TAMPA, Fla. – Navy special operations officials have recently expanded their fleet with a variety of new vessels and are now focusing on enhancing these watercraft with added electronic and kinetic firepower. This development was outlined during the annual Global SOF Foundation Special Operations Force Week.
Officials from the Special Operations Command Program Executive Office-Maritime detailed their requirements for surface vessels, dive gear, undersea vessels, and dive shelters. Notably, thirty out of thirty-one Combatant Craft Medium (CCM) boats have been fielded in the last few years, and the next steps are being taken under the CCM-Mk 2 program, which includes the potential integration of short-range rockets and electronic warfare capabilities.
The concept of “maritime precision engagement” will allow for precise-strike capabilities through launched effects. As part of this upgrade, the Combatant Craft Medium, along with the Combatant Craft Heavy and Combatant Craft Assault, will receive Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) devices, with the Navy acquiring 84 such devices for this purpose.
According to Cmdr. Nick Van Dyke, head of surface systems for SOCOM, 42 Combatant Craft Assault vessels have been delivered from 2014 to 2023. Additionally, three Combatant Craft Heavy vessels have been deployed, with two more currently in production.
The maritime team is also seeking unmanned surface vessels suitable for both short-endurance and long-endurance missions, with a goal of acquiring 13 short-endurance and 12 long-endurance autonomous vessels by fiscal 2027. In the coming days, a request for information will be released for a smaller unmanned undersea vessel capable of operating within a submarine lock in/lock out chamber, designed to accompany the Seal Delivery Vehicle Mk 11. Ten of these upgraded vehicles have been delivered to SOCOM from 2018 to 2024.
The Mk 11 offers various enhancements over its predecessor, the Mk 8, including improved software, more accurate navigation, greater range, and increased cargo capacity. Furthermore, the maritime team is working on replacing the aging Dry Deck Shelter, with the Dry Deck Next project commencing in 2024 and anticipated to last five years. This project aims to improve upon existing shelters with features such as remote payload launch and recovery, a pressure hull, a hanger outer door closure system, and technologies to reduce signature for stealthier operations.
Todd South, the author of this report, has extensive experience in reporting on crime, courts, government, and military issues since 2004 and is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War, having been nominated as a Pulitzer finalist in 2014 for a co-written project on witness intimidation.
