The Space Electromagnetic Warfare Operating Location program, or SEWOL, is meant to replace existing command-and-control tools with a single cloud-based application. The Space Force says it will give crews a shared view of operations and let them manage hundreds of remote systems, reducing their workload and helping them make decisions faster.
Each company will build a working prototype with the core software framework, mission applications and a software development kit. Government technical specialists and military operators will evaluate the prototypes in hands-on tests before the service chooses a supplier.
Space Systems Command and Combat Forces Command worked together on the awards, made through the Space Enterprise Consortium’s Other Transaction Authority. The Space Force moved SEWOL to its Software Acquisition Pathway and plans to use common interfaces and standards under the Modular Open Systems Approach.
“Our SEWOL program leads the Space Force in acquiring modern, software-defined mission systems,” said Col. Bryon McClain, acting portfolio acquisition executive for Space Combat Power. “By leveraging Other Transactions and a competitive prototyping phase, we break vendor lock and harness the full power of commercial innovation.”
“By transitioning SEWOL to an agile software pathway, we are putting our Guardians directly in the driver’s seat alongside developers,” said Col. Angelo Fernandez, commander of Combat Forces Command’s Mission Delta 3 for space electromagnetic warfare. “This ensures that the capabilities we field aren’t just fast to deliver but are purpose-built to survive and win in a highly contested electromagnetic spectrum.”
“This is not a paper-based competition; we are paying these vendors to build working software so we can see what their teams are truly capable of,” said Maj. Dennis “Nomad” Sieber, the SEWOL program manager. “At the end of three months, we will conduct a formal down-select to a single vendor that will proceed to build the first operational version of the system.”
