In a rare move, USSOCOM in support of Special Operations Command Central, a Theater Special Operations Command, has released an intent to a award a single source contract for a combat capability to be used by forces which rotate into their theater.

The actual commercial system is never named, but specifically, the requirement is for First Person View drones. Those of you who have been following the Soldier Systems Digest newsletter know how supportive I am of fielding these systems en masse, so any requirement gets me excited.

FPV drones are not new to Special Forces. They’ve begun to integrate the capability into their formations and conduct a course at the JFK Special Warfare Center and School called Robotics and Unmanned Systems Integration Course (RUSIC) to train operators to use these drones. Additionally, many receive training from Oak Grove Technologies in the specialty. In the photo above by SGT David Cordova, a 10th Group Green Beret prepares to launch an FPV drone to be used for a raid operation during Exercise Trojan Footprint last year in conjunction with Greek special operations forces near Nea Peramos, Greece. Soon, there will be a new Warrant Officer MOS in USASOC which specializes in robotics, drones, and other new warfighting technologies.

A few things stick out about this procurement.

First, it’s not normal for a TSOC to procure systems which will be used by gained forces. It happens, but it’s generally rare cases such as communications or command and control. TSOCs aren’t manned and equipped to operate and maintain ISR and lethality systems. Those are provided by gained forces from the SOF service components as well as conventional units with unique capabilities.

In fact, the J&A used to substantiate the procurement points out that the command has limited UAS capabilities and is reliant upon external agencies to provide specialized assets.

Below are several points of interest in the J&A:

Currently, the absence of dedicated Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) for cave clearing operations forces reliance on Military Working Dogs (MWD) or partner forces, significantly increasing risk to both personnel and mission success. This approach presents several challenges:

Hazardous Environments: Caves present confined, complex spaces with limited visibility and unpredictable terrain, increasing the danger to personnel and potentially hindering MWD effectiveness.

Specialized Threat Detection: Identifying hidden threats like explosives, booby traps, and concealed enemy combatants requires specialized equipment and expertise, limitations that UAS technology can address.

Communication and Coordination: Maintaining clear communication and coordination within a cave environment is crucial but challenging, potentially leading to delays and miscommunication.

To mitigate these risks and enhance operational effectiveness, we propose the acquisition and deployment of a dedicated UAS solution.

Enhanced Situational Awareness: FPV UAS provide real-time visual intelligence from within the cave, enabling operators to assess the environment, identify threats, and make informed decisions.

Reduced Risk to Personnel: Deploying UAS instead of personnel for initial reconnaissance and threat assessment significantly reduces the exposure (redacted) and MWD teams to potential hazards.

Improved Communication and Coordination: UAS equipped with communication relays enhance coordination between teams inside and outside the cave, facilitating smoother operations and faster response times.

This equipment enables ODAs to gain a visual on the risks present on an obscured objective, prior to engagement. Without this capability, ODAs accept undue to risk to the force by entering an objective without detect and defeat capabilities.

This heavy-lift capability, combined with its compact drone body, enables the system to operate effectively in confined spaces, such as those encountered in cave clearing operations. The system’s First-Person View (FPV) guidance system provides real-time video feed, allowing for precise navigation and control, which is essential for safe and effective operation in complex environments.

The other issue is the use of a Sole Source Contract. The drafter of the requirement certifies that the desired system is the only single source which is reasonably available and further asserts that the “JUAS platform presents a distinct combination of capabilities that make it the only viable solution for our specific needs.”

There are loads of ways to acquire the exact capability they desire without going for a J&A which will assuredly receive lots of scrutiny from industry.

Lastly, by publishing an open notice, it alerts everyone (bad guys included) that they currently have a capability gap and that they are closing it.

I’m glad they are getting the gear. Hopefully, they’ll come up with a means to train forces in its use and sustain the capability with manning and training as well as material life-cycle management. In the end, it would be great to see this capability grow across the SOF enterprise as well as into General Purpose Forces, but that means a serious look at force structure as well as the full DOTMLP-F spectrum.