SOCOM is shifting its focus from counter-terrorism to preparing for great power conflicts and needs industry help to ensure their land vehicles have the right capabilities for future missions.
US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is shifting its focus from counter-terrorism operations to preparing for potential great power conflicts against adversaries with “equally matched capability”. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Alfredo Romero, the program manager for the Family of Special Operations Vehicles at SOCOM, said that the organization needs industry help to ensure that its land vehicles have the right capabilities for future missions. As the focus moves from counterterrorism to ground mobility, one issue Romero and his team are “taking a hard look at” is the balance between “kinetic versus non-kinetic survivability” capabilities on their tactical vehicles. SOCOM is looking to industry for technology solutions for cyber hardening, signature management, and lightweight armor. It is also looking for autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle capabilities that can reduce “cognitive load on the operator” and modular mission kits that are vehicle agnostic.
