us that no matter how hard we try, the future will always remain uncertain. Even the most advanced organizations and industries will struggle to predict the future and get ahead of the next bow wave. We mastered predicting tomorrow as long as it looks like yesterday. Where we have historically gotten it wrong, though, is looking far into the future. Some fear change, but those organizations that embrace it and actively seek it will thrive in uncertain times. The United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) is a learning organization, made up of the finest women and men our nation has to offer. People are our priority, and they are our competitive advantage; their creativity, commitment, and energy are a constant that we rely on in an ever-changing world. The faces and names standing in our formations change over the years, but their determination and dedication to our nation remains unwavering. All volunteers for America, these soldiers willingly embrace change, thrive on uncertainty, and readily stand watch to protect our way of life.

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U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY SGT. BRANDON WHITE

q

No one will be able to predict the exact time and place of the next crisis or conflict. The problem set of tomorrow will catch everyone by surprise, like the attacks of 9/11 or the pandemic of 2020. Failure to predict is not an excuse for a failure to be ready.

Army Special Operations relies on three lines of effort – People, Readiness, and Modernization – to build irreversible momentum towards establishing the force of tomorrow. We cannot go this alone.

Our interagency partners, international partners and allies, industry and academic colleagues, and joint service teammates all play a crucial role in protecting the nation.

We provide the nation with the world’s most capable Army Special Operations Forces (ARSOF). ARSOF soldiers excel across the broad spectrum of operations in the most demanding, complex, and uncertain environments imaginable. We take the fight to the enemies of our nation. Our success rests upon the invincible will, utmost professionalism, and exceptional competence of our highly trained men and women. We empower our people, build readiness to prevail in competition and conflict, and modernize at scale and pace.

USSOCOM PHOTO BY MAJ. JEFF SLINKER

PEOPLE Throughout the history of Army Special Operations, our people have always provided us a competitive advantage over our adversaries and competitors. The 35,000 men and women who make up U.S. Army Special Operations Command solve the wicked problems, endure the immense hardships, and innovate at the point of need.

They are truly world class, and they are doing amazing things around the globe every single day.

Prioritizing people recognizes that they deserve every possible advantage. It means we resource them with the ability to reach and maintain optimum levels of physical, mental, and spiritual health.

We create environments that encourage creative problem-solving at all levels, with leaders willing to underwrite the risk associated with innovating at speed. All of this is built on a foundation of mutual trust between our soldiers and leaders. It also means that we take care of our families and that we will forever honor our fallen and their precious Gold Star Families.

Prioritizing our people also means that we have an obligation to provide them with exceptional leadership at every echelon from their first line supervisor to commanding general officer. We recently took on initiatives to ensure our critical tactical-level leadership

pTop left: Green Berets assigned to 5th Special Forces Group provide security during partner-force training March 15, 2021, at Muscatatuk Urban Training Center, Indiana. U.S. special operations forces conduct training focused on increasing readiness for overseas operations that build partner force capacity and safeguard national security from worldwide threats. p Above: An MH-47G Chinook helicopter from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment hovers above a group of U.S. Air Force Special Tactics operators conducting fast-rope training as part of the Special Tactics Training Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Florida, Feb. 19, 2020.

positions are filled with the right people to lead our force. These programs combine assessment and mentorship for our officers and non-commissioned officers to be successful and to prepare them to lead in the right ways.

Two examples out of the Special Forces Regiment are the Team Sergeant Assessment and Preparation (TSAP) Program and the Field Grade Assessment Program (FGAP). Over the last year, we’ve run five week-long iterations of the TSAP at each of our active duty Special Forces Groups. The Special Forces Team Sergeants are the most

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DOD/1ST SPECIAL FORCES GROUP PHOTO

USSOCOM

influential leaders in a Special Forces unit and the backbone of the organization. Comprising a series of physical, psychological, leadership, technical skill, and tactical proficiency events, the TSAP enables Special Forces Battalion and Group leaders to develop a deliberate developmental plan for each individual and make better- informed decisions on future assignments.

In parallel, we also implemented a similar program for field grade officers to ensure well-equipped leaders at the Special Forces Company level. Over the last two decades, these officers have often found themselves leading battalion-sized elements dispersed across vast areas of terrain to accomplish incredibly complex missions with little formal education on how to effectively do so. Administered during Officer Intermediate Level Education, FGAP assesses recently promoted majors’ past development and future potential, and provides them with opportunities for targeted mentorship. At their core, these programs will ensure competent, confident, and engaged leaders are in the right positions at the right time to create an environment that allows our men and women to be at their best.

We expect leaders across the Army Special Operations enterprise to lead with conviction, with purpose, and with compassion.

We don’t need mascot leaders. Whether on Ranger fire teams, 160th SOAR aircrews, Special Forces Companies, Civil Affairs Battalions, or Psychological Operations Groups, our leaders must have vision and energy – we see these as the two most important components of leadership. Leaders must have a vision for where their organization

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needs to go and how it will get there. They must also have the energy to stay excited, inspire others, and see the plan through.

We also expect our leaders to identify and mitigate risk. Not just tactical risk associated with conducting airborne operations or live-fire ranges. We expect our leaders to think about and speak in terms of operational and strategic-level risk. Assessing risk is always based on any number of assumptions about the environment, the threat, our actions, and our capabilities. These are assumptions that can – and do – change over time. Our leaders must reassess those assumptions every day, because when conditions change, so does the risk calculus. Continuous leader assessment, mentorship, and development across our formations at echelon ensures we are preparing and equipping people to think in those ways.

Leader selection programs in each of our units identify those individuals to whom we will entrust the lives of America’s sons

U.S. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD PHOTO BY SGT. JAKE COX

p Above: Green Berets with 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), learn how to use vehicles while shooting in an urban area in April 2021, during low-visibility force protection training in Dalton, New Hampshire. The course increased the 1st SFG (A) soldiers’ lethality and survivability while conducting low-visibility operations in hostile urban environments. u Right: U.S. Army National Guard Special Forces soldiers, assigned to 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne), conduct urban combat training during a Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat (SFAUC) course near Camp Williams, Utah, Nov. 12, 2020. SFAUC is scheduled yearly for the Green Berets to help them maintain proficiency and lethality for future operations.

U.S. ARMY PHOTO

USASOC and daughters. Many of the qualities we look for begin long before they enter military service. The Human Performance and Wellness Directorate at USASOC expands on that foundation and enhances the capabilities of ARSOF soldiers. They are aggressively searching for systems and technologies that will improve our lethality, endurance, longevity, health, and cognitive performance. We are actively looking at anything we can do to help our soldiers become smarter, stronger, and faster both physically and mentally. We will continue to identify talent through selections and assessments that further our pursuit of disciplined, talented, and lethal soldiers.

Like every large organization, identifying talent and sustaining their professional development creates recruiting and retention opportunities. USASOC treats all soldiers with dignity and respect regardless of where they came from. We will leave no talent on the table. Success of individuals in our units is based only on their ability to perform and their passion for service to each other and to the nation. We know that a diverse force makes us stronger and more capable to meet the uncertain and ever-changing demands of tomorrow. We’ve never been more confident in the leadership, vision, and drive of our next generation of warriors.

U.S. ARMY PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY K. KASSENS

READINESS USASOC continues to evolve, modernize, and innovate for success in both competition and conflict. The drawdown in Afghanistan marks a visible shift toward a focus on out-competing our adversaries on non-traditional battlefields and setting conditions for overmatch in largescale combat operations. For nearly two decades, Afghanistan has served as the central focal point for our Counter Violent Extremist Organization (C-VEO) efforts. A generation of American and allied warriors have dedicated blood and sweat to that fight, and we remain committed to denying terrorists the ability to attack our homeland. Retaining the initiative in this critical effort requires us to proactively posture small teams of special operators at the point of need before a crisis compels action.

Our global presence consistently positions us in more than 70 countries, conducting more than 200 missions, often in places where violent extremists and great power competitors operate to undermine our national interests and those of our allies and partners. This access, placement, and network of networks created through global, sustained partnerships makes us

p Top: Rangers of the 75th Ranger Regiment set up an indirect fire position during training exercises. p Above: Special Forces candidates assigned to the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School lead mules down a path as part of a long-distance movement during Exercise Robin Sage in central North Carolina, June 7, 2020. Robin Sage is the culmination exercise for soldiers in the Special Forces Qualification Course, and for more than 50 years has been the litmus test for soldiers striving to earn the Green Beret. Soldiers are evaluated on various skills required to not only successfully operate on a Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha, but on the battlefields of today and tomorrow.

a significant force multiplier in support of ongoing competition for the nation. There is no better force of choice for competition or the C-VEO fight.

As we continue to evolve in the information age, we will need to reorient industrial age practices while retaining the core of what has always made us special. Our Combat Training Centers (CTCs) must serve as both an innovation

lab and shared classroom to learn from and inform our Army warfighting sisters and brothers. We must train aggressively in the information space, reinforcing the value of ARSOF information warfare capabilities with our conventional peers to build experience and confidence employing them outside of the training environment. To accomplish this, we need a live-fire range for our information

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warfare operators in a virtual training environment, and it needs to be part of our CTC rotations.

First Special Forces Command is already experimenting with crossfunctional teams that will harness the individual strengths of our units and employ them collectively for exponentially greater effect.

We are investing in technologies that minimize our signature and safeguard our presence. Our teams must be survivable, lethal, mobile, and connected while operating throughout denied areas in any future operating environment. We must be able to process a large amount of real-time information and deliver precision organic fires all while staying undetected. Sensor integration, signals management, and organic ISR are paramount to our survivability.

1ST SPECIAL FORCES GROUP PHOTO BY SGT. KAYLA HOCKER

MODERNIZATION Incremental changes in technology do not make up for our inability to predict the future. Our modernization efforts must yield exponential changes in our equipment and processes. To be ready to fight on the next ridgeline, we must adapt at a pace and speed faster than our competitors. USASOC achieves this by powering down procurement decisions to the lowest possible level.

Our culture is one of daring innovation and we are not afraid to fail – as long as we fail forward.

We are pursuing low probability of intercept and detection, high bandwidth, resilient communications networks; assured precision navigation alternatives when global positioning system is not an option; and any technology that provides “digital camouflage.” ARSOF operators must be able to communicate in contested environments and influence our adversaries all while maneuvering undetected or operating with plausible deniability. ARSOF warriors are ready to test new theories, break prototypes, and provide timely tactical feedback to industry and academia on emerging technologies. Through our partnerships, our men and women will have the right equipment and

p Green Berets with 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) practice self-recovery from a glacial crevasse during Valor United 20, an arctic warfare training exercise in Seward, Alaska. During the September 2020 exercise, Special Forces and conventional soldiers alike developed their patrolling and survival skills in some of the most unforgiving terrain in the United States. Key focus areas for the training were arctic, alpine, and glacier movement, crevasse rescue, and long-range high-frequency communications.

capabilities that they need to maintain our competitive advantage against any enemy – today, and well into the future.

Now more than ever, we need to break down bureaucratic barriers to innovation so that we have the right equipment and capabilities to maintain our competitive advantage. Outcome-based and process-oriented acquisitions will add value to our teams, aircrews, and assault forces. Investments in our people, their readiness and training, and the things they use to shoot, move, and communicate must focus on providing them with modern, rapidly upgradable, and scalable technology that will ensure the success of USASOC to meet its mission for the Army and joint force.

The future will forever remain uncertain, but we have the utmost confidence in the men and women of USASOC. They have the trust and confidence of the nation, our senior leaders, and most importantly, the American people. Our country’s greatest minds are passionately working to support them with the equipment they deserve at the point of need. This collective spirit of service to our nation represents all that is good in America. USASOC’s promise to the nation remains steadfast: We will protect the Nation, Without Fear, Without Fail, Without Equal. Sine Pari.

This article was edited for style and consistency.

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USSOCOM PHOTO

Hungarian special operations forces (SOF) and Naval Special Warfare operators test Special Operations Craft-Riverine (SOC-R) capabilities in the Danube River in Budapest during Black Swan, May 5, 2021. Black Swan 21 was the annual Hungarian-led multinational special operations forces exercise conducted by Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, and United States SOF. Black Swan 21 was held in conjunction with Trojan Footprint 21 to test military synchronization capabilities and to defend multiple domains in Europe simultaneously.

52 Special Operations Outlook

INTERNATIONAL SOF

INTERNATIONAL SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES

BY ANDREW WHITE

In the age of great power competition (GPC), special operations forces (SOF) around the globe are joining forces and extending alliances in order to maximize capabilities to engage with near-peer and peer adversaries across the contemporary operating environment.

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Threats associated with GPC were examined at the virtual SOF Industry Conference (SOFIC) on May 18, 2021, where commanding general of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Gen. Richard D. Clarke promoted the conference’s theme “Expanding the Competition Space.”

Warning how threats continue to evolve around the world, Clarke highlighted the activities of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Russian Federation before calling upon his organization to “modernize” in order to successfully respond to emerging threats.

Just months earlier, Clarke had addressed the Senate Armed Services Committee, calling upon USSOCOM’s sustained partnership with foreign forces to provide “discrete options when conventional action is impractical.”

International cooperation across the global SOF community has continued over the course of the past 12 months, although much of it has been adversely affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which, according to Clarke, has “challenged our readiness in unexpected ways.”

“The postponement of several major exercises and a majority of FY20 Joint Combined Exchange Training [JCET] events has been unfortunate, but barring long-term

disruption, our joint interoperability and multinational partnerships remain strong,” Clarke said.

NATO LEADING THE WAY Multilateral efforts to enhance cooperation and interoperability of SOF organizations continue to be conducted to a great degree in Europe, where the threat from an increasingly aggressive Russian Federation gathers pace.

Special operations developments are being led at national levels, particularly in countries sharing a border with Russia (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine), in addition to multilateral efforts, often led by the NATO Special Operations Headquarters (NSHQ) based at Chièvres Air Base in Belgium.

On April 27, the NSHQ conducted its first of two virtual meetings in 2021, with SOF leadership from across the NATO alliance coming together to discuss how “allied and national SOF activity” could contribute to NATO “Deterrence and Defense Objectives.”

A c c o r d i n g to N ATO ’s S u p r e m e Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) public affairs office, the meeting featured the participation of SOF representatives from 32 “alliance and partner”

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NATO PHOTO

INTERNATIONAL SOF

nations with interests in the European area of responsibility.

“The aim of this conference is to act as a forum to connect Allies and Partners, [and] provide updates on NATO and nationall activities, and significant developments in order to strengthen the alliance,” U.K. Brigadier Rob Stephenson, acting commander of NSHQ, explained during his opening remarks at the meeting.

“Turning towards the future, we recognize the complex security environment, so SOF must continue to be innovative and ensure it is fit for purpose; flexible, tailored, and adaptable to meet any security challenges facing the alliance,” he added.

According to SHAPE, the conference saw NATO SOF leadership discussing a variety of methods to “further synchronize NATO SOF efforts” around the world.

Examples included the recent stand-up of the NSHQ Operations and Coordination Centre (NOCC), which acts as a “focal point for synchronizing activity conducted by national SOF which contributes to NATO’s deterrence objectives, enabling greater situational awareness, as well as identifying further ways to enhance

54 Special Operations Outlook

partnerships and transparency across the Alliance.”

SOF leadership also discussed NATO SOF contributions to counterinsurgency and counterterrorism (CT) operations outside Europe. As an example, the meeting was the first time NATO SOF leaders had come together to discuss the projected withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan following announcements made by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and NATO earlier in the year.

On May 21, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that the alliance would continue to train Afghan SOF “outside” the country following its projected troop withdrawal, which is scheduled to be completed by Sept. 11, 2021.

Specific training locations have yet to be disclosed by NATO, although defense sources suggested to Special Operations Outlook that training would most likely be dispersed across NATO SOF member organizations.

Meanwhile, the NSHQ meeting also discussed ongoing efforts in Africa and Iraq, which continue to focus heavily on SOF-specific mission sets including military

SOCOM PHOTO BY MASTER SGT. BARRY LOO, USAF

p Above: Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. Tim Radford and Acting Commander of NATO Special Operations Headquarters Brigadier Rob Stephenson pose for a photo at NSHQ. u Right: Commanding General U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), Gen. Richard D. Clarke.

assistance; special reconnaissance; and counter-violent extremist organization (C-VEO) operations.

Leadership also discussed the development of the “SOF domain plan” in support

USSOCOM

U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY SPC. THERESE PRATS

PAO JOINT WARFARE CENTER PHOTO

p Above: Special operations forces from Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the United States participate in aerial vehicle interdiction training as part of Black Swan 21 in Szolnok, Hungary, May 12, 2021. t Left: The Steadfast JupiterJackal 2020 command post exercise evaluated and certified all the functions of the Composite Special Operations Component Command (C-SOCC).

of peacetime deterrence, crisis response, and conflict. Additional subjects covered during the event included “partnership, maritime development, strategic planning, and coordination” for the remainder of 2021 and beginning of 2022.

Wrapping up the event, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (D-SACEUR) Gen. Tim Radford shared his thoughts on the important role NATO SOF plays in the planning for deterrence and defense across NATO’s area of responsibility.

“SOF’s emphasis on peacetime deterrence, military assistance, and strategic reconnaissance will be of increasing relevance to an alliance that’s implementing genuine, generational, strategic change,” he stated.

EUROPE In Europe, NATO SOF organizations and their partners continue to ramp up partnering agreements to enhance levels of cooperation, interoperability, and ultimately, mission effectiveness, particularly

55 Special Operations Outlook

when operating against near-peer/peer adversaries including the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russian Federation.

On Dec. 7, 2020, the Composite Special Operations Component Command (C-SOCC) – which comprises a joint SOF headquarters featuring Belgian, Danish, and Dutch SOF components – announced it had achieved full operational capability (FOC). FOC follows the signature of a letter of intent to pursue the C-SOCC concept, first published in February 2017.

According to NATO, the C-SOCC “combines national capabilities from the three participating nations into a deployable multinational headquarters, specifically designed for commanding several Special Operations Forces Task Groups.”

“This innovative approach provides the participating nations with a capability that exceeds the sum of their individual national contributions,” NATO officials suggested in a statement published on Dec. 7.

FOC was announced on the back of the successful conclusion of Exercise Steadfast Jupiter-Jackal 2020, which evaluated and certified all the relevant functions of the C-SOCC. Following certification of FOC, the C-SOCC is now available to support the 2021 NATO Response Force (NRF) with the availability of a Special Operations Land Task Group; Special Operations Maritime Task Group; and Special Operations Air Task Group.

Over the course of 2021, the C-SOCC will also conduct a series of exercises as it builds up to consider support of the 2023 NRF rotation.

However, SOF leadership in Belgium and the Netherlands are moving beyond the C-SOCC to examine the potential to establish an additional Composite Special Operations Maritime Task Group by 2026.

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INTERNATIONAL SOF

56 Special Operations Outlook

p A U.S. Air Force combat controller with the 320th Special Tactics Squadron poses for a photo during the simulated close air support rehearsal April 16, 2021, during Exercise Balikatan.

procedures, and lessons learned so that we’re all better,” U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. David H. Tabor, commanding general of the U.S. Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR), explained in a post-exercise statement.

IOC means R-SOCC SOF units – which include Austria’s Jagdkommando; Croatia’s Special Forces Command (ZSS); Hungary’s MH 2 KRE; Slovakia’s 5th Special Forces Regiment; and Slovenia’s Special Operations Unit – are ready to offer NATO a temporary deployable command element in support of special operations.

According to a NATO spokesperson, the R-SOCC will “increase the ability of the five participating nations to effectively employ their special operations forces, and will enable each nation to use its own contributions separately, while benefitting from an integrated R-SOCC structure once activated for deployment.”

Training conducted in Szolnok, Hungary, saw R-SOCC SOF operators and U.S. Army Special Forces focused on aerial vehicle

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY SENIOR AIRMAN KAYLEA BERRY

According to officials in the Belgian parliament, the development of a maritime task group remains a “priority project,” with a series of associated “training sessions” scheduled to run in 2021 and beyond.

Similar teaming agreements have been cemented by another group of European SOF organizations in Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia, who formed the Regional Special Operations Component Command (R-SOCC) in October 2019.

On May 12, 2021, the R-SOCC announced it had reached an initial operational capability (IOC) following Exercise Black Swan, which ran between April 19 and May 14. Conducted across multiple locations in Hungary, Exercise Black Swan also featured the participation of U.S. Army Special Forces and U.S. Naval Special Warfare operators.

The main effort of the exercise was designed to demonstrate “peer-to-peer deterrence and resiliency of alliances and partnerships in Europe,” according to exercise officials. SOF from Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the United States participated in the exercise.

“I think this is the manifestation of everything that is great about NATO, several NATO allies coming together and even nonNATO partners coming together to share their tactics, techniques,

U.S. NAVY PHOTO BY MASS COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST 2ND CLASS ERICA BECHARD

INTERNATIONAL SOF

interdiction; close quarters battle (CQB); Fast Rope Insertion Extraction System (FRIES); and special reconnaissance.

Elsewhere, Hungarian SOF (HUNSOF) and U.S. Naval Special Warfare operators conducted riverine operations on the Danube in Budapest on board Special Operations Craft-Riverine (SOC-R) vessels; while in the Adriatic Sea, Croatian SOF operators also worked with HUNSOF operators and U.S. Navy SEALs to practice maritime interdiction and visit, board, search, and seizure mission sets.

“Black Swan 21 helped Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia qualify for the initial air, land, [and] maritime operational capabilities required for the R-SOCC,” a NATO statement read.

“It’s important to see how NATO members can work seamlessly together, can support each other, and act well together to be a really credible deterrent to any adversaries that face us,” Stephenson added.

p A U.S. Air Force CV-22 Osprey, attached to the 21st Special Operations Squadron operating out of Yokota Air Base, Japan, conducts a search and rescue exercise in conjunction with USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) during Keen Sword 21.

The R-SOCC is expected to be fully functional by December 2024 and will act as the NATO Response Force in 2025.

SPANNING THE INDO-PACIFIC Equally critical to special operations in the age of GPC is the Indo-Pacific theater, where multilateral training programs designed to enhance the SOF capabilities of partner-nation forces

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INTERNATIONAL SOF in the region have been hampered by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Examples include the cancellation of the dedicated SOF element of the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, which had been scheduled to take place over the course of June and July 2020.

The event – which is viewed as critical in enhancing cooperation and interoperability of SOF units across the Indo-Pacific – would have seen maritime SOF elements from Brazil, Chile, India, Japan, the Philippines, Peru, South Korea, and the United States attending a joint training package run out of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Marine Corps Base, Hungry, and Bellows Air Force Station on Oahu, Hawaii.

Concepts of operation, tactics, techniques, and procedures practiced over the course of the exercise would have related to mission sets associated with countering peer threats from the PRC across the Indo-Pacific.

The exercise had been scheduled to concentrate on the “command and control of SOF forces within RIMPAC; multinational interoperability training; direct action raids; and maritime/dive operations,” exercise officials confirmed to Special Operations Outlook.

Specifically, training would have featured helicopter assault force operations; FRIES; maritime close quarter combat; submarine operations; small boat operations; military freefall; and combat diving serials.

Also affected by the pandemic was Exercise Cobra Gold – U.S. Special Operation Command Pacific’s (SOCPAC’s) annual exercise with the Royal Thai Armed Forces – which features both SOF and conventional force elements. Traditionally, Cobra Gold has focused on joint CT and counterinsurgency (COIN) mission sets, supported by the Royal Thai Army’s Special Warfare Command and Naval Special Warfare Command.

However, SOCPAC was able to successfully organize a variety of alternative training programs over the second half of 2020 and first half of 2021. Examples included an exercise with Japan’s Special Operations Group on the Kanto Plain, Japan; as well as Exercise Keen Sword, which saw the U.S. Air Force’s 353rd Special Operations Group and Japanese SOF partner practicing combat search and rescue (CSAR) missions at the Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji.

On April 23, SOCPAC and the Armed Forces of the Philippines Special Operations Command (AFPSOCOM) concluded the latest annual Exercise Balikatan, designed to contribute to “peace and stability” in the Indo-Pacific.

Although scaled down due to the pandemic, Exercise Balikatan featured SOF operators from both the United States and the Philippines, with heavy focus on crisis response.

Hosted at the Colonel Ernesto Ravina Airbase in Tarlac, combined SOF and air force support conducted a variety of training serials, including close air support training and humanitarian and civic assistance.

AFRICA In Africa, international SOF support of indigenous special mission units was also hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Examples included the cancellation of the “Flintlock” exercise, conducted annually in West Africa, featuring a coalition of NATO and Non-NATO Entity SOF units tasked with training local forces to successfully execute CT and COIN missions.

In a typical year, Flintlock brings together a multinational coalition of SOF units from Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, tasked with

training SOF personnel from African partners including Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Cabo Verde, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal.

According to the U.S. State Department, Exercise Flintlock is scheduled to go ahead in the first quarter of 2022, with exercise scenario writers already planning to include COVID-19 response into the training.

“With the exercise being scaled back for 2021, Flintlock 2021 planners decided to take advantage of the extra time to plan the ideal exercise for 2022. SOCAFRICA [U.S. Special Operations Command Africa] will integrate several operational enablers into future exercises, further diversifying participating units and better preparing them for future operations,” a State Department announcement read.

“Written into future exercise scenarios are intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, including aviation assets; maritime security training; civil affairs scenarios; law enforcement engagement; and medical support to operations. Plans for Flintlock 2022 go beyond the scope of previous exercises and takeaways from the next exercise will pave the way for continued improvements in the future with assessments being an integrated, strategic element to inform planning,” the statement added.

However, the pandemic did not prevent the French-led Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force (CJSOTF) “Takuba” from initiating CT and COIN missions across West Africa in the second half of 2020.

The CJSOTF features a joint force of SOF operators from France, Estonia, Sweden, Portugal, and the Czech Republic, with additional materiel, headquarters, and political support from the likes of Belgium, Norway, Germany, Denmark, Latvia, the Netherlands, and the U.K. One of the first public missions successfully conducted by the CJSOTF included the neutralization of a high value target (HVT) and enemy combatants in central Mali on Nov. 13. Deployed to a mountainous region near Mopti, the task force conducted a ground assault with the support of helicopters and Mirage jets.

LATIN AMERICA Finally, in Latin America, international efforts to enhance levels in cooperation and interoperability have also been hampered by the pandemic, with multilateral exercises, including the annual Fuerzas Comando competition, being postponed in 2021.

However, U.S. Special Operations Command South (SOCSOUTH) continues to build relationships with Latin American partners.

Examples include El Salvador, which received a visit from SOCSOUTH’s commander, Rear Adm. Keith Davids on Dec. 10-11, 2020.

Discussions addressed ongoing operations against MS-13 and 18th Street Gang violent extremist organizations by El Salvador’s Special Forces Command, which includes the Special Operations Group and Special CT Command (CEAT).

CONCLUSION Despite the training constraints of the global pandemic, international SOF cooperation has continued to take place around the world albeit at lesser levels in comparison to previous years.

Nonetheless, the importance of SOF partnerships remains high on the agenda for special operations organizations as they seek to benefit from increased levels in cooperation and interoperability.

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SIG SAUER SUPPORTS SOF WEAPON NEEDS

BY SCOTT R. GOURLEY

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SIG SAUER is now headquartered in the United States, where approximately 2,200 employees are currently working at nine manufacturing facilities scattered across three states.

Drawing on more than 250 years of Swiss and German engineering experience, the company’s early military programs tended to be small pistol contracts organized under the law enforcement division.

According to Tom Taylor, chief marketing officer and executive vice president for sales, the milestone event for military programs occurred on “the Thursday of SHOT Show [January] 2017,” when

60 Special Operations Outlook

the company got a call with the official word that they had received the U.S. Army’s M17/M18 Modular Handgun System (MHS) program.

“At the time, we were practically neophytes in the defense arena,” Taylor said. “We were not the favorite to win the M17 contract and when we did, it was incredibly game-changing and exciting news for SIG.” Noting that the MHS competition had included nine separate elements, he added, “Based on performance across those nine factors, the program was actually ended a year early, with SIG winning on five of those factors, tying on three and losing on only one.”

SIG SAUER

From pistols and personal defense weapons to next-generation machine gun systems, one company currently supporting myriad U.S. and international special operations forces (SOF) requirements is SIG SAUER, Inc. Special Operations Outlook recently visited the company’s manufacturing and range facilities for a hands-on experience with several representative systems as well as in-depth discussions with some of the company’s program managers and industry thought leaders.

SIG SAUER

EQUIPMENT SPOTLIGHT

Referencing the company’s marketing tagline of “Never Settle,” he said, “We will always innovate and we will always improve.”

Evidence of that belief can be seen in the growth and increasing momentum of complete systems for both special operations and broader force requirements.

Representative examples for unspecified elements within U.S. Special Operations Co m ma n d (USSO CO M) in clu d e th e Suppressed Upper Receiver Group (SURG), MCX “Rattler” and P320X5 pistol, Tango6T Squad-Variable Powered Scope (S-VPS), and new . 338 Norma Magnum (NM) medium machine gun with ammunition. In parallel with those USSOCOM programs, the company has also supported broader U.S. Army and U.S. Navy requirements with the manufacture of Mk248 MOD1 and MOD0 [.300 WinMag] sniper ammunition, providing a separate variant of the Tango6T for the Army’s Squad Designated Marksman Rifle and U.S. Army/U.S. Air Force Direct View Optic (DVO), and as one of three candidate designs now being tested as a potential Army Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW).

Representative examples of international SOF support during the same period have included the embrace of the MCX with additional system components by unspecified police or military components in the

t Opposite page: SIG SAUER’s Tango6T was selected as USSOCOM’s Squad-Variable Powered Scope. p Above: SIG SAUER’s light machine gun in 6.8x51mm and medium machine gun in .338 Norma Magnum.

United Kingdom, Netherlands, Norway, Italy, Denmark, Poland, France, Finland, Israel, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Germany.

COMPLETE SYSTEMS PROVIDER Reflecting on the portfolio, Jason St. John, director of strategic products, observed, “Part of the vision we have at SIG is that we are a complete systems provider.

And one of the things that has helped us to be successful in that vision is our internal review process, which focuses on what we believe will be important to our customers in the future.”

The ability to develop and deliver complete systems is also supported by expertise in the company’s electro-optics division, ammunition manufacturing capabilities, and suppressor developments.

Established in Oregon in 2014, SIG SAUER Electro-Optics was built on decades of industry experience, creating one of the fastest-growing electro-optics facilities serving defense customers today. Evidence of its rapid growth can be seen in the 2018

expansion to a 37,000-square-foot facility where more than 150 employees operate on a four-shift 24/7 schedule, assembling systems like the Tango6T noted above as well as products like the Romeo4T/ Romeo1Pro (for U.S. Department of Homeland Security) and Romeo8T/Juliet4 (UK Ministry of Defense).

Growth also can be found in the company’s ammunition facility, which was originally located in Kentucky before shifting operations to Arkansas in 2017.

“I would estimate that in the next three years, it will double in size and even get greater within its footprint,” offered St. John. “Today the plant has a capability to produce around 400 million rounds a year in its existing footprint, but we believe we will be able to scale that up to close to 1 billion rounds a year.”

SIG SAUER’s complete system approach frequently includes a range of suppressor capabilities.

According to suppressor product manager John Tamborino, SIG’s suppressor activities initially started around 2015 with the goal of offering another key element to an entire weapon system.

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SIG SAUER

EQUIPMENT SPOTLIGHT

62 Special Operations Outlook

p Top: User feedback has led to a “low profile” SURG design option. p Above: Initial deliveries of USSOCOM’s Suppressed Upper Receiver Group (SURG) are anticipated in October 2021.

additive manufacturing techniques to set the stage for a new generation of rifle and pistol suppressors.

One of those new designs is the MODX-9, which the company competed in the recent USSOCOM pistol suppressor solicitation. As of this writing, the company is one of two finalists awaiting the government contract decision.

Along with optics, ammunition, and suppressors, another capability that

facilitates the complete system approach is recently expanded internal production capabilities in areas like rifle barrels and other critical platform components.

Pointing to the example of the MCX, Mike Joslin, rifle product manager, said, “From the roots of one early defense contract, we now have our own rifle barrel line. Before that was established, we were forced to source, buy, and make various components.

But now, 100 percent of the parts for MCX

SIG SAUER

“The division really started with a traditional machined cone baffle welded design that encompassed both steel cans and titanium,” he explained. “But, while they were great products, they might not have been as innovative as they needed to be. So, fast forward to 2017 and the Su p p res se d U p p e r Re ceive r G ro u p became something of a pivot point for suppressor design.”

The SURG program is an upgrade to the M4A1 5.56mm carbine that originally entered service in 1994. Replacing the upper receiver with the new design will optimize those weapons for continuous, suppressed battlefield use.

SIG SAUER announced its receipt of the SURG contract award in August 2018.

Following several rounds of extensive operator feedback, the first 500 SURG units are projected for delivery in the October 2021 time frame.

“The SURG award represented one of the first times for us that two of our entities – rifles and suppressors – got together as a team and provided a system to the government,” Tamborino said. “That was a pretty big step for us, and it reflected a lot of project collaboration . In addition, SURG had some pretty extreme requirements that we met in areas like durability and life cycle of parts.”

He also credited the SURG program as introducing the company to “low tox[icity]/ low blowback” suppressor designs, where collaborative test efforts with the Naval Surface Warfare Center-Crane Division combined with SIG SAUER’s application of

EQUIPMENT SPOTLIGHT t Left: SIG SAUER has developed multiple modification options for the X-series P320 pistol that is already carried within some SOF community elements. q Below: Cutaway of SIG SAUER’s twopart “hybrid” 6.8x51mm design.

SIG SAUER

that still rotates 90 degrees to fully automatic but then only 45 degrees farther for semi-automatic fire.

User feedback has also contributed to the development of pistol modification packages that exploit the “modular” design concepts and allow tailoring the weapons for personal preference.

Cor y McQuilkin, defense product manager for SIG SAUER’s pistol line, offered the example of a full-sized version of an X-series P320 pistol that is already carried within some SOF community elements, with multiple modification options ranging from a flat trigger to a beveled magazine well that speeds the reload process.

EXPLORING THE MACHINE GUN MARKET

for defense contracts are either made in house or finished in house.”

MCX also provides the basis for Rattler, which has been examined for both U.S. and international SOF applications.

SCOTT GOURLEY

USER FEEDBACK DRIVES DESIGN In achieving the company’s goal to be a complete systems provider, St. John was quick to emphasize the criticality of so-called “soldier touchpoints,” where engineers and designers receive early and direct feedback from potential users from diverse skill levels.

“Obviously, there are several small items or suggestions that surface here and there,”

St. John acknowledged. “But one of the biggest recent changes stemming from touchpoint feedback was the movement of the charging handle on our Next Generation Squad Weapon Automatic Rifle candidate from the right side to the left side. It had been on the right, like traditional weapon systems, but we moved it to the left based on feedback.

We received that feedback in January and we had the new design integrated and delivered to the next soldier touchpoint in June.”

A modified selector switch provides another example. While many traditional selectors rotate 90 degrees from safe to fully automatic and then another 90 degrees to semi-automatic fire, operational ergonomic feedback led to a new design

At the opposite end of the weapon spectrum from pistols are SIG SAUER’s efforts in new machine gun designs.

“We have a willingness to look a decade into the future,” stated Ron Cohen, chief executive officer of SIG SAUER. “And in 2016-17, we started to look at the machine gun category. And, just to be very clear, when we started, there was no program of record.”

Less than three years later, the company has two machine guns: a medium machine gun (MMG) firing the .338 Norma Magnum cartridge and a co-developed light machine gun (LMG) firing a 6.8 x 51mm “hybrid” cartridge design.

Josh Shoemaker, machine gun product manager at SIG SAUER, summarized the company’s entry into what was a new market category.

“If you look at some of the legacy systems out there, like the M240 7.62mm, it was designed in the 1950s, fielded in the 1970s,” he began. “And, depending on configuration, it weighs between 22 and 27 pounds. The M2 Browning .50-caliber was designed in 1918 and weighs over 80 pounds. They’re great systems, but they’ve been fielded for a very long time.

Not surprisingly, they include some really outdated technology. So, as manufacturing has gotten better, and as technology has improved in the industry, there was a need for some innovation in machine guns.

And, talking with some different end users and customers, specifically working with

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USSOCOM SEEKS “GAME-CHANGING” MACHINE GUN CAPABILITIES

SIG SAUER

T

p SIG SAUER’s Jason St. John coaches Special Operations Outlook Consulting Editor Scott Gourley during demonstration firing of the company’s .338 NM medium machine gun.

USSOCOM on some of their capability gaps, we found a niche market in the .338 Norma Magnum machine gun. Essentially, we have a system that weighs as much as an M240 that offers better ballistics than a .50-cal.”

Shoemaker said that the development of the MMG also opened the company’s eyes to the broader machine gun industry, with resulting efforts coupling SIG SAUER innovation toward myriad current and notional weapon mounting options and design enhancements like “butterfly grips” now under development.

It is believed that a small number of the SIG SAUER MMGs are also being evaluated by an unspecified military organization.

The LMG system, unofficially dubbed “the little brother” to the MMG, is one of the industry platforms currently being explored by the U.S. Army’s Soldier Lethality Cross-Functional Team as the potential automatic rifle element of the Army’s NGSW architecture.

AMMUNITION INNOVATION Each of the three participating NGSW industry teams is incorporating a different ammunition technology for the government-provided 6.8mm projectiles, with longer-range plans calling for the government to produce the complete cartridge once down-selection to a specific technology has been made.

SIG’s NGSW designs utilize a 6.8 x 51mm hybrid two-piece cartridge that

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features brass and steel combined by a 20-ton press.

“Hybrid ammo started out well before ‘next gen’ [NGSW],” St. John asserted.

“At SIG, we were looking at ways to push performance and wring a bit more out of traditional firearms design. And I felt, when I was first briefed on the potential of hybrid ammunition, that it was really – and I don’t want to use this term lightly – a paradigm shift in modern ammunition capabilities. It overcomes the shortcomings of traditional brass, providing a 20 percent weight savings while allowing double the amount of pressure.”

The hybrid ammunition was originally based on a three-piece design that included a lock washer that has now been eliminated.

THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING Reflecting on the “hybrid” ammunition design, Cohen stressed that the same design can enhance the ballistic performance of other calibers as well.

“This is the beginning of a revolution,” he declared. “And it will be relatively easy for the ammo factories to absorb it, because the technologies are similar to what they have done in the past. Forming steel and brass uses the same equipment.

So literally, if you own the factory, you would not blink. And it’s easy to make it backwards compatible.”

He concluded, “I think this is the beginning of something; not the end game.”

he Medium Machine Gun design developed by SIG SAUER is one industry response to publicly identified USSOCOM and U.S. Marine Corps desire for enhanced battlefield capabilities in near-peer or peer environments.

Presenting his equipment portfolio at the virtual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) in May 2021, USSOCOM Program Executive Officer for SOF Warrior Col. Joel Babbitt emphasized the “game-changing” nature of the .338 Norma Magnum (NM) cartridge, acknowledging that it is one of the options being fielded for both special operations sniper rifle programs and broader U.S. Army sniper applications.

“Along with that, when you take a sniper rifle and turn it into a machine gun, you get some very interesting and very lethal effects,” he stated.

Babbitt identified that expanded application by the slightly awkward USSOCOM program designator Lightweight Machine Gun–Medium, stating, “The .338 Norma Magnum machine gun has better effects on target than a .50-caliber [machine gun]; better penetration. This is a gamechanger at absolutely the most tactical level. Instead of suppressing the target, its accuracy is such that you are killing the target. The No. 1 piece of feedback we have from the operators is, ‘Hey, I need a single shot mode, because I’m hitting the target with the first round, every time.”

Babbitt continued, “Think about it like this: A .50-caliber machine gun is 89 pounds. An M240 Bravo, which is the current 7.62 weapon squad machine gun, is around 21 pounds. The [.338 NM] prototypes that we have seen so far are 22 to 25 pounds. So essentially what you are doing is putting .50-caliber effects in an M240 Bravo squad machine gun package. That’s huge. You can not only rip up the enemy infantry, but you can rip up the armored personnel carrier they rode in on as well.”