SOCOM awarded a sole-source contract to Teamworks Tactical Solutions for a nutrition app that links dining facilities with up to 55 performance dietitians to support more than 18,000 tactical personnel. The platform offers chow-hall nutrition ratings and mission-specific guidance when dining facilities are unavailable. Teamworks adapted the product with SOCOM's senior dietitian, applying lessons from elite athletics to help prevent late-mission performance decline — the so-called "mile-22" problem.
SOCOM Taps Teamworks for Nutrition App To Sustain Operator Performance and 'Lethality'
Airman Austin Waller participates in a shoot, move, communicate drill at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, Aug. 11, 2026. (Mark Herlihy/Air Force)
U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has awarded a sole-source contract to Teamworks Tactical Solutions for a nutrition application designed to support special operators by coordinating dining facilities and connecting personnel with performance dietitians. The platform is intended to help maintain physical and cognitive readiness over long, demanding missions.
What the App Will Do
The statement of work says the platform will coordinate with dining halls and an integrated team of up to 55 performance dietitians to create personalized, mission-specific meal plans for more than 18,000 tactical personnel operating across geographically dispersed locations. When dining facilities are available, users will see nutrition ratings for menu options; when they are not, operators can request tailored guidance based on available food.
Background and Contract Details
This capability was previously managed under a contract with the Air Force Research Laboratory's STRONG Lab; the new agreement moves it directly under SOCOM. Teamworks' chief strategy officer, James Coffos, said the company has experience working with elite athletes at the Division I, professional and Olympic levels, and that the product has already been used by the U.S. military in other contexts.
How It Works In Practice
Coffos said his team worked with SOCOM's senior performance dietitian to refine the software for operational needs, creating a feedback loop between elite sport and military practice. The app reduces friction in choosing nutritious options, allows users to adjust plans for personal preferences and goals, and provides access to registered performance dietitians for mission-specific guidance.
Why 'Lethality' Is Part Of The Brief
The contract language uses the term "lethality," which Teamworks describes as SOCOM's framing of performance. Coffos noted similar language appears in sports — where an athlete might be called "lethal" when performing at an elite level — and explained how nutrition helps sustain that edge late into an operation. He invoked the "mile-22" problem: a decline in effectiveness late in prolonged exertion due to depleted fuel stores rather than a sudden loss of fitness.
"When SOCOM writes 'lethality,' I really think what they're describing is the mile-22 problem," Coffos said. "It's about the quality of the human being at the end of the effort, not the beginning."
Limitations and Responsibility
Teamworks emphasizes that the app is a tool to support better choices, not a replacement for individual responsibility. Users still need a basic understanding of nutrition and the discipline to choose appropriate options under stress.
Bottom Line
The contract formalizes a capability SOCOM has used in other forms and applies lessons from elite sports to the unique operational demands of special operators. By combining dining-hall integration with a network of performance dietitians, the platform aims to reduce preventable declines in performance during long missions.
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