USSOCOM RFI TE 26-3 Maritime Operations in Contested Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS) Environments

U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) titled "Maritime Operations in Contested Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS) Environments" to solicit innovative technology candidates for a hands-on experimentation event. This is not a contract solicitation but rather an invitation for research and development organizations, private industry, and academia to submit nominations for technologies that could be tested and demonstrated. The RFI was posted on April 29, 2026, and seeks technologies that address maritime operational challenges in contested electromagnetic environments. The event is scheduled for August 17-21, 2026, at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division Acoustic Research Detachment in Bayview, Idaho. Interested organizations must submit nominations electronically through the Vulcan system at vulcan-sof.com by May 29, 2026, at 12:00 Noon Eastern Time.

Technologies submitted should fall within Technology Readiness Levels 3-6 and address maritime operations at, below, or above the water line, with focus areas including manned and unmanned maritime systems, resilient navigation and timing, contested communications with low probability of intercept and detection, electronic warfare capabilities, human-centric command and control systems, modular and non-attributable payloads, underwater communications systems, and power and energy solutions. USSOCOM will provide the venue at no cost to respondents; however, all submission, travel, and experimentation costs remain the responsibility of the participating organizations. While selected respondents will be invited to demonstrate their technologies, USSOCOM does not intend to award contracts based solely on this RFI announcement. Participation requires submission of appropriate safety documentation, including Deliberate Risk Assessment worksheets in accordance with Military Standard 882, particularly for systems involving lasers, energetic materials, or radio-frequency emitters. All participating organizations must execute a photograph and media consent release form authorizing USSOCOM to capture and distribute documentation and promotional materials from the event.