Soldier Enhancement Program

Abstract

The Soldier Enhancement Program (SEP) was established by the National Defense Authorization Act in Fiscal Year 1990 to provide a rapid approach to evaluate Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS), Government off-the shelf (GOTS), or Non-Developmental Items (NDI) capabilities to increase the combat effectiveness of the Soldier. SEP now uses a "buy, try and decide" methodology. SEP provides significant savings and acceleration in the evaluation of leading-edge Soldier capabilities in order to provide combat overmatch. The SEP tri-chair leadership consists of the Director, Maneuver Capabilities Development and Integration Directorate (MCDID), the Infantry Commandant, and Program Executive Officer (PEO) Soldier. Proposals are submitted by Soldiers and industry at any time, are reviewed monthly and new projects are approved semi-annually by the SEP Council of Colonels (CoC). Approved proposals are validated by the Director, MCDID. Validated SEP initiatives are procured and then evaluated by Soldiers for feasibility and suitability. Based on the evaluation findings, the SEP CoC provides one or more of the following courses of action: (1) inform deliberate or urgent/emerging requirements generation, (2) initiate a new Program of Record (POR) or improve an existing POR, (3) provide a national stock number (NSN) for unit procurement or (4) the item did not meet objectives and no further action is necessary. The funding supports SEP evaluation preparation, conducting evaluations, and documenting results. Funding for this project aligns with the Army's priorities in support of the National Defense Strategy and is a priority of the Army Futures Command (AFC).

Document Details

• Document Type: Project
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2025
• Source ID: S58_0604601A_5_2040_PB_2025

Tags

Readers

• Defense Acquisition Program Management
• Enterprise Information Systems Architecture and Joint Command Capability Interoperability Support.
• Military Science and Technology Research and Modernization.