Special operations forces are built on five recognized and published principles: humans are more important than hardware; quality is better than quantity: special operations forces cannot be mass produced; competent special operations forces cannot be created after emergencies occur; and most special operations require non-SOF support.
Advancing the level of non-SOF support through every means at the Defense Department’s disposal is critical to providing the technologically superior systems commandos require at time of need.
As the conflict in Ukraine has revealed, advances in technology have dramatically changed the way modern warfare is waged. Unmanned aerial technology in particular has evolved as drones that fit in the palm of the hand up to those that weigh up to 1,000 pounds are in use, according to numerous reports.
Paul Scharre, executive vice president and director of studies at the Center for a New American Security, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in March 2024 that information technologies are likely to have the most impact on warfare within the coming decades.
These are information technologies that will drive autonomous weapons, cyber operations and electronic warfare. As the deployment of these and other disruptive technologies becomes more prevalent, the U.S. military must adopt technology faster than competitors.
Logistics organizations that support special operations are true force multipliers, and their importance cannot be overstated. Organizations such as the 528th Sustainment Brigade and the training provided at the Navy Service Support Advanced Training Command and the Marine Forces Special Operations Command Multi-Discipline Logistics Operations Course are critical to the sustainment of special operators.
While these organizations are charged with the responsibility of developing and executing lifecycle logistics or training those that do, these organizations are in turn supported by a vast network of first, second and third tier suppliers, some of which have unique, specialized and cutting-edge technologies.
These suppliers are the technology developers, integrators and manufacturers that provide and undergird the emerging technology, and whose course to innovation must be unencumbered.
Not only must these suppliers be unleashed to innovate now, Special Operations Command’s components must also be funded to drive the demand signals that enable its readiness.
As suppliers respond to demand signals, there must be thoughtful approaches to ensure those companies that provide our most technologically advanced systems maintain their capability as well.
The rapid integration and deployment of the latest advancements in technology and capabilities with military applications to deter and, if necessary, prevail in conflict is critical.
To maintain the nation’s technological asymmetric advantages, the Defense Department must exercise all the mechanisms at its disposal, including novel contracting vehicles and flexible pathways, with a balanced approach that spurs additional capability and capacity and promotes innovation across both traditional and nontraditional contractors of all sizes.
Despite the Pentagon’s efforts and reforms in recent years to attract more innovative companies into its ecosystem, it is still challenging for companies outside the traditional defense industrial base to do business with the department.
Attracting and retaining new entrants, academic institutions and small businesses — along with the innovative technologies and capabilities they bring to the department — is a critical element to building a modern, diverse and resilient industrial base. Heading into a new administration and the 119th Congress, policymakers are expected to focus on ways to attract additional nontraditional defense contractors into doing business with the Defense Department.
A nontraditional defense contractor is defined by law as an entity that is not currently performing and has not performed, for at least the one-year period preceding the solicitation of sources by the Defense Department, any contract or subcontract that is subject to full cost accounting standards coverage.
When a company is classified as such, numerous government regulations are not required in comparison to a traditional defense contractor. These differences ultimately affect costs, flexibility, innovation and how quickly acquisition solutions can be fielded.
The defense ecosystem is now at a critical juncture. One area of common agreement between government and private sector companies is that to support the Defense Department to the greatest extent possible, it is time to unleash the defense industrial base and allow it to provide better non-SOF support, which ultimately provides better SOF support.
The current system is slow, burdensome and antithetical to the speed and flexibility of innovation that the speed of current warfare requires. The tools the Pentagon uses to attract new entrants into the defense market work equally well to retain traditional contractors of all sizes and create environments that foster innovation and competition.
Through the prism of the SOF principles, humans are more important than hardware, and quality remains more important than quantity. To elevate the support and the quality of the hardware provided to operators, the Defense Department must clear the path to enable this support now and in the future.
Support through programs such as SOCOM’s Ignite program — envisioned to provide a developmental innovation and talent pipeline opportunity — is a promising support mechanism for future requirements.
For current needs, the Defense Department must cultivate a level playing field for nontraditional and traditional defense contracts to equally infuse cutting-edge technology to the Army, Navy and Air Force to support the SOF mission.
Link to Article: How to Best Support Special Operations Forces