SOLIC to hold first quarterly industry day July 24 in Washington, official says
NewsMay 21, 2026
TAMPA, Florida. The Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict (SOLIC) will hold its first quarterly industry day on July 24 in Washington, D.C., official in charge of the office announced during his keynote address at SOF Week.
Derrick Anderson, Assistant Secretary of War for SOLIC, framed the event as part of a broader effort to make SOLIC more responsive to industry and to move beyond slide decks toward hands-on engagement with actual technology. "I do not want to see slide decks," Anderson said. "I want to see the actual thing -- to see the technical capabilities that you have to offer."
He said SOLIC's Capability Development Innovation Directorate is taking the lead on organizing the quarterly industry days, describing them as one of several initiatives designed to create more regular touchpoints between the secretariat and defense industry.
Anderson emphasized interoperability as a key focus for those engagements. "We need systems that can integrate -- not just backwards compatibility, but the ability to network and tie sensors from different manufacturers together," he said.
The July 24 event location within Washington, D.C. was not specified. Vendors interested in attending can reach SOLIC through Anderson's office.
Anderson also said during his speech that SOLIC is being transformed from an advisory body into a true service secretariat with authority, direction, and control -- running 90-day sprints with SOCOM to clarify roles, welcoming the Irregular Warfare Center under SOLIC, and standing up new directorates.
The sprints will be focused on staff integration, joint planning, and clarifying organizational responsibilities. Subsequent sprints will address resource processes and designing the future organization for both staffs -- an effort Anderson compared to the Army's General Order Number One in terms of establishing clear ownership of functions across the two organizations.
Anderson said the restructuring is not intended to duplicate or compete with SOCOM's operational role, but to support and strengthen it. He noted that the legal distinctions between the two organizations are enshrined in statute -- SOCOM operates under 164 authorities available to all combatant commands, while unified special operations forces fall under 167 authorities that are also subject to the authority, direction, and control of the Assistant Secretary of War for SOLIC. Anderson said clarifying those boundaries through the sprint process will ultimately ensure SOF forces are properly resourced, strategically incorporated into department-level planning, and that SOF warriors and their families are cared for.
