[Infowarrior] - New 'Strategic Capabilities' Office Imagines Ways To Deal With Emerging Threats

[Richard Forno]

DefenseAlert

New 'Strategic Capabilities' Office Imagines Ways To Deal With Emerging Threats

Posted on InsideDefense.com: October 11, 2012

http://insidedefense.com/201210112412680/Inside-Defense-Daily-News/DefenseAlert/new-strategic-capabilities-office-imagines-ways-to-deal-with-emerging-threats/menu-id-61.html

A new Pentagon office is spearheading efforts to cultivate cutting-edge
technological concepts that could give U.S. forces new advantages against
sophisticated military adversaries.

The Strategic Capabilities Office was formed this summer in the research and
engineering directorate of the Pentagon's acquisition shop, according to
government officials. It is headed by William Roper, who previously worked
as the Missile Defense Agency's director for engineering.

"The new Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) was established by AT&L in 2012
to conduct analysis in support of ongoing efforts to shape and counter
emerging threats with emphasis on innovative and architecture-level,
cross-service and cross-Defense/Intelligence concepts," Lt. Col. Melissa
Morgan, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said in a written response to questions
about the office.

"The specific details of the work of the SCO are classified," she added.

The new office reports to the Pentagon's acquisition executive through
Zachary Lemnios, the assistant secretary of defense for research and
engineering.

A Pentagon official familiar with the new Strategic Capabilities Office said
it is working on projects that are traditionally carried out by the Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Another source, a former military official and now a Pentagon consultant,
expects the new office will "drive some change."

The Obama administration’s strategic defense guidance, issued in January,
states that "work needs to be done to ensure the United States, its allies,
and partners are capable of operating in A2/AD [anti-access, area denial],
cyber, and other contested operating environments."

The document  notes the Defense Department will "encourage a culture of
change" and "sustain key streams of innovation that may provide significant
long-term payoffs."

The existence of the SCO was mentioned in a draft charter this summer for a
new high-level Pentagon body that was being formed to identify policy issues
associated with  "pivoting" the U.S. military to the Asia-Pacific region --
a chief goal behind the administration's new defense strategy (DefenseAlert,
Aug. 1). That draft charter called for a standing group of senior officials
to focus on Asia-Pacific matters for the Deputy's Management Action Group
(DMAG), that would include the director of the new SCO in its deliberations.

The approved charter for the DMAG Asia-Pacific group, dated Aug. 22 and
marked "for official use only," is silent on the role of the new SCO,
according to sources familiar with the document.

- Jason Sherman


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