In a move billed as allowing the U.S. Special Operations Command the flexibility to fulfill numerous types of ammunition requirements, almost a dozen companies were greenlit this week to provide ammo to America's elite units. 

With a maximum total ceiling of $750 million, SOCOM, based in MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, awarded the Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract on July 24 with just an initial $27,500 initial outlay from Fiscal Year 2023 funds. However, flexibility is built in to allow the command's components to place orders as part of the contract based on specific needs.

Established in 1987 to move all the Pentagon's special operations units under one roof, SOCOM oversees the Army's Special Forces, the Navy's SEALs, the Marine Raiders, and Air Force Special Operations Command, among others, with its combined 70,000 personnel seen as the "tip of the spear" for the U.S. military.

At least 16 companies submitted proposals for consideration for the contract, and 11 met the criteria for the award. They include: 

• Bighorn Government Services LLC, Georgetown, Tennessee.
• Black Hills Ammunition, Rapid City, South Dakota.
• Capstone Precision Group LLC, Mesa, Arizona.
• Eagle Eye Precision Ammunition, Mesa, Arizona.
• General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, Quebec, Canada.
• SIG Sauer, Jacksonville, Arkansas.
• OCR Global Inc., Chantilly, Virginia.
• PCP Tactical, Sebastian, Florida.
• UDC Inc., Tampa, Florida.
• Ultimate Training Munitions (UTM) Inc., Mildenhall, United Kingdom.
• Vista Outdoor Sales LLC, Anoka, Minnesota.

Of note, Vista Outdoors owns several ammunition brands and facilities including CCI, Federal, Remington, and Speer.

Banner image: Army Special Forces train at Holsworthy Barracks in Sydney to prepare for Exercise  Talisman Sabre 2023. (Photo: SOCOM)