--- title: "Special operators outsmarted the military-industrial complex" date: "2020-04-29" modified: "2020-10-30" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-tactical/special-operators-improvise-on-field/" categories: - "Military News" - "Special Operations" - "Tactical" - "Technology" tags: - "Special Operations" --- # Special operators outsmarted the military-industrial complex ![]() United States special operators needed a custom, remotely-controlled vehicle, one that had mapping abilities, infrared sensors, and the ability to send a video live feed back to a waiting vehicle. The defense industry told the operators it would take at least 10 months and cost $1.7 million. That wasn't going to cut it. So a group of operators decided to do it themselves. You can probably imagine what a group of people who get the U.S. military's dirtiest jobs can do when pressed. --- ![]() So can a lot of people, most of whom are dead now. It took the U.S. military's best-trained troops just four days and ,000 to do what the military-industrial complex said would take nearly a year. The industry's proposal was "unresponsive," according to Gen. Richard Clarke, the new head of Special Operations Command said on May 19, 2019. Rather than give up the mission because of big defense's proposed waste of time and money, the operators put their thinking caps on. They "took stock of their own in-house skills and commercially available equipment and they filled their own system that fulfilled the requirement," Clarke said. The General went on to describe how this wasn't the military's first DIY defense project – and it likely won't be the last. ![]() Because improvising in tough situations is kinda what they're known for. "The nature of industry and SOF collaboration is changing as our personnel learn and adapt to new technological possibilities," he said. "They are establishing their own garage labs, frequently well forward in the operating environment to develop solutions to technical and tactical problems they're facing." It's good to know they're on our side. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()