About Us
SOLKOA, Inc.™ is a service-disabled, veteran-owned, small business (SDVOSB) providing expert training, professional management and specialized operational consulting services from our headquarters in Colorado Springs, CO and recurring on-site efforts at government facilities in Maine, California, Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC. We maintain a current SAM certification (CAGE Code: 42KK9) in addition to other required vetting necessary for serving our select government clients.
Background
Incorporated in 2005, SOLKOA, Inc. brings 32 years of direct experience in Joint and Multi-Agency Personnel Recovery (PR) and Survival, Evasion, Resistance, & Escape (SERE) education, operations, and technologies. SOLKOA Inc. traces its roots to the mid 1980’s with its founder’s seminal work at Fort Rucker under the late COL James N. Rowe’s direction as one of the Army’s handful of qualified Special Warfare SERE Instructors of the time.
Today, SOLKOA, Inc. has quickly established itself as the US government’s responsive PR/SERE solutions provider of choice with recent and current prime and subcontracts supporting the US Navy High-Risk SERE Training Programs; US Army Aviation Center of Excellence (USAACE) High-Risk SERE Training Program; the APM, Personnel Recovery Support Equipment (PRSE) within the Army’s Air Warrior Program Office; the Army’s Rapid Equipping Force (REF); Central Command’s Multi-National Corps – Iraq (MNC-I) Military Transition Teams (MiTTs); and other select organizations within the interagency, defense general purpose forces and special operations communities.
Mission
SOLKOA Inc. is committed to applying all of its resources to rapidly advancing the art and science of Personnel Recovery to create relevant, value-added, and persistent PR/SERE capabilities for the United States military services, related federal agencies, and their supporting industry & NGO partners, who currently share similar risks and challenging operating environments worldwide.
Values
Integrity
– Our word – our bond. We do what we say we’ll do. Honestly and ethically.
Competence (Technical & Tactical)
– Our clients’ lives are at risk. They deserve our absolute best effort – always.
Commitment to Excellence
– We must continually learn, grow, and improve to remain value added to the high-performance organizations we serve. It is quality assurance, for life.
Accountability
– We concentrate on outcomes. Our effectiveness, as in PR operations, rests largely with each individual. We must also remain good stewards of the precious resources entrusted to our care. Effectiveness + efficiency maximizes success.
Embracing Change
– It’s not about yesterday, but what works now and beyond. We will remain vigilant to ensure our offerings’ continual relevance to our clients’ needs, the current situation and emerging operating conditions.
What's in a Name?
SOLKOA™ is a derivation of words from two ancient world languages:
SOL is a contraction of the latin word "solus".
- Of people, it means alone, isolated.
- Of places, it refers to uninhabited regions... remote... a wilderness.
KOA is the Hawaiian / ancient Polynesian word for warrior.
- It also conveys personal strength, agility, confidence, and perseverance in the face of adversity.
When combined, these words from nearly opposite longitudes reflect our global focus on preparing, aiding, and recovering a common, noble client. Men and women of ardor, in service to our nation in remote, austere, and high-threat environments, and at risk of becoming isolated, missing, or detained by hostile elements.
We exist to serve...
...the Lone Warrior.
It’s all part of the warrior ethos:
Place the mission first, never accept defeat, never quit, and never leave a fallen comrade.”
Former U.S. Army Chief of Staff