United States special operations forces

Last updated

United States special operations forces (SOF) are the active and reserve component forces of the United States Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force within the US military, as designated by the Secretary of Defense and specifically organized, trained, and equipped to conduct and support special operations. [1] [2] All active and reserve special operations forces are assigned to the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). [2] [3]

Contents

Composition

Component commands
★★★ Represents a unit led by a lieutenant general or vice admiral
★★ Represents a unit led by a major general or rear admiral (upper half)
★ Represents a unit led by a brigadier general or rear admiral (lower half)

Joint Special Operations Command

Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) ★★★ [7]

United States Army

1-10th Special Forces Group secure their weapons after a day of training at the Panzer Range Complex, Boeblingen, Germany, 8 Nov. 2016. 161109-A-RY767-130 (25363079749).jpg
1-10th Special Forces Group secure their weapons after a day of training at the Panzer Range Complex, Boeblingen, Germany, 8 Nov. 2016.
Army Rangers during a training operation. U.S. Army Rangers, assigned to 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, prepare for extraction on Fort Hunter Liggett, California, Jan. 30, 2014.jpg
Army Rangers during a training operation.

United States Marine Corps

Marine Raiders fine-tune Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) skills. MARSOC Marines fine-tune Visit, Board, Search and Seizure skills 150114-M-LS286-215.jpg
Marine Raiders fine-tune Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) skills.

United States Navy

Navy SEALs during night operation in Afghanistan. United States Navy SEALs 676.jpg
Navy SEALs during night operation in Afghanistan.
SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team (SDV) 2 conduct diving lock out US Navy 071026-N-3093M-012 Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kori Melvin documents Navy divers and special operators from SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team (SDV) 2 and Naval Special Warfare Logistics Support conducting Lock Out.jpg
SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team (SDV) 2 conduct diving lock out
SWCC from Special Boat Team 22 operating a SOC-R SWCC operating a SOC-R in Act of Valor.jpg
SWCC from Special Boat Team 22 operating a SOC-R

United States Air Force

Air Force Special Tactics Commandos training in Jordan Members of the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command, assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron.jpg
Air Force Special Tactics Commandos training in Jordan

SOF career fields

United States Army

Army Special Forces (Green Berets) during breach and clear training near al-Tanf, Syria Green Beret breach training at ATG, 25 April 2020.jpg
Army Special Forces (Green Berets) during breach and clear training near al-Tanf, Syria

United States Marine Corps

United States Navy

Special Boat Team 20 navigates a rigid-hull inflatable boat while a SEAL team boards a yacht US Navy 090427-N-4205W-352 A Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC) assigned to Special Boat Team (SBT) 20 navigates a rigid-hull inflatable boat.jpg
Special Boat Team 20 navigates a rigid-hull inflatable boat while a SEAL team boards a yacht

United States Air Force

* Not all PJs/CROs are assigned to AFSOC; many are assigned to Rescue Squadrons within ACC, PACAF, and USAFE. There is no difference in training or selection between Rescue and Special Tactics assignments. [23]

** TACP-O/TACP Airmen must undergo additional selection and training to be assigned to AFSOC Special Tactics Squadrons. Most are assigned to ACC and support conventional Army Units. [24]

U.S. special operations centers, schools, and courses

Deployable Specialized Forces U.S. Coast Guard operators fire Mk18 rifles while instructors supervise during the Advanced Tactical Operations Course at Special Missions Training Center Locked, Loaded, US Coast Guardsmen participate in Advanced Tactical Operations Course 150402-M-IU187-018.jpg
Deployable Specialized Forces U.S. Coast Guard operators fire Mk18 rifles while instructors supervise during the Advanced Tactical Operations Course at Special Missions Training Center

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Navy SEALs</span> U.S. Navy special operations force

The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting small-unit special operation missions in maritime, jungle, urban, arctic, mountainous, and desert environments. SEALs are typically ordered to capture or kill high-level targets, or to gather intelligence behind enemy lines. SEAL team personnel are hand-selected, highly trained, and possess a high degree of proficiency in unconventional warfare (UW), direct action (DA), and special reconnaissance (SR), among other tasks like sabotage, demolition, intelligence gathering, and hydrographic reconnaissance, training, and advising friendly militaries or other forces. All active SEALs are members of the U.S. Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special operations</span> Specially designated military operations that are considered unconventional

Special operations or special ops are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment." Special operations may include reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, and counterterrorism, and are typically conducted by small groups of highly trained personnel, emphasizing sufficiency, stealth, speed, and tactical coordination, commonly known as special forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Army Special Operations Command</span> Army component of the U.S. Special Operations Command

The United States Army Special Operations Command (Airborne) (USASOC ( YOO-sə-sok)) is the command charged with overseeing the various special operations forces of the United States Army. Headquartered at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, it is the largest component of the United States Special Operations Command. It is an Army Service Component Command. Its mission is to organize, train, educate, man, equip, fund, administer, mobilize, deploy and sustain Army special operations forces to successfully conduct worldwide special operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Naval Special Warfare Command</span> Naval component of United States Special Operations Command

The United States Naval Special Warfare Command (USNSWC), also known as NAVSPECWARCOM and WARCOM, is the naval component of United States Special Operations Command, the unified command that oversees and conducts the nation's special operations and missions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Marine Forces Special Operations Command</span> United States Marine Corps component command

United States Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) is a component command of the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) that comprises the Marine Corps' contribution to SOCOM, originating from Marine Force Recon (FORECON). Its core capabilities are direct action, special reconnaissance and foreign internal defense. MARSOC has also been directed to conduct counter-terrorism and information operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Air Force Special Reconnaissance</span> U.S. Air Force special operations career field

Special Reconnaissance (SR), formerly Special Operations Weather Technician or Team (SOWT), is conducted by trained Air Force personnel assigned to Special Tactics Squadrons of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command who operate deep behind enemy lines to conduct covert direction of air and missile attacks, place remotely monitored sensors, and support other special operation units. Like other special operations units, SR units may also carry out direct action (DA) and unconventional warfare (UW), including guerrilla operations. As SOWTs they were tactical observer/forecasters with ground combat capabilities and fell under the Air Force Special Tactics within the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The mission of a Special Operations Weather Technician was to deploy by the most feasible means available into combat and non-permissive environments to collect and interpret meteorological data and provide air and ground forces commanders with timely, accurate intelligence. They collect data, assist mission planning, generate accurate and mission-tailored target and route forecasts in support of global special operations, conduct special weather reconnaissance and train foreign national forces. SOWTs provided vital intelligence and deployed with joint air and ground forces in support of direct action, counter-terrorism, foreign internal defense, humanitarian assistance, special reconnaissance, austere airfield, and combat search and rescue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Organization of the United States Marine Corps</span>

The United States Marine Corps is organized within the Department of the Navy, which is led by the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV). The most senior Marine commissioned officer is the Commandant of the Marine Corps, responsible for organizing, recruiting, training, and equipping the Marine Corps so that it is ready for operation under the command of the unified combatant commanders. The Marine Corps is organized into four principal subdivisions: Headquarters Marine Corps, the Operating Forces, the Supporting Establishment, and the Marine Forces Reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States military beret flash</span>

In the United States (US) military, a beret flash is a shield-shaped embroidered cloth that is typically 2.25 in (5.72 cm) tall and 1.875 in (4.76 cm) wide with a semi–circular base that is attached to a stiffener backing of a military beret. These flashes—a British English word for a colorful cloth patch attached to military headgear—are worn over the left eye with the excess cloth of the beret shaped, folded, and pulled over the right ear giving it a distinctive appearance.

The United States Marine Corps is tasked by Department of Defense directive to "conduct complex expeditionary operations in the urban littorals and other challenging environments" and "conduct amphibious operations, including engagement, crisis response, and power projection operations to assure access." Before 2006, the Marine Corps was the only branch of the Armed Forces that did not have any of its special warfare elements participating in the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), due to confining its special operations capabilities only for the purpose to the Fleet Marine Force.

The reconnaissance mission within the United States Marine Corps is divided into two distinct but complementary aspects; Marine Division Recon and Force Reconnaissance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Operations Command (Philippines)</span> Military unit

The Armed Forces of the Philippines Special Operations Command (AFPSOCOM) is the unified special operations command of the AFP. It is responsible for planning, conducting, and supporting special operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Special Operations Command</span> Unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for special operations

The United States Special Operations Command is the unified combatant command charged with overseeing the various special operations component commands of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force of the United States Armed Forces. The command is part of the Department of Defense and is the only unified combatant command created by an Act of Congress. USSOCOM is headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida.

References

  1. ↑ Joint Chiefs of Staff (16 July 2014). Special Operations (PDF). Joint Publication 3-05. Washington, DC: Department of Defense. pp. I-3–I-4, GL-11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2016.
  2. 1 2 "10 U.S. Code § 167 - Unified combatant command for special operations forces". Legal Information Institute. Cornell Law School. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  3. ↑ Joint Chiefs of Staff 2014, p. I-3.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "SOCOM 2014 Factbook" (PDF). 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  5. ↑ Special Operations Command South
  6. ↑ U.S. Special Operations Command, North (Provisional Command) > U.S. Northern Command > Article View. Northcom.mil (16 May 2013). Retrieved on 2014-05-24.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 SOCOM Public Affairs (2015). SOCOM Fact Book 2015 (PDF). SOCOM Public Affairs.
  8. 1 2 Trevithick, Joseph. "Shedding Some Light on the Pentagon's Most Shadowy Aviation Units". The Drive. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  9. ↑ "Joint Communications Unit | JCU | Fort Bragg, NC". jcu.mil. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  10. ↑ "U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command Establishes Group Eight, Disestablishes Groups Three and Ten". DVIDSHUB. 25 August 2021. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  11. ↑ Atlamazoglou, Stavros (15 September 2021). "To take on Russia and China, the US Navy is standing up a new unit to do the missions that only SEALs can do". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  12. ↑ NAVAL SPECIAL WARFARE (PDF) (Report). Naval Special Warfare Center. May 2013. NWP 3-05. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  13. ↑ Faram, Mark D. (25 February 2019). "SEALs revive stealthy submarine delivery team in Virginia". Navy Times. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  14. 1 2 3 "Fact Book 2022" (PDF). SOCOM. 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "1st Special Operations Group fact sheet". 1 July 2015.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "24th Special Operations Wing fact sheet". 1 July 2015.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "27th Special Operations Wing fact sheet". 1 July 2015.
  18. ↑ "Fact Book 2022" (PDF). SOCOM. 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "919th Special Operations Wing fact sheet". 1 July 2015.
  20. 1 2 3 "352d Special Operations Wing fact sheet". 1 July 2015.
  21. 1 2 3 4 "353rd Special Operations Group fact sheet". 1 July 2015.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Air Force Special Operations Air Warfare Center". 1 July 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  23. ↑ "Unit Info". 19 January 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  24. ↑ "Policy changes allow Airmen to retrain into special ops". U.S. Air Force. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  25. ↑ WULLENJOHN, CHUCK. "Air Force becomes newest YPG tenant". Yuma Sun. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  26. ↑ "Enlisted heroes receive graduate-level education at Weapons School". 6 February 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.