Special Operations West

Special Operations have spent the past ten years engaged in combat in the dry, hot, mountainous terrain of the Middle East. As U.S. forces shift priorities to target emerging hotbeds of activity around the globe, SOF will require new skill sets not previously utilized in Iraq and Afghanistan. Investments in both the technological aspects of military engagement as well as the full spectrum of unconventional missions will play a key role in the future success of U.S. Special Operations.

“We’re trying to teach other nations how to deal with their own problems so they don’t grow violent extremists. We’re building wells in places. We’re doing civil affairs operations. There is a whole spectrum of things that special operations do.”

Special Operations Forces will look to advance the capability to accomplish missions quickly and surgically in a multitude of areas of operations. Due to these fluctuating developments, there is a rising demand for equipment, training and intelligence solutions specific to the services within the various theaters to maintain, secure and stabilize potential conflict areas. This responsibility is more urgent now as the military confronts changing threats, new strategies, and fiscal constraints which dictate improved battlefield survivability, enhanced deployment/maintainability and reduced operating and support costs.

IDGA’s Special Operations Summit West will focus on developing SOF skills in the analysis and evaluation of new concepts against changes in threats and the user requirements needed to meet these threats and their implications. It will address the strategic benefits and the preservation of options associated with increasing reliance on special operations forces while maintaining mission capability and supportability.

Keywords:  defense, intel, homeland security