On Dec. 19, 2017, Isnard unveiled the COS procurement strategy to the government, which outlined some of the key technology enablers being pursued by the command.

Demanding additional investment of €250 million through to 2025, the draft document called for the modernization of all mobility and insertion assets on the ground, on or under the sea, and in the air, including the upgrade of NH90 rotary-wing airframes to replace legacy Caracal helicopters; and PSM3G swimmer delivery vehicles to support the Commando Hubert Unit in sub-surface operations launched from the Barracuda submarine, which is expected to be accepted into service in 2019.

“This technology is here and being mastered by some people. We have to take advantage of that and gain some seconds on the enemy. We need some early warning to deal with them before they deal with us.”

It also demanded the need for a modernized large, wheeled tactical ground vehicle dedicated to SOF, a long-range reconnaissance patrol vehicle, and quads and buggies as well as armored vehicles for hard missions, particularly in urban special operations.

Elsewhere, the document called for a medium-altitude, medium-endurance (MAME) UAS to support ISTAR missions, with Isnard describing how the selected airframe must have a minimum operating range of 100 kilometers and mission endurance of six hours or more. The decision to procure a dedicated MAME UAS to support the COS follows COS reliance on MQ-9 Reapers, which Isnard hailed a “game changer” across the current operating environment.

Finally, the COS is demanding the procurement of a high frequency (HF) communications system to enable connectivity at reach, especially when operating in denied and infrastructure-less environments, as well as related C4ISTAR technologies to support operations in the urban and subterranean environment.

Isnard explained, “Our operators are more and more involved in electronic warfare. It is already integrated on board our aircraft and speedboats. But we need to identify tunnels and understand what’s happening behind the wall. This gives us the edge today, but we need to go further.

“We also need to develop connectivity, which is key. We are never alone on the battlefield, and we have to reconfigure fast, abandon heavy structures, and become plug-and-play like Apple computers. We have to connect our operator in the middle of desert with a transport plan, UASs, boats, and other Commando teams,” he explained.

Speaking to Special Operations Outlook, he continued, “Of all the applications that the new technologies offer us, two of them hold our particular attention: the use of artificial intelligence for the implementation and the exploitation of swarms of drones or sensors and the treatment of mega-data.

“It will be necessary to know how to make the best use of these new capacities and to prepare as soon as possible an environment for them to operate in,” he added, while referring to requirement for legal frameworks for employment across the battlespace.

 

“We need both to maintain the technological advantage over terrorist groups which are becoming more technology savvy and we must remember that the real strength of our Commando operators is the hardiness, responsiveness, and adaptability,” Isnard stated.

Future

Looking to the future and citing the motto of the COS – “Faire Autrement,” or “Do Otherwise” – Isnard called for his successor to devote time to understanding the “objectives and spirit of an operation.”

“We need both to maintain the technological advantage over terrorist groups which are becoming more technology savvy and we must remember that the real strength of our Commando operators is the hardiness, responsiveness, and adaptability.”

“My advice to my successor would be to devote time to gain an in-depth understanding of the objectives and the context in which an operation fits. The COS motto means to act outside the box with audacity. This is not for sake of originality, but the need to provide ‘tailored’ solutions for difficult problems. It is therefore necessary to focus on the objective and shed the usual habits, concepts, and logic of a capability owner.

“The mission is special not because it uses specialized forces but because it requires thinking, planning, and structures capable of imagination which are also adept in integrating various expertise. These skills are critical for complex operations while maintaining a strict level of confidentiality,” Isnard concluded.

This article was originally published in the 2018-2019 edition of Special Operations Outlook.