TAMPA, FL -- Commanders in theater U.S. Special Operations Command are expected to have more influence on requirements going forward, an acquisition official told attendees at the annual SOF Week conference.

David Breede, SOCOM’s deputy director of acquisition, in response to an audience question yesterday about the Pentagon’s overhaul of the joint requirements process, said it’s “really focused on the commanders’ priority of making sure our theater special operations commander have a greater voice and a greater influence on the requirements that are being resourced.”

“So, whereas in the past, requirements were always tied to resourcing, the component commands across SOCOM owned most of the resourcing,” he said. “And so, they were really the only ones who were being able to push requirements into the system to be able to compete for that resourcing. I think the goal of the commander now is to make sure that our premiere organizations across the enterprise, our theater special operations commanders are now having more of a voice and more of an opportunity to push their specific requirements into the systems.”

Breede cautioned that the changes haven’t received final approval yet.

The Pentagon implemented a framework for redefining the role of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council earlier this year, which will shift JROC’s role away from validating individual service programs and overseeing joint priorities.