Gallery: Photos: Is This the Future of Special Operations?
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For years, America's elite forces have known exactly what job No. 1 was: Kill or capture militants around the globe. But as America's major wars wind down, these special operations forces are looking to take on new missions: partnering up with local governments, stamping out brushfire insurgencies, and breaking up criminal gangs. At the 2013 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference, these troops chewed over those new roles -- while thousands of defense contractors looked to outfit the commandos with gear for their next battlegrounds. On display here: the "Parasim," which helps troops learn to jump out of airplanes the right away. No matter what the mission is, that's a skill special operators will need.
Brian Blanco02SOFIC
Lt. Gen. Joseph Votel in the head of the U.S. military's best-known band of hunters and killers -- the Joint Special Operations Command. They're the guys that ultimately took out Osama bin Laden, to use just one famous example. But even Votel is looking at life beyond the manhunt. He told the SOFIC audience that his elite troops are ready to support "law enforcement objectives" in new battlefields where there will be "a desire for minimized over U.S. presence." In other words, he sees JSOC going from killers to high-end cops.
The Inventioneers Meet President Obama, Image: White House by Pete Souza03SOFIC
You know it's a military conference when someone there has a gadget to make you fly. At SOFIC, that company is Patriot3 Maritime. And their "Jetboots" allegedly help divers fly underwater -- reaching speeds of, well, the company won't say. But in a statement, the makers of Jetboots claim it "uses brushless motors and lithium polymer batteries to achieve incredible propulsion... which enables previously impossible mission profiles." If Navy commandos start returning to the sea in large numbers -- and their admiral believes they will -- a gadget like this might come in handy.
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It's only virtual reality. But Michael Sivret says his infantry trainer will get troops' hearts beating as fast as they do on a real battlefield. Drop-down goggles show a digital training ground. A sensor strapped to the leg tracks the wearer's orientation. And then a modified game controller, stuffed into a plastic rifle, allows the wearer to move around and shoot in the pixelated world. A tech demonstration for Danger Room fizzled; the gun wouldn't shoot. But Sivret swears the combination will let special operators quickly, cheaply, and pulse-poundingly train for whatever the next mission will be.
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This dog-mounted camera features 16 hours of recording capacity, an internal DVR, and a wireless transmitter that sends Fido's footage back to his owner. The maker, Tactical Electronics, also sells a "K-9 guidance system" that gives the dog "six tonal commands" and "two vibration controls." The mannequin, alas, is only for display purposes.
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Neither I nor anyone else at SOFIC could figure out what this aqua jetpack thingy did, or why it would be militarily useful. But it sure did look cool.
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There weren't enough booth babes at SOFIC to fill a Humvee. So attendees had to settle for leggy posters.
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Almost every big company at SOFIC showed off gear to spy on people from afar; that kind of tracking will continue, no matter how the special operations mission changes. Here's a thermal imaging camera and "target acquisition system" from Israel's Elbit Systems.
Brian Blanco09SOFIC
You can buy a quadrotor drone at Radio Shack these days. But those flying 'bots can't stay in the air in 18 knot winds, automatically avoid obstructions, or be controlled from 3 kilometers away. DHS Systems, the makers of this "DRASH Bat aerial observation platform," say their drone will do just that. And that makes it ideal for operations in big cities. Not coincidentally, that's exactly where the generals at SOFIC believe their troops will be fighting next.
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Most of the exhibitors at SOFIC were marketing a product. The troops of the United Arab Emirates' special operations command were selling themselves -- providing cashew-stuffed dates to booth visitors, and then welcoming them into a carpet-covered mock tent for tea. The troops said the booth was merely a way to remind their American friends of their ability to wage war. (The UAE commandos have fought in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia and Kosovo.) The pitch comes at an opportune time: throughout SOFIC, the officers at U.S. Special Operations Command say they want to operate more closely with their fellow commandos. But an Emirates brochure belies a business opportunity, too. In it, the special operators say they're happy to take on "outsourcing initiatives" for other countries, including "soldier recruitment" and installation security."
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Times are changing for the Navy SEALs, just like the rest of America's special operators. For years, they've mostly fought on the land. Not any more, says Rear Adm. Sean Pybus, the head of Naval Special Warfare Command: "by Christmas, we'll cut at least in half" the number of SEAL platoons in Afghanistan. "Much of our force will return to the water -- an amphibious evolution in reverse."
