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With a motto of "Operator Focused: On Time, On Target/7 the Program Executive Office for Special Operations Forces Warrior (PEO SOF Warrior) works across operational environments to provide today's SOF warriors with a wide range of optimized system capabilities. As one of eight PEOs within U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), PEO SOF Warrior includes nine subordinate product or program offices. Five of these offices are located in the MacDill Air Force Base/ Tampa, Fla., area.
Speaking to a recent industry gathering, COL Joe Capobianco of PEO SOF Warrior said, "We really have both sides of the SOF spectrum. We do some clandestine work and 'special' work ... and then we do the theater force and 'open' work as well."
COL Capobianco explained that most of the systems in the SOF Warrior portfolio reflect a convergence of SOF-unique operational characteristics, including low visibility/covert operations; high altitude to undersea operational envelopes; organic dependency; precision fires/low collateral damage; specialized training; and self-sufficient small units.
In addition to a focus on SOF-unique characteristics, it is clear that many of the systems acquired and fielded by PEO SOF Warrior involve close coordination with the larger services-in some cases, fielding or modifying service-procured equipment, potentially paving the way for subsequent service acquisition of that SOF hardware.
Special Operations Vehicles
A representative example of that potential crossover between SOF and broader U.S. Army service requirements can be found in PEO SOF Warrior's ground mobility vehicle (GMV) 1.1 program. Plans call for USSOCOM procurement of about 1,300 GMV 1.1 platforms, with an eventual fleet mix that includes some of the current Humvee-based GMV 1.0 vehicles.
The program is currently in source selection with award announcement anticipated in late summer. The potential crossover, however, was evident at the October 2012 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition, where attendees not only saw the half-dozen candidates poised for the GMV 1.1 competition but also were briefed by their developers on how many of those same platforms could easily be applied to larger service requirements.
The GMV 1.0/1.1 fleet is just one element within the SOF ground mobility portfolio led by PEO SOF Warrior's program manager for the family of special operations vehicles. The portfolio includes more than 3,000 platforms that have been fielded under procurement strategies focused...