{"id":138495,"date":"2024-09-18T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-18T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2024\/09\/18\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:14:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:14:03","slug":"us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2024\/09\/18\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\/","title":{"rendered":"US special ops cuts armed overwatch buy, still needs to justify need"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. Special Operations Command cut its desired purchase of 75 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2022\/12\/12\/oklahoma-air-guard-base-tapped-as-likely-armed-overwatch-schoolhouse\/\" target=\"_blank\">armed overwatch<\/a> aircraft to 62 following a recommendation last year from a government watchdog to slow down the program\u2019s acquisition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gao.gov\/assets\/gao-24-107556.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">recent update<\/a> to its recommendation<b>, <\/b>the Government Accountability Office noted that while the number of requested aircraft had been reduced, U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command, or AFSOC, officials still hadn\u2019t justified why they need that many aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The armed overwatch program aims to field fixed-wing aircraft for AFSOC to deploy to austere locations, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2023\/12\/14\/us-special-ops-may-be-buying-too-many-armed-overwatch-planes-says-gao\/\" target=\"_blank\">Defense News previously reported<\/a>. The current aircraft at the program\u2019s center is the AT-802U Sky Warden, a single-engine, two-person platform made by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.l3harris.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">L3Harris Technologies<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/airtractor.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Air Tractor<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The command expected to spend $2.2 billion to buy the originally requested 75 aircraft<b>, <\/b>which replaces the U-28 Draco.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2022\/11\/21\/heres-the-air-forces-plan-to-train-armed-overwatch-pilots\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sky-Warden-1.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Here\u2019s the Air Force\u2019s plan to train armed overwatch pilots<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Air Force plans to start training new pilots to fly the OA-1K armed overwatch planes in fall 2025.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SOCOM had purchased 16 Sky Wardens as of last year, with plans to purchase another dozen this year, Defense News reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most recent update, published Sept. 5, notes SOCOM has plans to divest two of its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR, platforms. However, those platforms were used to support armed overwatch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The watchdog \u201cfound that SOCOM has not taken steps to plan for, or add, critical ISR capabilities provided by soon-to-be divested aircraft,\u201d according to the GAO report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SOCOM also failed to address risks associated with losing those capabilities if the new armed overwatch aircraft didn\u2019t have them as part of the platform\u2019s fielding<b>,<\/b> the report found<b>.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The armed overwatch program\u2019s austere mission means that developers must provide an aircraft with minimal logistics and support needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The aircraft itself must be able to give ground troops close air support, precision strike and ISR capabilities, according to the report. It\u2019s primarily expected to be used in such roles in counterterrorism and irregular warfare missions, according to program information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The GAO report stated SOCOM \u201cconcurred\u201d or \u201cpartially concurred\u201d with its six major recommendations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those recommendations included reevaluating the number of aircraft needed; limiting procurement to the minimum needed for testing until the fleet size is determined; assessing risks to missions if the ISR capabilities are not added; identify challenges to operate and deploy the aircraft; and assess whether the program remains an affordable priority; and update concepts for the types of operations the aircraft might conduct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fiscal 2026 is marked in the GAO report as a key year for deadlines such as<b> <\/b>completing the operational test and evaluation, making a full rate production decision and reaching initial operational capability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. Air Force began a capability assessment in 2017 to evaluate potential <a href=\"https:\/\/www.everycrsreport.com\/files\/2018-08-23_IF10954_44aba5bf066c2d07f3c45c0122bcc8fcb69a21a5.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">light attack aerial platforms<\/a> for use with coalition partners.<b> <\/b>At the time, then-Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson told Congress that the purpose was to free up<b> <\/b>more advanced and costly assets for other tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wilson cited an example of F-22 fighter jets being used<b> <\/b>to strike a drug laboratory in Afghanistan \u2014 a mission that could have been accomplished with a less sophisticated platform at a lower cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After a series of experiments, the program transferred to SOCOM.<b> <\/b>In 2021, the command filed its request for 75 aircraft, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.everycrsreport.com\/reports\/IF10954.html\" target=\"_blank\">Congressional Research Services<\/a> report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The per-hour operating cost of an aircraft like the Sky Warden is about 2% to 4% of that of advanced fighters, the report noted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. Special Operations Command cut down its desired purchase of the Sky Warden, but officials still need to justify the need, says a government watchdog.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":66044,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":88,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[15,88],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3419],"class_list":["post-138495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-your-military"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"4KTSVT5PEFCWBOHNKKCLVMHHAM","arc_canonical_url":"\/air\/2024\/09\/18\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US special ops cuts armed overwatch buy, still needs to justify need - Military Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"U.S. Special Operations Command cut down its desired purchase of the Sky Warden, but officials still need to justify the need, says a government watchdog.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US special ops cuts armed overwatch buy, still needs to justify need\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"U.S. Special Operations Command cut down its desired purchase of the Sky Warden, but officials still need to justify the need, says a government watchdog.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2024\/09\/18\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Military Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-09-18T12:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T01:14:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Todd South\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Todd South\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/18\\\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/18\\\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"US special ops cuts armed overwatch buy, still needs to justify need\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2024-09-18T12:00:00+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T01:14:03+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/18\\\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 555,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/18\\\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Sky-Warden-1.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Your Military\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/18\\\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/18\\\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/18\\\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"US special ops cuts armed overwatch buy, still needs to justify need - Military Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/18\\\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/18\\\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Sky-Warden-1.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2024-09-18T12:00:00+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T01:14:03+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"U.S. Special Operations Command cut down its desired purchase of the Sky Warden, but officials still need to justify the need, says a government watchdog.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/18\\\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/18\\\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/18\\\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Sky-Warden-1.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Sky-Warden-1.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/18\\\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"News\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"news\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Your Military\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"your-military\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"US special ops cuts armed overwatch buy, still needs to justify need\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Military Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News About Your Military | Military Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Military Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/military-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/military-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Military Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"US special ops cuts armed overwatch buy, still needs to justify need - Military Times","description":"U.S. Special Operations Command cut down its desired purchase of the Sky Warden, but officials still need to justify the need, says a government watchdog.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"US special ops cuts armed overwatch buy, still needs to justify need","og_description":"U.S. Special Operations Command cut down its desired purchase of the Sky Warden, but officials still need to justify the need, says a government watchdog.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2024\/09\/18\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\/","og_site_name":"Military Times","article_published_time":"2024-09-18T12:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T01:14:03+00:00","author":"Todd South","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Todd South","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2024\/09\/18\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2024\/09\/18\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"US special ops cuts armed overwatch buy, still needs to justify need","datePublished":"2024-09-18T12:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T01:14:03+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2024\/09\/18\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\/"},"wordCount":555,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2024\/09\/18\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sky-Warden-1.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["News","Your Military"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2024\/09\/18\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2024\/09\/18\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2024\/09\/18\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\/","name":"US special ops cuts armed overwatch buy, still needs to justify need - Military Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2024\/09\/18\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2024\/09\/18\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sky-Warden-1.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2024-09-18T12:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T01:14:03+00:00","description":"U.S. Special Operations Command cut down its desired purchase of the Sky Warden, but officials still need to justify the need, says a government watchdog.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2024\/09\/18\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2024\/09\/18\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2024\/09\/18\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sky-Warden-1.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sky-Warden-1.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2024\/09\/18\/us-special-ops-cuts-armed-overwatch-buy-still-needs-to-justify-need\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/","ad_zone":"news"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Your Military","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/","ad_zone":"your-military"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"US special ops cuts armed overwatch buy, still needs to justify need"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/","name":"Military Times","description":"Independent News About Your Military | Military Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#organization","name":"Military Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/military-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/military-logo-white.png","caption":"Military Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Military Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sky-Warden-1.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138495"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138495\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":138496,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138495\/revisions\/138496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138495"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=138495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}