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National Defense > Blog > Posts > Companies Jockey for Share of Special Operations Market

5/24/2012

Companies Jockey for Share of Special Operations Market
By Eric Beidel



TAMPA, Fla. — At the annual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference, companies large and small are looking to cash in on the increased profile of U.S. Special Operations Command.

The president has said a new defense strategy will put an emphasis on special operations, which grows in Obama's five-year budget proposal while the rest of the Defense Department shrinks. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton even delivered a keynote speech at the conference this year, which saw attendance by representatives from more than 90 other countries. What does all of this mean for the companies exhibiting on the show floor? A couple of industry representatives simply rubbed their fingers together to signify “money.”

“You have to go where the money is,” said Steve Graves, vice president of sales and marketing for Acumentrics, a small business that is marketing a new rugged uninterruptible power supply for troops on the move. "Everything is getting cut except special ops. Look at how we fight. You don't need an Abrams tank to drop eight guys out of a helicopter.”

The company's device produces 1,000 watts of power and weighs just 28 pounds, compared to their previous offering which weighed 135 pounds. Special operations units don't like heavy equipment and favor more portable systems. Several special operations commanders speaking at the conference mentioned lightweight power sources as one of their top equipment needs. Nearly all of them also mentioned a desire for improved communications technology.

Thales, one of the manufacturers of the Rifleman Radio that has been used in Afghanistan by Army Rangers, also anticipates growth in SOF business. The Rifleman Radio, also produced by General Dynamics, is being touted as a breakthrough. It weighs about 2 pounds, troops can pass information to others, including voice, locations and video. The device is used in tandem with a small display.

The radio has been tested at the Army's Network Integration Evaluations in the southwest desert, and it is especially suitable for special operators, said Walt Hepker, vice president of business development at Thales Communications Inc.

“They want wideband, they want full-motion video,” Hepker said. “And this is the smallest hand-held radio out there.”

General Dynamics and Thales were partners during initial production of 6,300 radios. When a full-rate production decision is made later this year or early next year, they will be competing against one another, and possible other manufacturers.

Radio supplier Harris Corp. wants in on the action, too. Harris displayed a “network in a backpack” system that uses cellular networking technology to send and receive information such as voice, data, streaming video, biometrics and forensics. The system will allow commanders to securely use smartphones and tablets on the battlefield, company officials said.

USSOCOM Commander Adm. William McRaven asked industry to adapt commercial communication technologies for special operators.

“When you see what industry is doing with communications technology, how can we not be as adaptive and as flexible as industry?” McRaven asked. “We've got to figure out how we're going to master this technology so that I can walk around SOCOM with an iPad that has the information I need on that iPad . . . I want to take the maximum effect that technology can give us and apply it on the battlefield.”

Harris also is marketing a covert broadband "direction finding system" that can help troops locate the enemy. The product was developed by a small business of just six family members. Harris joined the effort to help sell the product to the government. There are currently about 100 of the multiple intelligence sensor (MISER) systems fielded in Afghanistan to the National Security Agency, Army and Marine Corps, said Patrick Meyer, operations manager at Harris.

The system is used to locate enemies when they're using radios. It will pick up anyone talking within a 40 mile radius, Meyer said. Its wireless interface allows it to run remotely while operators are as far as 10 miles away, he said.

Harris project engineer Mark Redmon, a former Air Force special operator, said he is bemused by the public's fascination with special operations forces. But he recognized that the spotlight does come with its advantages.

“The special ops budget is on the rise,” Redmon said. “Business is good for special ops.”

But officials cautioned industry to become better attuned to what troops in the field need. Like conventional military forces, SOF units would like to have more effective detectors that can accurately identify improvised explosive devices, said Maj. Gen. Paul E. Lefebvre, chief of Marine Corps Special Operations Command.

An ideal product would be something operators could wear that allows them to see and identify the bombs before it's too late, he said.

“There are a lot of start-ups here,” Lefebvre said. “Sometimes I wonder if [they] truly understand what we're doing and how we're doing it.”

Posted at 12:45 PM by Eric Beidel | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (1)

Comments

Re: Companies Jockey for Share of Special Operations Market

     It is excellent the President’s strategy emphasizes Special Operations Forces (SOF).  While it is an efficient policy option I am not sure how well Capitol Hill or even big Army even understands its capabilities.  Foreign internal defense, stability operations and low intensity conflict are decisively superior economic options that meet the strategic goals of our Government.  It will be interesting to monitor the dialogue and language used by geographic commanders and military officials to discuss this way ahead with politicians.
     While funding may be increasing for SOF equipment, manning must be considered too.  After recently serving as the operations officer for the Army SOF school that produces Special Forces, Civil Affairs and Military Intelligence Support Soldiers, it is extremely difficult to produce quality Soldiers with personnel shortages.  By no means am I indicating the Soldiers are not excellent and superbly trained, but it comes at the cost of the instructors and their families.  Instructors work tirelessly to ensure quality training.  If the Army is downsizing applying some of those Soldiers to SOF should be considered.  There are numerous military occupational specialties or skills that could benefit SOF training e.g. riggers, drivers, mechanics, communication personnel and medics.  They would meet many requirements while reducing risk to SOF basic and advanced skill training. 
If small businesses and companies are looking to meet the future needs of SOF than they need to reach out to the Army SOF School as well as other service component schools.  These schools provide vast training areas and conduct complex missions that can test the capabilities of these emerging technologies.  Additionally it would allow our Soldiers to train with the equipment they will use at their gaining units.  Equipment shortages and resource requirements already exist.  If the money is there than equip our Soldiers with the most current equipment so they can train like they fight. 
MAJ Casey Galligan, student Army Command and General Staff College, FT Lee, VA at 6/2/2012 6:29 PM

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