2023 Special Operations Forces (SOF)

Don’t miss the opportunity to meet with the Air Force’s S&T experts from the Special Operations community!

During the week of 4-8 December 2023, technical experts from the Special Operations Forces (SOF) community are sponsoring an Independent Research and Development (IR&D) Technology Interchange Meeting (TIM). This will be a collateral SECRET event and will likely be held at the Joint Operations Planning Center (JOPC), Hurlburt Field, FL.

This invitation is open to all industry and DoD defense contractors with relevant IR&D and/or corporate investments, including large, medium, and small businesses, academia, National Labs and FFRDCs with a certified DD Form 2345 (Military Critical Technical Data Agreement).

The intent of this face-to-face engagement is to give industry an opportunity to provide government subject matter experts from varying backgrounds in special operations, (special tactics, medical, pararescue, Survive-Escape-Resist-Evade (SERE) specialties, etc.,) insight into their relevant IR&D investments (projects). Additional objectives of the technical exchange include increasing awareness, stimulating collaboration, and seeking alignment between industry’s IR&D investments and the Air Force’s high-priority science and technology needs, and to inform DoD relevant S&T acquisition and sustainment roadmaps.

Background

Air Force Special Operations Command stands at a strategic inflection point. The reemergence of great power competition, tightening fiscal constraints, and the accelerating rate of technological change demand significant adjustments to transform AFSOC to ensure we are combat ready to successfully operate within future contested environments across every domain.

With a keen eye on agile (minimum footprint) basing and supporting logistics, military advantage in the future competition environment will be gained by those who best leverage revolutionary technologies across all domains; for example, hi-speed systems, advanced robotics and autonomy, revolutionary energetics, quantum key encryption and sensing, counter-space capabilities, and AI-enabled data-processing and machine learning for precise decision-making systems. In conflict, advanced medical treatment, combat casualty care, and aeromedical transport advances will be of paramount importance.

The SOF IR&D TIM will address the following areas of significant interest:

Shoot, Move, Communicate and Medicate

1. Shoot
Relevant and timely sensor to shooter connectivity enabling kinetic/non-kinetic application of effects for Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses. Common Launch Tube (CLT) compatibility, Palletized Effects, Electromagnetic Spectrum, Electronic Warfare (EMS, EW), etc.

2. Move
Vehicles/platforms incorporating devices/tech solutions to operate in contested environments such as smart phones, watches, small handheld Global Positioning System (GPS), Team Awareness Kit (TAK) and compatible equipment to enable specialized surveillance, targeting, and advanced Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) under agile combat employment (ACE) (austere power generation, agile logistics/resupply, runaway independence, minimum footprint, signature management).

3. Communicate
Forward comm node capability, resilient/mesh networking, Low Probability of Intercept/Low Probability of Detection (LPI/LPD), secure communication pathway to enable and display/transmit for situational awareness/reach back/and command & control (C2).

4. Medicate
Combat Casualty/first aid and medical equipment/devices. Consider Size, Weight, Power, and Cost (SWaP-C). Hardware w/complimentary software for Decision-Support, Monitoring, and Reporting Solutions (bio-sensing, human performance) including telemedicine. Self-administered medication, survival, sustainment capability (Isolated Personnel).

Participation Interest

Interested parties should send an expression of interest and a copy of their certified DD Form 2345 (Military Critical Technical Data Agreement) to the DAF IR&D Program Office (AFRL.HQ.IRDPM@us.af.mil). If your company does not have a DD Form 2345, a guide to complete the form can be found at www.dla.mil. Completion of this form may take several weeks. Please be aware the approval process is outside the controls of the DAF IR&D Program Office.

Once your expression of interest is received, you will be sent additional instructions on how to nominate your IR&D projects and corporate investments. If you do not hear back from the planning team within one week, please resend the original email.

Disclaimers

1. The government is not obligated to enter a contract with any entity because of IR&D collaborations from our dialogue. Data exchanges, as a result of these dialogue activities, follow restrictions of No Foreign Nationals (NOFORN) and International Traffic Arms Regulations (ITAR), and export control restrictions in accordance with Department of Defense Instruction 5230.24, Department of Defense Directive 5230.25, the Arms Export Control Act (Title 22, U.S.C., Sec 2751, et seq.), and/or the Export Administration Act of 1979 (Title 50, U.S.C., App. 2401 et seq.), as amended.
2. Note: Government technical support contractors may be a part of the team of SMEs at the event; therefore, company-to-company Non-Disclosure Agreements may be necessary.
3. All unclassified company Proprietary Data and Intellectual Property will be protected and treated as Controlled Unclassified Information [CUI, formerly For Official Use Only (FOUO)].