The U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is seeking new technology to help its non-standard commercial vehicles keep a low profile as advances in sensors and telematics create new risks of detection by adversaries.
According to a special notice released on Monday, the command is looking for ways to minimize electronic signatures emitted by modern commercial vehicle systems, which for SOCOM are often modified civilian trucks used during special operations missions. They can include advanced telematics, sensors, GPS, and communications equipment.
SOCOM is asking industry, cybersecurity specialists, academic researchers, and government laboratories to develop or adapt existing solutions that address what it describes as “freedom of movement risks associated with modern vehicle telematics systems that contain advanced sensors, GPS, communication systems, and unique data signatures.”
Vehicle telematics and sensor technologies have expanded connectivity and data collection across the automotive industry. They generate unique electronic signatures that are necessary for functionality – but can also be exploited by adversaries, SOCOM noted.
Over the coming months, SOCOM and military-focused nonprofit SOFWERX will host a series of events to develop or acquire solutions to reduce digital and electromagnetic signatures from commercial vehicles used in special operations, according to the notice.
The effort supports the Non-Standard Commercial Vehicles program and aims to limit signatures that could be exploited for tracking.
The command is seeking solutions in areas including advanced encryption and anonymization, electromagnetic signature reduction, real-time monitoring and response, and vehicle system control.
The effort will begin with a submission period from Jan. 5 to Jan. 30, 2026. A virtual question-and-answer session is scheduled for Jan. 22. SOCOM plans to downselect submissions by Feb. 20, with selected participants invited to a virtual assessment event scheduled for March 10 to March12, 2026.
Favorably evaluated solutions could move directly into negotiations for a next phase, the notice said.