US Special Ops Command Mulls $500M+ Academic Collaboration on Identity Exploitation

The US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has announced that it is “exploring a potential partnership with an academic institution to enhance intelligence collection and exploitation technologies.” In a LinkedIn post, the high-profile military organization explained that the collaboration would be focused on biometric, forensic, and digital identity exploitation for national security and counterterrorism operations.

USSOCOM is a unified command within the US Department of Defense responsible for overseeing the various special operations components of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.

The group says that the potential collaboration, if found to be viable, could result in a five-year contract valued at over $100 million annually. The contract would involve applied research and development, and academic collaboration.

“USSOCOM aims to harness academic expertise to advance its capabilities in handling vast amounts of collected data critical for identifying and prosecuting terror suspects,” the group said.

Established in 1987, USSOCOM’s primary mission is to provide fully capable special operations forces (SOF) to defend the United States and its interests and to plan, synchronize, and conduct global operations against terrorist networks.

This command is tasked with a broad range of activities, including direct action, special reconnaissance, counterterrorism, unconventional warfare, and the training of foreign militaries, among others.

Headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, USSOCOM operates globally and is highly versatile, allowing it to respond to diverse threats and challenges. The command is unique in that it has its own budget, enabling it to procure resources and equipment tailored to its specialized missions.

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August 20, 2024 – by the FindBiometrics Editorial Team