HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- The 1st Special Operations Wing Contracting Squadron selected the HSU Family Educational Foundation for a stand-alone, bilateral Other Transaction Award (OTA) agreement. This 5-year foundational agreement will empower the Wing to rapidly design, develop, test, and integrate innovative capabilities that enhance operational readiness and meet emerging mission demands.
To activate this long-term agreement, 1 SOCONS recently awarded the CATALYST Task Order, valued at $183,600. This task order funds a comprehensive, multi-week annual training program designed to equip participants with advanced skills in emerging technologies, programming, and data analytics.
As part of the curriculum, students complete a rapid software development sprint to build, test, and demonstrate innovative prototypes using tools like Python and Palantir Foundry to directly solve real-world operational challenges within the AFSOC enterprise.
“True innovation doesn't live inside a bureaucracy; it thrives where community grit, raw talent, and tactical mission meet,” said Major Kavon Lackey, 1 SOW Spark Cell Lead. “For years, HSU has been the heartbeat of Northwest Florida's STEM community, and this partnership breaks down the traditional walls separating our Airmen from the toolsets they require to innovate on demand. By giving our team a creative sandbox right outside our gates, we're empowering them to take bold, wild ideas and forge them into immediate tactical realities.”
These efforts are essential to strengthening the 1 SOW’s ability to operate in contested environments, support large scale combat operations, and deliver adaptive, threat-responsive solutions to the joint force.
“Through public-private partnerships, the HSU Foundation’s performance record has brought forward hundreds of innovative program solutions, established much-needed training and prototype projects, as well as testing and demonstrating technologies to advance national security interests,” said Col. Mark Hamilton, Commander, 1st SOW. “With this award, the HSU Foundation will garner industry, academic, and community partner input, force-multiply on shared investment to bring STEM-forward advancement and cultivate a spirit of ingenuity.”