JSOC releases details about its 2015 Capabilities and Technology Expo

By Loren Blinde March 29, 2015

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On March 27, the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) released a special notice to “notify Industry that registration for the 2015 JSOC JCTE at the Booz Allen Hamilton Facility in McLean VA on 29 or 30 April 2015 will open at noon EDT on 1 April 2015.”

JSOC has assembled a SECRET listing of approximately 100 Special Operations Force (SOF) technology and capability needs. The first Special Notice posted 30 January 2015 made the list available for release to Industry, Academia, and National Labs beginning in February 2015.

JSOC will follow up the release of the Needs List with two events through two additional special notices: one, a Capability Needs event to be held in Mclean VA on 29-30 April 2015 that will host up to 250 SECRET cleared Industry representatives each day to discuss this list of needs and potential opportunities to partner with industry to address them through Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs); and two, a Capability Solutions event to be held in October 2015 which will be a by invitation only event for selected Industry partners to present potential CRADA partnerships to JSOC representatives.

The Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) mission is to conduct studies; training; exercises; research, development, testing, and evaluation; and acquisition and procurement to ensure interoperability among special operations forces (SOF), general purpose forces, and interagency and foreign partners. JSOC has assigned and attached subordinate units and may deploy to support Geographic Combatant Commander’s training, exercises, activities, and operations.

It is JSOC’s desire to inform and influence industry’s internal investment decisions in areas that address SOF’s most sensitive and urgent needs. Many in industry have expertise, capacity, funding, and a desire to better understand and invest in SOF unique needs.

Factors that make this unique collaboration opportunity attractive include: 1) Increasing Military Budget Austerity – SOF is a judicious transition partner whose future resourcing is the most well-preserved of the military Services. It is JSOC’s desire to improve collaboration in an era where budget austerity tends to erect barriers to open communication; 2) Intellectual Property (IP) – The commercialization of dual-use (government/ commercial) technology can reduce costs to the government, but government contracting IP clauses may restrict industry’s ability to capitalize on their own IP. Our proposed collaboration model preserves and protects industry’s ownership of their intellectual property; and 3) No restrictions on future contracting opportunities. – Although SOCOM CRADAs are not an immediate money-maker for industry, our template includes specific verbiage that obviates any restrictions on industry’s ability to leverage that experience to compete for related/ future SOCOM contracts.

The purpose of this Special Notice is to notify Industry that registration for the 2015 JSOC JCTE at the Booz Allen Hamilton Facility in McLean VA on 29 or 30 April 2015 will open at noon EDT on 1 April 2015.

The CRADA relationship provides industry a more intimate “hands on” collaborative relationship with users, combat developers and program planners with the goal of speeding transition of capability from the laboratory to the field. The CRADA also offers enhanced IP protection for industry. “Designated under the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-502) (which amended the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (P.L. 96-480)), a CRADA is intended to speed the commercialization of technology, optimize resources, and protect the private company involved. A CRADA allows both parties to keep research results confidential for up to five years under the Freedom of Information Act.”

JSOC’s Technology Needs listing includes multiple needs in each of the following functional areas:
1. Breaching
2. Communications
3. Electronic Warfare
4. Fire Support
5. Information Technology
6. Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance
7. Knowledge Management
8. Lighten the Load
9. Mobility
10. Scalable Effects Engagement/Non-Lethal
11. Power and Energy
12. Soldier Survival
13. Target Engagement
14. Visual Augmentation
15. Other Need Areas

The JCTE registration website will open at 12:00 pm on 1 April 2015. The registration website address is: http://events.SignUp4.com/JSOCEXPO15. Registration will close when 500 confirmed/ approved registrants (250 each day) have been validated and/ or NLT 25 April 2015.