DIU hosts week-long test event to evaluate commercial maritime tactical headsets, informing Air Force Special Warfare total force acquisition.
Fort Hunter Liggett, CA (August 8, 2024) — In the unpredictable and hazardous world of Air Force Special Warfare (AFSW) operations, a communications failure can risk the mission and lives.
The Airmen and women who serve in AFSW units provide specialized capabilities to the Joint Force, and depend on communications gear to make split-second decisions. This can range from Pararescuers (PJs) performing rescue missions under extreme conditions, to Tactical Air Control Party providing precision guidance in hostile environments.
Current communication headsets do not perform well when exposed to cold and wet conditions. Maritime operators invariably encounter headset connectivity issues that jeopardize missions. Moreover, there are no rapid processes in place to resolve these problems swiftly.
Current communication headsets do not perform well when exposed to cold and wet conditions.
Accordingly, the AFSW enterprise is refreshing its critical equipment, including maritime communication capabilities, to prepare for extended operations in maritime environments. The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is working with partners at Air Combat Command (ACC) and AFSW not only to bring more reliable and capable headsets to operators deployed in maritime environments, but also to accelerate the acquisition process.
This past June, DIU hosted a week-long independent verification and validation (IV&V) assessment to field test maritime tactical headset solutions at Fort Hunter Liggett in California. The assessment brought together a unique team, including ten AFSW evaluators aligned to ACC and Air Force Special Operations Command; four industry leading vendors; support teams from the California Air National Guard 129th Rescue Wing (129th and 131st Rescue Squadrons) and California’s Maritime Command; and observers from Naval Special Warfare, the Office of Naval Research, and Special Operations Command.
As part of the assessment, AFSW operators simulated water rescue missions and tested headsets, push-to-talk devices, and radio integration technologies provided by 3M Peltor, Atlantic Signal, INVISIO, and OTTO Engineering. In total, the teams conducted 32 water insertions and extractions. This involved jumping out of an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter into Lake San Antonio and returning via a rope ladder or cable hoist, testing sound quality before, during, and after each iteration.
AFSW operators simulated water rescue missions and tested headsets, push-to-talk devices, and radio integration technologies.
“I’m just trying to talk securely and reliably to my teammates from the water. That’s all,” noted Captain Jake Armstrong, 38th Pararescue Squadron from Moody Air Force Base and a participant in the test event. “We currently do not have a reliable communication system to operate in a maritime environment. We often need to rely on hand and arm signals to communicate across the team. So my missions are degraded before they begin.”
One of the vendors that participated in the assessment at Fort Hunter Liggett is also part of Wireless Crew, an ongoing prototype project that DIU is working on in concert with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). The project aims to leverage commercial advances in communication technology, including waterproof wireless bridges and headsets. Much like AFSW operators, USCG crew members often find themselves with the same problems, working around or without effective headsets, shouting or slowing down vessels during pursuit to reduce ambient noise.
The maritime tactical headset assessment represents a major milestone for both AFSW acquisitions and the Wireless Crew project. DIU marshaled the resources to conduct the technical assessment under the auspices of its Proving Grounds project, which was initiated in 2022 to prototype a faster IV&V process to inform and de-risk DoD acquisitions. As a result, DIU has accelerated AFSW headset acquisitions by more than a year and ensured that USCG will have the right equipment for the next fight.
The maritime tactical headset assessment represents a major milestone for both AFSW acquisitions and the Wireless Crew project.
The primary goal of Proving Grounds is to put commercially-proven, warfighter-validated technologies into the hands of U.S. service members at speed and scale. Before acquiring a new technology—whether hardware or software—it is essential to confirm its validity and functionality in the intended operational environment. “Proving Grounds answers basic questions about technologies of interest to the warfighter that take too long to answer through traditional means,” said Leif Eiriksson, a Project Manager (contractor) with DIU’s Human Systems portfolio and former PJ. “Does the technology work? Does the technology work in the environment in which it's intended to be used? And can the DoD obtain the required approvals, certifications, and authorities to operate that are legally required to adopt a new software or hardware capability?”
Under the status quo, the IV&V process can be stymied by extended wait times for range access or authorities to operate, and it can be prohibitively costly for the private sector to handle independently. To solve this problem, Proving Grounds combines DIU’s access to military assets with the expertise of third-party evaluators. Contracted to support Proving Grounds, these evaluators provide a streamlined and cost-efficient IV&V process, resulting in final, independent technical reports for each assessed technology. Proving Grounds not only accelerates the assessment process, but also it delivers actionable insights to acquisition officials and participating vendors.
Sam Amedia, the DIU Human Systems Portfolio Project Manager who led the assessment at Fort Hunter Liggett, explains that “the headset assessment opportunity provided via Proving Grounds allowed industry leaders to receive real-time, candid feedback on their products while also affording the warfighter a unique opportunity to better understand all that goes into product development.” Moreover, the simulated missions create space for end users to envision how new technologies will fit into operational concepts. Amedia continued, “by being able to evaluate multiple solutions, we were able to not only accelerate the AFSW acquisition, but also help shape the right DoD product fit for a newly released wireless communication technology that was initially developed to address a USCG problem.”
Through projects like Proving Grounds, DIU is ensuring that the DoD adopts commercial technologies that get to the heart of warfighter needs.
The benefits aren’t limited to the DoD and end users. “Projects like Proving Grounds offer companies a rare opportunity to engage directly with end users and test their products in operational conditions without first having to win a DoD contract,” says DIU Deputy Director of Commercial Operations, Liz Young McNally. “They can introduce their product to potential users in a really impactful way.” Each of the companies that participated in the maritime tactical headset assessment walked away with feedback from operators in advance of a pending AFSW acquisition. In the meantime, they also received a third-party technical report that they are free to apply to product development or to verify product-market fit when pitching to investors or future DoD customers.
Through projects like Proving Grounds, DIU is ensuring that the DoD adopts commercial technologies that get to the heart of warfighter needs by informing and de-risking acquisition decisions. “At the end of the day, the tech just has to work,” said Captain Armstrong. And in the case of this assessment, “every single headset worked—some better than others—which is better than our current situation. I really hope six months from now I get to open a box and there it is—one of the headsets we tested!”