The next phase of U.S. special operations capability development will not be unveiled at a trade show or press conference. It will happen behind closed doors in Northern Virginia this spring.
From April 20–24, the CIA and U.S. Special Operations Command will bring operators, analysts, and selected industry partners together in Chantilly, Virginia, for the 17th Rapid Capability Assessment, known as RCA17. The theme is “Field-Forward Operations – Future Challenges for SOF and the Intelligence Community in Data-Dense Environments.” The event is designed to identify and shape the capabilities operators and intelligence professionals will need through roughly the next decade.
RCA17 follows Innovation Foundry 17, held Dec. 9–11, 2025, where early concepts were generated. This April’s event is where those concepts begin moving toward something that can be tested, funded, and eventually fielded.
A Working Lab for Future Capabilities
RCA17 is hosted by SOFWERX and ICWERX in partnership with USSOCOM’s Science and Technology Directorate and the CIA’s Directorate of Science and Technology. Participants are selected subject-matter experts from industry, government, and academia who will work directly with operators and intelligence professionals to break down real operational problems.
The format is collaborative and structured. Teams are formed around specific challenge areas, then work through systems-engineering exercises to identify solutions, gaps, and pathways to prototypes. Concepts that show promise can move into follow-on “Technology Sprints and Evaluation” efforts and, in some cases, eventual contract awards.
The goal is speed and relevance. Rather than years-long development cycles disconnected from operational reality, this process aims to push viable capabilities into the hands of operators and analysts faster.
What They’re Looking For
The central problem set is straightforward: how to operate forward in environments saturated with data while maintaining a low signature and high degree of autonomy.
Several focus areas stand out.
One is advanced analytics and artificial intelligence. Organizers have specifically highlighted exploration of “AGI-like” analytic approaches and “mixture-of-experts” models that could help process large volumes of data while remaining secure and usable in operational settings.
Another is sensing and autonomy at the tactical edge. That includes low-power sensors capable of operating independently in austere environments, systems that can be triggered or networked as needed, and methods for optimizing energy use to support persistent operations without large logistical footprints.
Energy and infrastructure integration are also on the table. Concepts include using existing building systems or infrastructure as part of sensing or operational networks, along with alternative energy generation and storage that can support forward teams with minimal signature.
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Secure, low-profile communications remain a priority as well. In contested environments where traditional connectivity may be compromised, maintaining reliable data transmission and exfiltration is critical for both SOF and intelligence missions.
Taken together, the focus areas point toward a future where smaller teams operate farther forward with greater autonomy and more data processing capability at the source.
Why CIA and SOCOM Together Matter
Collaboration between SOCOM and the CIA is long-standing, but RCA17 reflects a more structured effort to align technology development with shared operational challenges.
Both organizations operate in austere or denied environments. Both rely on rapid intelligence collection and analysis. Both face the same core problem: too much data, often with too little reliable connectivity.
Field-forward operations, as defined in the RCA17 materials, center on the ability to collect, process, analyze, and disseminate intelligence in real or near-real time at or near the source. That capability is increasingly essential as operations become more distributed and adversaries improve their ability to detect, disrupt, or exploit traditional networks.
For industry partners, the event offers direct exposure to real operational requirements. For operators and intelligence professionals, it offers a chance to shape the tools they will eventually use. For the broader community, it signals where capability development is heading.
The Direction of Travel
RCA17 is not about unveiling a single breakthrough technology. It is about building an ecosystem that allows new capabilities to move from concept to field use more quickly and with tighter integration between operators and the intelligence community.
Events like this rarely generate headlines, but they often shape what shows up in the field years later. The technologies discussed in rooms like these tend to surface quietly, integrated into systems that become standard kit before most people realize where they started.
The future of special operations capability development does not always arrive with a public rollout. Sometimes it begins with a small group of operators, engineers, and analysts working through problems together in a conference room in Chantilly.
RCA17 is one of those moments.
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