In order to improve operations, keep equipment ready, and boost strength, the U.S. Special Operations Command is making use of data-based, space-based, and cyber technology.
The U.S. Special Operations Command is increasingly using cyber, space, and data-based technology to support its missions, maintain equipment readiness, and increase its strength. The organization’s leader, Gen. Bryan Fenton, stated that recruiting data scientists, data stewards, cyber and space experts, and technologists is non-negotiable. Fenton emphasized the importance of data, stating that it is the oil and oxygen necessary for decisive advantage. Special operations teams have recently navigated “near-peer air defense” and integrated cyber defense capabilities, using unfamiliar but becoming normative technology. The Special Operations Command uses natural language processing, data-driven processing, artificial intelligence, and collaborative autonomy to track vehicle maintenance, equipment and personnel readiness, and inform mission planning. The organization’s software-designed approach for electronic gear is to avoid electronic fratricide. Special operations-specific space-based payloads on satellites are currently under development, giving the command an outsized advantage in various missions.
