Special Operations Command Fairview Innovation Capability

Special Operations Command (SOCOMD) is facing an increasingly precarious strategic environment where technological advances are outstripping the traditional acquisitions and procurement systems ability to respond.

Synergy Group was engaged to develop the Fairview Innovation capability to enable ADFSO to achieve asymmetric advantage over adversaries by rapidly delivering agile and unorthodox bleeding edge and disruptive capabilities through innovation and leveraging strategic partnerships. This required a fundamentally different approach to how we work with trusted and unconventional partners, with Industry and with academia to ensure the rapid deployment of capability to enable the successful prosecution of SOCOMD effects.

Key responsibilities included:

• Extensive stakeholder engagement was conducted within SOCOMD, with DSTG, DMTC and with the US JSOC and the UK's Joint Hub.
• Development of the Fairview concept identified the required functions, processes, and relationships to support the innovation capability within SOCOMD.
• The comprehensive and agile Fairview Concept will enable SOCOMD to successfully deliver asymmetric advantage to the Warfighter.
• The Fairview Concept is supported by a SOCAUST Fairview Narrative and the SOCAUST Fairview Charter.
• Design and implementation of the Fairview governance architecture/committee framework.
• Fairview will develop partnerships, trust, and collaboration that will contribute to a federated approach to Defence Innovation through deliberate engagement and integration with key stakeholders and Innovation partners.
• Fairview will fund organic SO innovation and, with Partners, collaborate to identify and integrate complementary research, knowledge, design, development and prototyping activities.

Skillsets included:

• Levels 2-4 Strategic Business Advice, Level 3 Program Management skills and creative Graphic support. It was a multi-disciplinary team drawn from across Synergy Group.

Achievements included:

• Synergy Group collaborating with HQ SOCOMD successfully developed a new SOCOMD innovation capability through close integration with the SO community, Allies, partners, DSTG and Industry in only 12 weeks.
• Synergy Group developed a Fairview Concept and a SOCAUST Fairview narrative that has been endorsed by the Chief of Army. It is supported by SO Innovation Comparative Study and SOCAUST Charter.
• Collaboration with all internal and external stakeholders to ensure the content was technically correct and reliable, to provide transparency and robust and reliable advice.
• Synergy Group engaged early and often through 28 engagements with leading innovation organisations, spanning three countries, to isolate innovative best practices and document lessons learnt.