by Todd South
TAMPA, Fla. — All U.S. special operators will soon wear concussion sensors as the services aim to better track brain health. Special Operations Command will begin fielding a blast exposure monitoring system next year.
Officials who develop and procure all the gear that touches the body of an operator laid out that initiative and a host of other items they plan to upgrade or replace in the next few years here on Wednesday at the Global SOF Foundation Special Operations Forces Week conference.
“We’re putting concussion sensors on every operator pretty soon,” said Adam Fields, product manager for Program Executive Office SOF Warrior’s protection systems.
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At the same time, Fields and other leaders at the executive office will follow the practice of refreshing, or recompeting, contracts for specific gear every five years.
Next year, they’ll be looking at new gloves, ruck sacks, hard armor for their body armor kits, land communication accessories and a new coxswain helmet for boat crews.
Farther out, their plan calls for replacing outer shell type environmental protection, think jackets and coats, especially for cold weather, in 2028.
Within those replacements, they expect to field lighter body armor that will defeat armor-piercing rounds. They want the same protection out of lightweight ballistic helmets and add improved bump protection, comfort, stability and heat management.
They’ll also reach full fielding of the new casualty evacuation kit system by fiscal year 2026.
SOCOM is also in the process of swapping the MRZR-D for the MRZR-A. The “D” version sports a diesel engine while the “A” model uses the same base package but adds exportable power for charging and powering devices.
Within those devices the PEO officials are looking at a series of new capabilities for their electronic gear and other items.