TechDigits

Tech news
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

US special ops investing in new technology as warfare evolves

US special ops investing in new technology as warfare evolves

SOCOM commander specifically mentioned cyber attacks and global threats from China and Russia

The U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is investing in new technology as warfare evolves, Gen. Richard Clarke said earlier this week.

The SOCOM commander specifically mentioned cyberthreats, including the Colonial Pipeline hack that led to a significant gas shortage in areas across the East Coast after a Russian ransomware group called DarkSide attacked the company's software, as well as global threats from China and Russian disinformation campaigns.

"We must modernize the [Defense] Department," he said during a Tuesday keynote speech at the annual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC), hosted by the National Defense Industrial Association. "Even as these threats evolve, why am I still confident we'll rise to this challenge? Because … we've done it before, and we'll do it again."

He added that there are two things he can say about the future of SOCOM: First, the command "will remain an integral part of our nation's solutions to the toughest and most strategic problems." Second, military and industry will come together to "answer the calls to innovate for our nation for the next 20 years and beyond."

What hasn't changed, he said, are SOCOM's four broad mission areas, including crisis response, counterterrorism, competition and conflict. But while competition has always existed between the U.S. and other countries, "new tech has given adversaries new avenues to compete," such as cyber, space and information, Clarke said.

SOCOM Director of Science and Technology Lisa Sanders gave a Tuesday presentation at the SOFIC event showing a $16 million increase from SOCOM's current fiscal year 2021 budget for "next-generation effects," which include high-tech drones and energy weapons, to $36 million in its FY 2022 budget.

"There is one area that we expect to grow," Sanders said during her presentation. "Next-generation effects … in the past, that was more oriented toward precision strike. We are shifting to what effect is going to be required in that future operating environment."

She added that the budget increase will give the SOCOM the opportunity to "see what next-generation looks like," which isn't "a bullet that goes farther" or a "more accurate cyber rifle."

"We think it's going to explore the areas of cyber. It's going to explore the electromagnetic spectrum. It's going to explore information as the means of achieving effect," she explained.

Newsletter

Related Articles

TechDigits
0:00
0:00
Close
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The future of sports
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Poor Man With Money, Mark Zuckerberg, Unveils Twitter Replica with Heavy-Handed Censorship: A New Low in Innovation?
The Double-Edged Sword of AI: AI is linked to layoffs in industry that created it
US Sanctions on China's Chip Industry Backfire, Prompting Self-Inflicted Blowback
Meta Copy Twitter with New App, Threads
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner
UK Crypto and Stablecoin Regulations Become Law as Royal Assent is Granted
A Delaware city wants to let businesses vote in its elections
Alef Aeronautics Achieves Historic Milestone with Flight Certification for World's First Flying Car
Google Blocked Access to Canadian News in Response to New Legislation
French Politicians Advocate for Pan-European Regulation on Social Media Influencers
Melinda French Gates Advocates for Increased Female Representation in AI to Prevent Bias
Snapchat+ gains 4 million paying subscribers in its first year
Apple Makes History as the First Public Company Valued at $3 Trillion
Elon Musk Implements Twitter Limits to Tackle Data Scraping, but Faces Criticism for Technical Misunderstanding
EU and UK's Slow Electric Vehicle Adoption Raises Questions About the Transition to Green Mobility
Top Companies Express Concerns Over Europe's Proposed AI Law, Citing Competitiveness and Investment Risks
Meta Unveils Insights on AI Usage in Facebook and Instagram, Amid Growing Calls for Transparency
Crypto Scams Against Seniors Soar by 78% in 2022, Experts Urge Vigilance
The End of an Era: National Geographic Dismisses Last of Its Staff Writers
Shield Your Wallet: The Perils of Wireless Credit Card Theft
Harvard Scientist Who Studies Honesty Accused Of Data Fraud, Put On Leave
Putting an End to the Subscription Snare: The Battle Against Unwitting Commitments
The Legal Perils of AI: Lawyer Faces Sanctions for Relying on Fictional Cases Generated by Chatbot
ChatGPT’s "Grandma Exploit": Ingenious Hack Exposes Loophole in AI, Generates Free Software Codes
The Disney Downturn: A Near Billion-Dollar Box Office Blow for the House of Mouse
A Digital Showdown: Canada Challenges Tech Giants with The Online News Act, Meta Strikes Back
Distress in the Depths: Submersible and Passengers Missing in Titanic Wreckage Expedition
Mark Zuckerberg stealing another idea: Twitter
European Union's AI Regulations Risk Self-Sabotage, Cautions smart and brave Venture Capitalist Joe Lonsdale
Nvidia GPUs are so hard to get that rich venture capitalists are buying them for the startups they invest in
Chinese car exports surge
Reddit Blackout: Thousands of Communities Protest "Ludicrous" Pricing Changes
Nvidia Joins Tech Giants as First Chipmaker to Reach $1 Trillion Valuation
AI ‘extinction’ should be same priority as nuclear war – experts
×