Official forecasts special operations procurement needs
Defense review will examine gaps in equipment and technology for the Special Operations Command.
The Pentagon's top official for special operations and irregular warfare said on Thursday the Quadrennial Defense Review will examine gaps in equipment and technology for the Special Operations Command, which he indicated will include the need for more helicopters and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets.
Michael Vickers, assistant Defense secretary for special operations/low-intensity conflict, said the review would consider the need for the Air Force to establish units specifically geared to the kinds of irregular conflicts the U.S. military has been engaged in for nearly eight years.
Gen. Norton Schwartz, the Air Force chief of staff, recently suggested formation of such a unit, which could require different aircraft than the service now flies.
"I think there is a need for that capability," Vickers said. "It is being looked at in the QDR," Schwartz said, adding he was confident something would be proposed.
There have been reports that the Air Force and the Navy have been looking at adapting a Brazilian-made turboprop aircraft, the Super Tucano, into an armed ISR plane to support special operations forces.
Vickers said such an aircraft could be useful and had the added advantage of being relatively inexpensive. But procurement of the plane "is predecisional," he said, meaning officials have made no commitment to buy it.
Vickers said the Special Operations Command has been expanding significantly in size and funding since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The increase in the force is continuing, he said, adding that it takes time to produce adequately trained special operations personnel.
Although he insisted that counterinsurgency is a "manpower intensive" effort, Vickers said there is a growing need for more ISR assets for both special operations and conventional forces.
To address that need, Defense Secretary Robert Gates created an ISR task force and the subject would be a key topic in the QDR, he said. Answering that need would require a mix of manned and unmanned aircraft and other equipment, he said.