SIG SAUER - Never Settle

Archive for the ‘SOF’ Category

Feel The SURG Redux – USSOCOM Again Seeks Suppressor Upper Receiver Group for M4A1 Carbines

Monday, March 6th, 2017

Last year, USSOCOM’s Directorate of Procurement released a solicitation for the Suppressor Upper Receiver Group, however they canceled the program before it was completed. The requirement was a bit too ambitious for the state of the art.

Despite this, SURG isn’t dead. As updates made on the FedBizOpps page from February of this year shows, USSOCOM’s DoP regrouped, rewrote the requirement, and reissued it, with the latest amendment released on March 1st.

As a reminder: “The SURG weapon upgrade of the M4A1 Lower Receiver Group will allow the Warfighter’s weapon to be optimized for continuous suppressed use.” Interestingly, there’s no requirement, at least on the open to the public side, that the upper feature an integral suppressor, just that it is suppressed.

Several companies have licked pieces of the challenge, but not the whole thing as an integrally suppressed upper which can not only handle the M855A1 cartridge but also remain cool enough under use to meet the program’s objectives.

It remains to be seen whether the revitalized requirement will bear an issued product, or will phase out, due to an overly ambitious requirement, like the first time.

Visit www.fbo.gov to view the entire requirement.

The SOF Truths

Monday, February 27th, 2017

The Special Operations Forces Truths have been around for so long that they are taken for granted. The thing is, you can apply them to any low denisty, high demand capability. I thought we should kick off this Monday morning by revisiting them since the US Army has not only deactivated its Long Range Surveillance capability but it’s Pathfinder Companies as well. Once they’re gone, it’s difficult to bring them back. 

Humans are more important than hardware

People – not equipment – make the critical difference. The right people, highly trained and working as a team, will accomplish the mission with the equipment available. On the other hand, the best equipment in the world cannot compensate for a lack of the right people.

Quality is better than quantity

A small number of people, carefully selected, well trained, and well led, are preferable to larger numbers of troops, some of whom may not be up to the task.

Special Operations Forces cannot be mass produced

It takes years to train operational units to the level of proficiency needed to accomplish difficult and specialized SOF missions. Intense training – both in SOF schools and units – is required to integrate competent individuals into fully capable units. This process cannot be hastened without degrading ultimate capability.

Competent Special Operations Forces cannot be created after emergencies occur

Creation of competent, fully mission capable units takes time. Employment of fully capable special operations capability on short notice requires highly trained and constantly available SOF units in peacetime.

Most special operations require non-SOF assistance

The operational effectiveness of our deployed forces cannot be, and never has been, achieved without being enabled by our joint service partners. The support Air Force, Army, Marine and Navy engineers, technicians, intelligence analysts, and the numerous other professions that contribute to SOF, have substantially increased our capabilities and effectiveness throughout the world.

TacJobs – USSOCOM Offering Fellowships to Industry

Tuesday, February 7th, 2017


SOF AT&L has established a venue called SOFWERX; an unclassified, open collaboration activity designed to bring non-traditional partners from industry, academia, and the government together to work on USSOCOM’s most challenging problems.

USSOCOM has vacancies for energetic technical experts from industry to be Exchange Fellows in the SOFWERX innovation environment. Ability to work in a dynamic environment is a must.

Desired Industry Fellowship qualifications:
1. Software Programmer – Coding
2. Senior Software Programmer – Algorithms
3. Electrical Engineer – Control Theory
4. Aerospace Engineer
5. Robotics Engineer
6. Systems Engineer
7. Mechanical Engineer
8. Software Programmer – Mobile Developer (Android etc)

Fellowships will be managed under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA). Lengths will be negotiated but expect between three and 12 months.

Terms and conditions: The private sector organization providing the Industry Fellow will have full responsibility for payment of all salary, allowances, and any benefits (i.e. medical care, worker’s compensation) to their participating employee(s), including any travel and/or relocation expenses if the individual participant selected is outside of the local Tampa area.

Resume: Interested parties should submit a resume, five pages maximum, to IndustryFellow@socom.mil.

Applications are due February 21st. For full details, visit www.fbo.gov.

Polaris Wins Canadian Special Forces Ultra-Light Combat Vehicle Contract

Wednesday, December 21st, 2016

MINNEAPOLIS (December 20, 2016) — Public Works and Procurement Canada (PSPC) has awarded its Ultra-Light Combat Vehicle (ULCV) contract to Polaris, following an open and competitive bid process. The $15.5 USD million contract includes DAGOR vehicles, maintenance and operator training, spare parts, and the option for additional vehicles (at an additional cost) to meet the requirements of Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM).

Ultralight ground mobility is at the forefront of many military’s needs – especially the Canadian Special Forces, which can deploy on extremely short notice for counter-terrorism operations and other time-sensitive Special Operation Forces (SOF) missions. The DAGOR ultra-light combat vehicle is just as deployable and was designed to be modular and light-weight to support a variety of expeditionary missions.

The ULCV contract is structured to provide CANSOFCOM with a custom vehicle to meet Canada’s unique SOF requirement. The flexible DAGOR platform will undergo engineering and mission configurations to incorporate new features and capabilities, including redesigned payload configuration, weapons mounts, electrical system improvements, and integrated communication systems. The final vehicle configuration, testing, and production of the ULCV will be a collaborative effort with CANSOFCOM.

“We are extremely pleased to have won the contract following the competitive process to provide our DAGOR vehicles to CANSOFCOM as this major international program award builds on our strong current domestic base,” said John Olson, PhD, vice president and general manager of Polaris Government and Defense. “We are proud to partner with the Canadian government and industry to deliver this ground mobility capability and the lifecycle support to smartly sustain it. Our program management, engineering, operations, and logistics teams are looking forward to working closely with our Canadian customer.

Olson added, “We greatly appreciated PSPC’s professionalism and found the ULCV procurement to be rigorous, thorough and well-executed as they delivered clear requirements, were extremely responsive to industry questions, and crisply executed the entire effort.”

With seating for up to nine, DAGOR comprises the optimal balance of rapid air transportability, payload capacity and advanced mobility. DAGOR gives an advantage back to dismounted warfighters, allowing formations to move faster, carry more and significantly reduce combat fatigue. And its weight and size allow it to be internally transportable on a variety of in-service aircraft, including CH-47 and C-130.

Polaris Government and Defense vehicles deliver a coveted combination of deployability, versatility and off-road mobility, forged from more than 60 years of off-road vehicle experience that is simply unmatched. Vehicles include the rugged Sportsman MV 850, the modular and nimble MRZR, and the DAGOR, which expands upon the range, payload and off-road mobility of any previous tactical off-road vehicle. The enhanced tactical mobility provided by Polaris Government and Defense gives an advantage back to dismounted troops, allowing formations to move faster, carry more and significantly reduce combat fatigue. Polaris FSR support is scalable worldwide and includes military vehicle training, service and maintenance. It also can be supplemented internationally through the Polaris network of distributors. And because Polaris vehicles are in service throughout the world, there is a high degree of interoperability and commonality among U.S. and allied forces.

www.polaris.com

A Quick Nap

Saturday, December 3rd, 2016

This photo from the Panama invasion depicts a US SOF Soldier getting some rest during a lull in the fighting. Love the Colt carbine with the massive flashlight attached to the handguard and the optic mounted to the carrying handle.

USSOCOM To Conduct Market Research and Industry Day For Next Generation Communications Accessories

Friday, November 11th, 2016

Program Manager Special Operations Forces – Survival, Support, and Equipment Systems (PM-SOF SSES) is comducting q Sources Sought / Request for Information (RFI) and an Industry Day (ID) to discuss compatibility between the Next Generation Hand Held (NGHH) Radio and the manufacture of Communications Accessories (Headsets, Cables, and Push-To-Talk (PTT) Devices).

1st Special Forces Command in conjunction with PM-SOF SSES and Harris Corporation, manufacturers of the NGHH, are investigating the ability of industry to meet compatibility and performance requirements of COMACC that would operate with the NGHH Radio. COMACC is the interface between SOF tactical radio systems and the operator for voice communications. The focal point of this event is the compatibility with legacy COMACC, future COMACC and new generation SOF radios.

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) of communications equipment, communications accessories, or integrators are invited to submit a capability statement describing their experience in these fields to the POCs identified in this announcement. PM-SOF SSES representatives, Harris Corporation NGHH program managers and radio communications technical experts, and military force modernization equipment subject matter experts will be in attendance to discuss COMACC and NGHH capabilities and requirements.

The Indsustry Day will be held 29 November 2016; 0900 – 1500 EST at the Hilton Garden Inn Rochester Downtown in Rochester, NY.

To learn more with detailed instruction on how to participate, visit www.fbo.gov.

Lockheed Martin Submits Bid for Special Operations Forces’ Global Logistics Support Services Program 

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2016

ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 1, 2016 – Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has submitted a proposal for U.S. Special Operations Command’s (USSOCOM) next-generation logistics and sustainment support program.

Under the Special Operations Forces Global Logistics Support Services (SOF GLSS) contract, U.S. Special Operations Forces will receive a wide range of tailored logistics, maintenance and sustainment services worldwide.

The SOF GLSS program is the competitive follow-on contract to the Special Operations Forces Contractor Logistics Support Services (SOF CLSS) contract.

Awarded to Lockheed Martin in 2010, SOF CLSS is USSOCOM’s largest service contract vehicle, providing the full scope of logistics services required to support the U.S. Special Operations community.

“Lockheed Martin is the proven partner for the future of U.S. Special Operations logistics and sustainment support,” said Paul Lemmo, vice president of Fire Control / SOF CLSS at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “Our agile, innovative and on-demand logistics support for the SOF CLSS program demonstrates our unrivaled dedication to the men and women at the tip of the spear. We have the right team in place to ensure our Special Operators have what they need, when and where they need it.”

For additional information, visit our website: www.lockheedmartin.com.

Hurlburt Field Unveils Special Tactics Memorial

Wednesday, October 26th, 2016

Last week, AFSOC added a statue of a Special Tactics Operator to the memorial park at Hurlburt Field, Florida. Considering the 24th SOW is a major portion of AFSOC’s combat power, and Special Tactics Airmen have been instrumental in the joint fight, its about time their contributions are recognized.

Special Tactics, the Air Force’s ground special operations force, has been engaged in every major conflict since 9/11, continuously deployed for more than 5,000 days to more than 73 locations. As a result of their actions in combat, the Special Tactics community has earned the highest number of valorous medals in the Air Force since the Vietnam War.

In the last 40 years, only ten Airmen have received the Air Force Cross, the service’s highest medal it can bestow for valor in combat. Eight of those recipients were Special Tactics Airmen.

Beside the statue are two plaques which include the names of those Airmen who have earned the Air Cross Cross as well as the 8 ST operators who have fallen in training and the 19 who perished in action.

In true Special Tactics fashion, the dedication ceremony ended with memorial pushups.

Photos courtesy of North American Rescue.