"These are small, fast, agile craft exposed to sea conditions and required to do boarding operations with physical wear and tear to operators in the long term," Capt. Jared Wyrick explained.
PEO-Maritime and the push to "hyper-enable Naval Special Warfare operators"
Representatives from the Program Executive Office-Maritime, led by Capt. Jared Wyrick, outlined a suite of planned upgrades intended to "hyper-enable Naval Special Warfare operators," officials said. The effort spans in-service improvements to combatant craft assault (CCA), combatant craft medium (CCM) and combatant craft heavy (CCH), while also advancing initial designs for next‑generation vessels.
Naval Special Warfare currently operates 42 CCAs, the officials noted, and the command’s small‑boat fleet is used for insertion and extraction of small teams, maritime assault, interdiction and resupply—even in contested environments.
Mission management and open systems: SOFWERX solicitation
To modernize information flow aboard in‑service craft, Wyrick said PEO‑Maritime will task the US Special Operations Command’s innovation office, SOFWERX, to launch a solicitation later in the year to identify a mission management solution. The planned solution will include the addition of an open system architecture to facilitate the "integration and aggregation of sensors," creating a single "pane of glass to reduce cognitive overload" on operators, he said.
The approach formalizes a requirement for mission management systems and architectures that can aggregate disparate sensor inputs and present them cohesively to small-boat crews.
Shock mitigation, ruggedization, and operator endurance
A second immediate upgrade priority for the assault variant is increased shock mitigation. Wyrick framed this as a direct response to long‑term physical wear and tear on crews performing boarding operations in rough sea conditions. PEO‑Maritime also flagged broader ruggedization goals: equipment will be hardened to meet IP 66/67 standards for resistance to shock, saltwater and vibration, which officials described as a "persistent challenge for the fleet."
Propulsion and range: hybrid electric CCHs
The command’s three CCHs will be fitted with hybrid electric propulsion, Wyrick said, in order to extend range and broaden the operational envelope of those craft. The propulsion changes are presented as part of a broader set of capability injections intended to enlarge mission reach and endurance for heavier special‑operations boats.
CCM MkII, automation, and C6ISR improvements
PEO‑Maritime will launch design work this year on the "next‑legacy CCM," also known as the CCM MkII. The MkII will feature an expanded and "comprehensive C6ISR capability," Wyrick said, leveraging lessons learned from the MkI. "There are no more ECPs [engineering change proposals] left in [the MkI]. So we are translating that into the design of the MkII and increasing its operational effectiveness in payload, power and bandwidth," he explained.
Like the CCA upgrades, the MkII will also include an open systems architecture and a mission management system. Wyrick said officials are considering "innovative ways to aggregate information to reduce cognitive load," and that WARCOM "is looking at potentially automating functions of the craft to reduce size of crew."
CC‑X concepts, sensor upgrades, and machine learning
Looking further ahead, Wyrick disclosed that Naval Special Warfare has started considering what a next‑generation combatant craft assault—dubbed CC‑X—might look like. One concept under consideration would use hydrofoil technology to lift the hull above the water and reduce drag; Wyrick said a design could be completed "within the next couple of years."
Across the upgrade portfolio, additional capability injections under consideration include 360‑degree situational awareness, passive ranging, and the integration of machine learning/artificial intelligence to aid "target detection, recognition and identification" of threats.
What this means for SOFWERX, Naval Special Warfare Command, and operators
- SOFWERX: will be tasked to run a solicitation later in the year to source a mission management solution that implements an open system architecture and sensor aggregation.
- Naval Special Warfare Command (WARCOM): is moving into design phases for CCM MkII this year, while initiating CC‑X concept work that could reach a design milestone within the next couple of years.
- Operators: stand to gain improved shock mitigation, ruggedized equipment meeting IP 66/67 standards, hybrid propulsion on CCHs to extend range, and systems aimed at reducing cognitive load—while also facing potential changes in crew size if automation is adopted.
The program described by Capt. Jared Wyrick combines incremental fixes—open architectures, ruggedization, shock mitigation—with longer‑range concepts such as hydrofoils and hybrid propulsion. Key near‑term milestones are clear on paper: a SOFWERX solicitation later this year and the start of CCM MkII design work. How quickly those timelines translate into fielded capability, and whether automation and machine‑learning functions reshape crew roles, are the concrete questions the program’s next phases will answer.
