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SOCOM leaders urge faster acquisition authorities and investment in uncrewed systems
Summary
Witnesses told the subcommittee SOCOM needs streamlined acquisition authorities, multi‑year funding flexibility and investment in uncrewed systems and commercial tech to match rapidly evolving threats demonstrated in Ukraine and elsewhere.
Gen. Brian Fenton and Colby Jenkins pressed lawmakers for faster acquisition and more money to field emerging commercial technologies, particularly uncrewed systems and autonomy.
Fenton described the current procurement system as “outdated” and “glacial” for the pace of technological change and battlefield innovation. He said the department and SOCOM must move procurement at a much faster tempo — “supersonic,” in his phrasing — and urged giving operators and commanders a more direct role in requirements and faster access to commercial solutions.
Witnesses said recent combat experience in Ukraine shows how relatively inexpensive commercial technologies can change battlefield dynamics: Fenton contrasted adversaries’ use of $10,000 one‑way drones with the high cost of interceptors, arguing that cost asymmetries increase the need to adopt and scale cheaper, more numerous solutions. Jenkins and Fenton described “tech pods” and industry engagement in technology hubs — including the New York–Boston corridor, Austin, and Silicon Valley — as part of SOCOM’s effort to rapidly prototype and field capability, and they warned scaling such efforts will require additional funding and acquisition authorities.
Fenton and lawmakers discussed specific authority and process changes: compressing procurement lines of effort (O&M, RDT&E, procurement) to reduce handoffs, enabling longer multiyear procurement timelines (five to ten years rather than two), and reducing layers of requirements approval to speed fielding for time‑sensitive technologies. Members pressed how SOCOM will scale organically produced systems and partner with industry; both witnesses said SOCOM is already operating prototypes and working with commercial vendors but needs resources to scale production and sustainment.
Lawmakers pressed witnesses about counter‑drone capability, attribution, and protecting civilian populations while adapting to new tools and autonomy. Witnesses returned repeatedly to the funding tradeoffs: accelerating procurement and investing in uncrewed systems will require shifting funds or increasing the SOF budget to avoid compromising other readiness or modernization priorities.
