Tampa Bay is hosting the Special Operation Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) this week and the floor of the marketplace is an impressive place to see. Some of the best manufacturers of weapons and equipment are there with their latest wares and it is a maze of cool gear for the cool guys and a ton of other must-have items.  Walking around the market place I was searching for a pitchman that looked like Ivan Drago.

In an interview with Defense News, Ben Chitty, Senior Project Manager for Biomedical, Human Performance and Canine Portfolios in the Science and Technology office at USSOCOM said that the command is looking for ways to increase Special Operations troops performance with diet, nutritional supplements and even performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).

“If there are … different ways of training, different ways of acquiring performance that are non-material, that’s preferred but in a lot of cases we’ve exhausted those areas,” said Chitty.

SOCOM is looking for ways to enhance performance for troops who’ll be operating in extremes. Those at high altitude or under the water for extended periods of time with no food.