This is a list of all commanders, deputy commanders, vice commanders, senior enlisted leaders, and chiefs of staff of the United States Special Operations Command. Note that articles in red text are yet to be created.
Commander of the United States Special Operations Command | |
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United States Department of Defense | |
Type | Unified combatant commander |
Abbreviation | CDRUSSOCOM [7] |
Reports to | President of the United States Secretary of Defense |
Seat | MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, U.S. |
Nominator | Secretary of Defense |
Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
Term length | 2–3 years (approx.) |
Constituting instrument | 10 U.S.C. § 167 |
Formation | 16 April 1987 |
First holder | Duane H. Cassidy |
Deputy | Deputy Commander, United States Special Operations Command |
No. | Commander | Term | Service branch | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | ||
1 | James J. Lindsay (born 1932) | General16 April 1987 | 27 June 1990 | 3 years, 72 days | U.S. Army | |
2 | Carl Stiner (1936–2022) | General27 June 1990 | 20 May 1993 | 2 years, 327 days | U.S. Army | |
3 | Wayne A. Downing (1940–2007) | General20 May 1993 | 29 February 1996 | 2 years, 285 days | U.S. Army | |
4 | Hugh Shelton (born 1942) | General29 February 1996 | 25 September 1997 | 1 year, 209 days | U.S. Army | |
- | Raymond C. Smith (1943–2022) Acting | Rear Admiral25 September 1997 | 5 November 1997 | 41 days | U.S. Navy | |
5 | Peter Schoomaker (born 1946) | General5 November 1997 | 27 October 2000 | 2 years, 357 days | U.S. Army | |
6 | Charles R. Holland (born 1948) | General27 October 2000 | 2 September 2003 | 2 years, 310 days | U.S. Air Force | |
7 | Bryan D. Brown (born 1948) | General2 September 2003 | 9 July 2007 | 3 years, 310 days | U.S. Army | |
8 | Eric T. Olson (born 1952) | Admiral9 July 2007 | 8 August 2011 | 4 years, 30 days | U.S. Navy | |
9 | William H. McRaven (born 1955) | Admiral8 August 2011 | 28 August 2014 | 3 years, 20 days | U.S. Navy | |
10 | Joseph Votel (born 1958) | General28 August 2014 | 30 March 2016 | 1 year, 215 days | U.S. Army | |
11 | Raymond A. Thomas (born 1958) | General30 March 2016 | 29 March 2019 | 2 years, 364 days | U.S. Army | |
12 | Richard D. Clarke (born 1962) | General29 March 2019 | 30 August 2022 | 3 years, 154 days | U.S. Army | |
13 | Bryan P. Fenton (born 1965) | General30 August 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 6 days | U.S. Army |
No. | Deputy Commander | Term | Service branch | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | ||
1 | Harry A. Goodall | Lieutenant General16 April 1987 | May 1988 | ~1 year, 29 days | U.S. Air Force | |
2 | Hugh L. Cox III | Major GeneralMay 1988 | July 1990 | ~2 years, 61 days | U.S. Air Force | |
3 | Donald Snyder | Major GeneralJuly 1990 | May 1991 | ~304 days | U.S. Air Force | |
4 | Thomas E. Eggers | Major GeneralJune 1991 | July 1993 | ~2 years, 30 days | U.S. Air Force | |
5 | Irve C. Le Moyne (1940–1997) | Rear AdmiralJuly 1993 | May 1996 | ~2 years, 305 days | U.S. Navy | |
6 | James C. McCombs | Major GeneralMay 1996 | 1997 | ~1 year, 46 days | U.S. Air Force | |
7 | Raymond C. Smith (1943–2022) | Rear Admiral1997 | 2001 | ~4 years, 0 days | U.S. Navy | |
8 | Bryan D. Brown | Lieutenant General2002 | 2003 | ~1 year, 0 days | U.S. Army | |
9 | Eric T. Olson (born 1952) | Vice Admiral2003 | July 2007 | ~4 years, 15 days | U.S. Navy | |
10 | Francis H. Kearney III | Lieutenant GeneralJuly 2007 | ~April 2010 | ~2 years, 274 days | U.S. Army | |
11 | David P. Fridovich | Lieutenant General~April 2010 | December 2011 | ~1 year, 244 days | U.S. Army | |
12 | John F. Mulholland Jr. (born 1955) | Lieutenant GeneralAugust 2012 | July 2014 | ~1 year, 334 days | U.S. Army | |
13 | Sean A. Pybus (born 1957) | Vice AdmiralJuly 2014 | July 2016 | ~2 years, 0 days | U.S. Navy | |
14 | Joseph Osterman (born 1960) | Lieutenant GeneralJuly 2016 | 15 October 2018 | ~2 years, 92 days | U.S. Marine Corps | |
15 | Timothy Szymanski (born 1962) | Vice Admiral15 October 2018 | 16 December 2021 | 3 years, 62 days | U.S. Navy | |
16 | Collin P. Green (born 1962) | Vice Admiral16 December 2021 | 20 January 2024 | 2 years, 35 days | U.S. Navy | |
17 | Sean M. Farrell | Lieutenant General27 March 2024 | Incumbent | 162 days | U.S. Air Force |
No. | Deputy Commander | Term | Service branch | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | ||
1 | Eric E. Fiel | Lieutenant General11 June 2010 | 19 July 2011 | 1 year, 38 days | U.S. Air Force | |
2 | Bradley A. Heithold | Lieutenant General19 July 2011 | 16 June 2014 | 2 years, 332 days | U.S. Air Force | |
3 | Thomas J. Trask | Lieutenant General16 June 2014 | 2 August 2017 | 3 years, 47 days | U.S. Air Force | |
4 | Scott A. Howell (born 1965) | Lieutenant General2 August 2017 | 29 July 2018 | 361 days | U.S. Air Force | |
5 | James C. Slife (born 1967) | Lieutenant General29 July 2018 | June 2019 | ~321 days | U.S. Air Force | |
6 | Tony D. Bauernfeind | Lieutenant General31 June 2020 | 9 December 2022 | 2 years, 162 days | U.S. Air Force | |
7 | Francis L. Donovan | Lieutenant General~15 December 2022 | Incumbent | ~1 year, 265 days | U.S. Marine Corps |
No. | Senior enlisted leader | Term | Service branch | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | ||
6 | Command Sergeant Major Thomas H. Smith | 23 January 2006 | 27 September 2011 | 5 years, 247 days | U.S. Army | |
7 | Command Sergeant Major James C. Faris | 27 September 2011 | 15 October 2014 | 3 years, 18 days | U.S. Army | |
8 | Command Sergeant Major William F. Thetford | 15 October 2014 | 7 July 2016 | 1 year, 266 days | U.S. Army | |
9 | Command Sergeant Major Patrick L. McCauley | 7 July 2016 | 11 July 2019 | 3 years, 4 days | U.S. Army | |
10 | Chief Master Sergeant Gregory A. Smith | 11 July 2019 | 4 August 2022 | 3 years, 24 days | U.S. Air Force | |
11 | Command Sergeant Major Shane W. Shorter | 4 August 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 32 days | U.S. Army |
No. | Chief of Staff | Term | Service branch | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | ||
- | Brigadier General Gary W. Heckman | December 1997 | August 1998 | ~243 days | U.S. Air Force | |
- | Major General Joseph Votel (born 1958) | ~3 May 2010 | May 2011 | ~1 year, 12 days | U.S. Army | |
- | Major General Mark A. Clark | May 2011 | August 2012 | ~1 year, 92 days | U.S. Marine Corps | |
- | Major General James B. Laster | August 2012 | 2014 | ~1 year, 319 days | U.S. Marine Corps | |
- | Major General Walter Lee Miller Jr. | ~2014 | ~October 2015 | ~1 year, 107 days | U.S. Marine Corps | |
- | Major General J. Marcus Hicks | October 2015 | June 2017 | ~1 year, 243 days | U.S. Air Force | |
- | Major General James C. Slife (born 1967) | June 2017 | June 2018 | ~1 year, 0 days | U.S. Air Force | |
- | Major General James B. Linder | July 2018 | July 2019 | ~1 year, 0 days | U.S. Army | |
- | Major General Tony D. Bauernfeind | July 2019 | August 2020 | ~1 year, 31 days | U.S. Air Force | |
- | Rear Admiral Collin P. Green (born 1962) | 15 October 2020 | September 2021 | ~335 days | U.S. Navy | |
- | Major General Marcus S. Evans (born 1970) | September 2021 | August 2023 | ~1 year, 334 days | U.S. Army | |
- | Rear Admiral Milton Sands III | 31 July 2023 | July 2024 | ~336 days | U.S. Navy | |
- | Major General Guillaume Beaurpere | July 2024 | Incumbent | ~66 days | U.S. Army |
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