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SOFWERX – Drone in a Box (DIB) Assessment Event

Tuesday, May 20th, 2025

UPDATED TIMELINE

SOFWERX, in collaboration with USSOCOM Program Executive Office Tactical Information Systems (PEO-TIS), will host a Drone in a Box (DIB) Assessment Event (AE) 16-18 July 2025, to identify production model solutions for a configurable multidomain system capable of performing a variety of missions related to uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and uncrewed ground systems (UGV).

The Program Executive Office for Tactical Information Systems (PEO-TIS) is conducting a search for innovative solutions in a specific technology area, aiming to expand its knowledge and explore available capabilities that can support USSOCOM’s vision for a configurable uncrewed air/ground system. This system should enable the Warfighter to adapt and respond to evolving multidomain mission sets, providing a flexible and dynamic solution that can be tailored to meet the unique demands of modern warfare.

The “Drone in a Box” concept is a modular, adaptable, and scalable solution designed to provide Warfighters with a flexible and responsive Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capability, utilizing both Uncrewed Ground Systems (UGS) and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) with a desired maximum gross takeoff weight of 55 pounds. This innovative approach enables operators to rapidly reconfigure and tailor their systems to meet specific ISR mission requirements by swapping out interchangeable parts and components from an assembly package. The assembly package will include modular frames, propulsion systems, a sensor, and payload modules (such as electro-optical, infrared, and signals intelligence sensors), power and energy modules, control and navigation systems, and communication systems, allowing Warfighters to quickly adapt to changing mission requirements and conduct a variety of ISR tasks, such as area surveillance, target tracking, and battle damage assessment. The “Drone in a Box” system will support both Group 1 and Group 2 UAS, as well as small UGS, providing Warfighters with a comprehensive and flexible ISR capability to respond to emerging threats, gather critical information, and enhance their situational awareness in a variety of environments, including urban, rural, and austere terrain. The UGS component will enable Warfighters to conduct ISR missions in areas where UAS may be limited, such as in dense urban environments or under heavy tree cover. By leveraging the “Drone in a Box” concept, Warfighters will be able to rapidly deploy and reconfigure their ISR assets to meet the demands of dynamic and evolving mission sets, ultimately providing a decisive advantage on the battlefield. The “Drone in a Box” system is designed to deliver a modular, adaptable, and scalable ISR solution that meets the evolving needs of the Warfighter.

Submit NLT 10 June 2025 11:59 PM ET

For full details and new timeline, visit events.sofwerx.org/drone-in-a-box-dib.

Concept Image generated by Grok

U.S. Special Operations Command Hosts First Ever International Commander’s Forum to Build Generational Relationships During Special Operations Forces Week 2025

Tuesday, May 20th, 2025

TAMPA, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES

U.S. Special Operations Command kicked off Special Operations Forces Week 2025 with an International Commander’s Forum. The forum was attended by 311 participants from 61 countries with 78 Special Operations Forces units represented.

The Forum was incorporated this year directly based on recommendations after the 2024 SOF Week. USSOCOM’s international division recognized that the most valuable part of the week was the interaction between command teams. Maintaining strong networks, and developing generational relationships is strength of special operations.

Building generational relationships takes commitment. While SOF Week is fast paced, with the displays, panels, keynote speakers, so it was a deliberate effort to start the week with this Forum to set the tone. Gen. Bryan Fenton, commander U.S. Special Operations Command often says, “relationships are our competitive advantage.”

USSOCOM has always recognized the significant role that international partnerships play in accomplishing the mission of special operations forces around the globe. To grow and develop generational partnerships, the Command hosted more than 60 countries from around the world.

The conference was attended by King of Jordan Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein along with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and the Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and current and retired senior military leaders.

“In today’s contested world SOF does not go alone. They go first, but they also go with partners. SOF’s ability to work by, with and through international partners pays huge dividends on our border, in the Indo-Pacific and around the world,” said Hegseth. “Partners, as I see so many of our partners right here in the front, are central to how SOF works. They must believe that America is strong, that peace through strength is real, then they want to come into our orbit and be force multipliers. I’m talking about generational relationships that we have built with partner forces around the globe.”

“The fusion of what we have in this room — interagency, industry, academia, practitioners, and policymakers — is tied together and galvanized towards irregular and asymmetric options,” said Fenton. “We’re the scalpel, but when the time comes, we can bring the hammer too.”

A special operations officer from Japan reflected on his relationship with U.S. SOF.

“My relationship with U.S. SOF has been built on trust, mutual respect, and shared experiences in the field. We’ve trained, planned, and operated together—not as separate forces, but as one team with a common mission. That connection has only deepened over time. Generational partnerships ensure that knowledge, values, and strategic alignment are passed down and sustained. I was surprised and deeply moved when I discovered that my jump buddy from 1st SFG ten years ago was now serving as J3-I Director, USSOCOM as my counterpart. In today’s rapidly evolving threat environment, it’s not just about the mission at hand—it’s about building a legacy of trust and collaboration that empowers future operators and leaders,” he said. “I want to express my deepest gratitude to the SOCOM community. Your commitment, humility, and professionalism have inspired me throughout my journey. To my partners—let’s continue building something greater than ourselves. The mission continues, and so does our unbreakable bond.”

A Jordanian special operations officer emphasized the strategic value of long-lasting relationships between allies.

“Our relationship is strategic, productive, and collaborative. This is an historical, long-lasting relationship that we will always maintain. Relationships continue to grow in unprecedented ways with an increase in joint combat operations and UAS development for both Special Operations organizations. Generational partnerships are also extremely important. We continue to build on our partnerships to reach a level of trust that leads us to greater interoperability, seamless integration, and eventual interdependence to fight together as force multipliers,” he said.

SOF employs a partnership model around the world to build partner nation security force capacity and capability. The intangible power of generational partnerships comes from thoughtful, deliberate, and persistent interactions that lead to partnerships, and this intentional effort is irreplaceable for advancing and protecting U.S. national security interests.

Story by Michael Bottoms  

U.S. Special Operations Command

US Army Opens Recruiting for Robotics Warrant Officer MOS

Monday, May 19th, 2025

Last fall, I mentioned a that US Army Special Operations Command was adapting to the evolving face of warfare by creating a new Military Occupational Specialty. In true SOF fashion, they attacked the problem asymmetrically by adapting a career management field they had control over and using authorities to recruit talent into the warrant officer force. Now, it’s open for applications. If you are into emerging warfighting capabilities, this is the job for you. I’m jealous something like this wasn’t available when I was in.

MOS 390A Robotics Technician

The result is MOS 390A Robotics Technician, intended to enable and provide robotic and autonomous system solutions to tactical problems across all warfighting functions and domains during competition, crisis, and combat operations.  The 390A will be assigned to tactical formations at brigade/group-level and above.  This new MOS will be the subject matter expert for planning robotics and autonomous systems operations, integrating those operations into broader plans, engineering and fabricating robotic and autonomous system solutions to tactical problems, managing attritable systems and their kinetic and sensor payloads, and delivering those capabilities and effects in support of Soldiers at the tactical edge.

Eligibility:

a.  The MOS is open to all enlisted, officer, and warrant officer that are currently serving in Special Operations Forces Units. As there is no requirement for SFQC graduation, I hope to see some enablers applying.

i.  Enlisted: Open to all MOS and grades/ranks.

ii.  Warrant Officer: Applicants must be a graduate of the Warrant Officer Candidate School and a Warrant Officer Basic Course.  Must be a Chief Warrant Officer Two (CW2) with a minimum of one-year time in grade or Chief Warrant Officer Three (CW3) with no more than one-year time in grade.

iii.  Officer: Applicants open to all branches. Officers must be branch qualified.

b.  Must meet Army physical fitness and Army Height / Weight standards.

c.  Must possess a Secret clearance.

d.  Have no derogatory information in their OMPF, a referred NCOER or OER, or pending adverse action.

e.  Must be able to complete a 3-year tour following graduation from WOBC.

Packet Submission Deadline is Friday, 1 August 2025 

For full information, visit recruiting.army.mil/In-Service-Opportunities/US-Army-Warrant-Officer-Recruiting/Do-I-Qualify/WO-MOS-Feeder-List/39A-Robotics-Technician

U.S. Special Operations Command’s Research Development Acquisition Experiment (RDAX)

Friday, May 16th, 2025

The video shows multiple RDAX experiments between U.S., Allies, and Industry Partners displaying their capability to fight effectively in Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) environments to deter battlefield use by adversaries.

These experiments show CBRN resilient forces- U.S, Allies, and partner forces are prepared to fight and win in the CBRN environment.

Courtesy Video
U.S. Special Operations Command

Flintlock 2025: 20 Years of Enhancing SOF Readiness in Africa

Wednesday, May 14th, 2025

JACQUEVILLE, CôTE D’IVOIRE

Flintlock 2025, U.S. Africa Command’s annual, combined special operations exercise, kicked off in Côte d’Ivoire today. From April 24 – May 14, Flintlock 25 will bring together approximately 500 personnel from more than 30 nations to strengthen collective readiness in response to shared threats.

“Twenty years of Flintlock and our resolve is stronger than ever. Together, with our partners and allies, we are forging lethal forces ready to deter aggression and win on the battlefield,” said U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, Commander of U.S. Africa Command. “U.S. Africa Command is committed to countering threats to the United States and working alongside our African partners as they play a leading role in providing for their own defense.”

This iteration, hosted by Côte d’Ivoire, reflects the dedication by African partners to address regional challenges independently while still working with international partners for global peace. The exercise will consist of academics, then shift to a staff and command post exercise.

Exercise scenarios are designed to strengthen partner nations’ collective abilities to counter violent extremist organizations, collaborate across borders, provide security, respect human rights and build trust with civilian populations. The exercise also bolsters information sharing between African, U.S., and other partner nation military and law enforcement organizations through an interagency fusion cell.

“Flintlock demonstrates our long-term commitment to improve partner-nation operational independence,” said U.S. Army Maj. Patrick Temperato, Flintlock lead planner. “Integrated operations planned on a foundation of shared values and interests are critical to reinforcing an extended network of like-minded nations capable of decisively meeting the defense challenges of today and tomorrow.”

For more information, visit www.africom.mil/what-we-do/exercises/flintlock.

Story by Staff Sgt. Zachary Wright 

Special Operations Command Africa

Senior Official Outlines Future Priorities for Special Ops

Tuesday, May 13th, 2025

Colby Jenkins, performing the duties of the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, outlined his priorities for the future of the special warfare community while delivering remarks today during Special Operations Forces Week 2025 in Tampa, Florida.

Jenkins cautioned the audience that America’s adversaries are converging across regions and “the thresholds between peace and conflict.”

“We do not need another threat briefing; we need action — focused and unrelenting,” Jenkins said.

He added that such action recently came in the form of guidance from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who kicked off SOF Week 2025 with keynote remarks, May 6. Hegseth said his focus is on defending the homeland, deterring Chinese aggression while maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region and shifting burdens to partners and allies.

“SOF delivers persistent presence, asymmetric advantage and strategic effects across all three priorities every day, everywhere,” Jenkins said, adding that SOF is also the only force in the Defense Department that delivers across all three lines of effort.

He then listed five priorities aimed at meeting Hegseth’s guidance:

  • Designing the future force to prevail in future conflicts;
  • Maximizing the performance and resilience of SOF personnel;
  • Ensuring training and readiness meet future needs;
  • Aligning capability development to strategic priorities; and
  • Strengthening resource oversight and the institutionalization of accountability.

Regarding the first priority concerning force design, Jenkins said there needs to be a shift from static formations optimized for crisis response and counterterrorism to “adaptable, tailorable, multidomain SOF formations” meant to prevail in high-end conflict.

“The future of SOF is relentless: smaller teams, faster decisions, smarter systems [and] harder targets,” Jenkins said.

As for performance and resilience maximization when it comes to SOF personnel, Jenkins said future operators will need to be agile, resilient, physically and mentally capable, and able to thrive in isolated, high-pressure environments.

“We cannot afford to simply maintain the old standards,” he said. “We must sharpen them, modernize them and expand them without losing the warrior ethos that define[s] our special operations.”

He also said the goal will be to build and preserve a force where human performance, and not just that of technology, will prove to be a critical advantage over adversaries.

“Because in the end, it is not the weapon, the drone, or the system that wins the contest. It is the person who knows when and how to use all of that technology and who refuses to quit; that person secures victory for us,” Jenkins said.

On the topic of ensuring training and readiness meet future needs, Jenkins said the battlefield of the future will be more complex, contested and ambiguous than anything SOF has faced before.

Because of that, he said, future SOF will have to operate in challenging environments while integrating cyberspace and electronic warfare. They will also need to conduct irregular warfare alongside allies, partners and indigenous forces across all phases of competition and conflict.

“Traditional training models and infrastructure focused primarily on physical skills and kinetic action will not be enough,” Jenkins said, adding that it will be necessary to rethink training for the future threat environment.

Regarding aligning capability development to strategic priorities, Jenkins said “innovation for innovation’s sake” isn’t enough.

“We must drive innovation with purpose, laser-focused on building the capabilities that allow our forces to impose costs, create dilemmas and deny advantages to our adversaries,” he said.

Jenkins added that SOF must harness artificial intelligence to accelerate decisive advantage.

On the final priority, Jenkins said strengthening resource oversight and institutionalizing accountability are necessary in an era of increasing operational demands and constrained budgets.

“Resources are not just dollars on a spreadsheet; they are the fuel for readiness, resilience and victory,” he said, adding that every dollar spent must sharpen readiness, enhance capability or increase strategic leverage.

“We have an incredible opportunity right now to make sure that our enterprise has the resources that it needs and can divest of operations or resources or platforms that we no longer need. So, let’s take advantage of that,” Jenkins said, adding that no funds should be “wasted on bureaucracy that does not deliver warfighting advantage.”After highlighting future priorities, Jenkins appealed to the SOF community for their own ideas regarding shaping the future.

“Whether you are in industry … government or the SOF community itself, you are part of this effort,” he said. “Help us develop the capabilities that give our operators the advantage they need at the speed they need.”

Jenkins said that winning future fights will not come from doing more of the same but from thinking differently, acting decisively and working together.

“This is our moment to forge the future of special operations,” he said. “A future where small teams create strategic impacts; a future where resilience, adaptability and speed win the day, [and] a future where American strength and American values prevail. Now let’s get to work.”

By Matthew Olay, DOD News

USSOCOM Issues NSN for B.E. Meyers & Co.’s Squad Aiming Laser – Ultra High Power (SAL-UHP) with JETDS Designation as LA-30

Thursday, May 8th, 2025

MAY 5, 2025 (Redmond, WA) – B.E. Meyers & Co., Inc., a Defense Technology Manufacturer specializing in advanced photonic solutions and Laser Aiming Devices for military, law enforcement, consumer, and aerospace applications worldwide, is proud to announce that USSOCOM has designated their Squad Aiming Laser – Ultra High Power (SAL-UHP) with the Joint Electronic Type Designation System (JETDS) number LA-30.

Additionally, the SAL-UHP has been assigned NSN 5855-01-724-3043 as part of this Program of Record. The Squad Aiming Laser – Ultra High Power (SAL-UHP) program by US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), as part of the Miniature Aiming Systems – Laser (MAS-L) contract (H9240324D0009). This indefinite-delivery / indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract is being awarded with a maximum total ceiling of $49,900,000 and a $500,000 minimum ordering guarantee in support of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).

The SAL-UHP is a variant of the B.E. Meyers & Co. DAGIR®-V1 Multi-Platform Advanced Laser System, and is based on therevolutionary new Vertical-Cavity, Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) MINIRVA™ (Mapped Integrated Near InfraRed Vertical-Cavity, Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) Array) diode core, which enhances beam function and clarity to support the widest range of platforms during advanced night operations.

The SAL-UHP contract kit configuration includes proven system accessories such as remote activation components from Unity Tactical™ as well as modular storage pouches from Spiritus Systems™.

The SAL-UHP as part of the DAGIR® laser series joins a variety of other B.E. Meyers & Co. trusted product lines including the IZLID®, MAWL®, MILR®, KIJI®, GLARE®, DIAL®, BOARS® series of defense systems products, as well as an established line of optoelectronic components for unmanned aerial vehicles and other integrated sensor systems.

B.E. Meyers & Co. will be exhibiting SAL-UHP and more this week during USSOCOM’s “SOF Week 2025”. Please visit them at Booth 341 at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida from May 5-9, 2025.

For more information on SAL-UHP (LA-30), the DAGIR® series, and other innovative laser solutions from B.E. Meyers & Co., please connect with us at info@bemeyers.com or visit www.bemeyers.com.

Task Force Dagger Special Operations Foundation’s The SOF Online Auction & Raffle

Saturday, May 3rd, 2025

Task Force Dagger Special Operation Foundation (TFDSOF)’s SOF Online Auction & Raffle is open now and closes during the SOF Social held at Cubic’s Embassy Suites Ballroom on May 6th at 8PM EDT.  

There are more than 150 items on the Auction & Raffle, the list includes a Montana Fly Fishing & Backcountry Adventure guided by Green Berets with a ride to camp on a helicopter,  Guided & Filmed Turkey Hunt in TN w. Spook Spahn, Clandestine Media Corporate Marketing Package, Omega watches for men and women w. custom TFD boxes, Richard Childress Racing VIP NASCAR Experience, Mar-a-lago Dinner for 4 and Foursome at Trump International,Signed Horse Soldier Bourbon Commanders Select Box, , Custom Golf Fitting of full set of TaylorMade Clubs by Dustin Johnson’s Golf Coach a PGA Top 100 Teacher, Chairman Home Plate & Dugout Tickets for Yankees @ Braves, OpsCore FAST Helmet signed by Medal of Honor recipients, trips, firearms, ammunition, tactical items, clothing, outdoor products, golf products, sports memorabilia and many more

To bid on an item, sponsor a program recipient, or to learn more about this fundraising event, please visit: sofauction.cbo.io

Our goal is to raise $250,000, and all funds raised though the SOF Auction & Raffle will directly impact families of the Special Operations Community and 100% of the proceeds will be applied to TFDSOF’s three core programs: Immediate Needs, Rehabilitative Events, and the SOF Health Initiatives Program.

About TFDSOF:

Task Force Dagger Special Operations Foundation provides assistance to wounded, ill, or injured United States Special Operations Command members and their families. We respond to immediate needs, conduct Rehabilitative Therapy Events, and provide next-generation health solutions for issues facing our service members. Our cohesive programs improve the quality of life for Special Operations Families.  To learn more about Task Force Dagger Special Operation Foundation, visit our website at www.taskforcedagger.org.