United States Special Operations Forces
Encyclopedia
United States Special Operations Forces under United States Special Operations Command
are active and reserve component forces of U.S. Military. They are designated by the United States Secretary of Defense
, and are specifically trained to conduct operations in an area under enemy or unfriendly control or politically sensitive environments to achieve military, diplomatic, and informational objectives of the United States.
When in the Continental United States (CONUS), most special operations forces (SOF) answer to the administration of their assigned branch of the military.
Special Mission Units
Intelligence Community
, dozens of special operations units have been formed and later disbanded. Many were created for a specific, limited objective (such as Task Force 11
), or for a specific conflict. In some cases, a special operations unit is reconstituted under a different name, usually for reasons of security, or evolves from a pilot project into a more permanent force.
United States Special Operations Command
The United States Special Operations Command is the Unified Combatant Command charged with overseeing the various Special Operations Commands of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps of the United States Armed Forces. The command is part of the Department of Defense...
are active and reserve component forces of U.S. Military. They are designated by the United States Secretary of Defense
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
, and are specifically trained to conduct operations in an area under enemy or unfriendly control or politically sensitive environments to achieve military, diplomatic, and informational objectives of the United States.
When in the Continental United States (CONUS), most special operations forces (SOF) answer to the administration of their assigned branch of the military.
List of United States Special Operations Forces
Special Mission UnitsSpecial Mission UnitA Special Mission Unit , in the United States Armed Forces, is a Tier-One United States Special Operations Command asset. Under the control of the Joint Special Operations Command, they are specially selected and designated units which are tasked with "special missions", sometimes referring to...
(SMUs)
- 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-DeltaDelta Force1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
("Delta Force/ACE/CAG") (United States ArmyUnited States Army Special Operations CommandThe United States Army Special Operations Command is the command charged with overseeing the various Special Operations Forces...
) - Intelligence Support ActivityIntelligence Support ActivityThe United States Army Intelligence Support Activity , frequently shortened to Intelligence Support Activity or ISA, and nicknamed The Activity is a United States Army Special Operations unit originally subordinated to the US Army Intelligence and Security Command...
("The Activity") (United States Army) - United States Naval Special Warfare Development GroupUnited States Naval Special Warfare Development GroupThe United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group , commonly known as DEVGRU and informally by its former name SEAL Team Six , is one of the United States' four secretive counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units .The vast majority of information about DEVGRU is highly classified, and...
("DEVGRU/SEAL Team Six") (United States NavyUnited States Naval Special Warfare CommandThe United States Naval Special Warfare Command was commissioned on April 16, 1987, at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in San Diego, California...
) - 24th Special Tactics Squadron24th Special Tactics SquadronThe 24th Special Tactics Squadron is one of the Special Tactics units of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command .-Disposition:Based at Pope Air Force Base the 24th STS is among the premier Special Tactics Squadrons in the Air Force....
("24th STS") (United States Air Force)
United States Army
- United States Army Special Forces ("Green Berets")
- 75th Ranger Regiment75th Ranger Regiment (United States)The 75th Ranger Regiment , also known as Rangers, is a Special Operations light infantry unit of the United States Army. The Regiment is headquartered in Fort Benning, Georgia with battalions in Fort Benning, Hunter Army Airfield and Joint Base Lewis-McChord...
("Rangers") - 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment is a special operations unit of the United States Army that provides helicopter aviation support for general purpose forces and Special Operations Forces. Its missions have included attack, assault, and reconnaissance, and are usually conducted at...
("Night Stalkers"/"SOAR") - 4th Psychological Operations Group4th Psychological Operations GroupThe 4th Military Information Support Group or 4th MISG is one of the United States Army's active military information support operations units alongside with the 8th Military Information Support Group, which was activated August 26, 2011 at Fort Bragg...
("Psy OPS") - 95th Civil Affairs Brigade
- 528th Sustainment Brigade
United States Marine Corps
- Marine Special Operations RegimentMarine Special Operations Regiment (United States)The Marine Special Operations Regiment is a special operations unit of the United States Marine Corps and the principal combat component of the Marine Corps Special Operations Command...
United States Navy
- United States Navy SEALsUnited States Navy SEALsThe United States Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command as well as the maritime component of the United States Special Operations Command.The acronym is derived from their...
- Special Warfare Combatant-craft CrewmenSpecial Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen-History:Special Boat Teams can trace their history back to World War II. Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three rescued General Douglas MacArthur from the Philippines after the Japanese invasion and then participated in guerrilla actions until American resistance ended with the fall of Corregidor...
(SWCC)
United States Air Force
- United States Air Force Combat Control Team
- United States Air Force Pararescue
- Air Force Special Operations Weather TechnicianAir Force Special Operations Weather TechnicianSpecial Operations Weather Team specialists are tactical observer/forecasters with ground combat capabilities and fall under the 720th Special Tactics Group within the Air Force Special Operations Command...
- US Air Force Tactical Air Control PartyUS Air Force Tactical Air Control PartyA United States Air Force Tactical Air Control Party, commonly abbreviated TACP, is usually a team of two or more United States Air Force TACP journeyman or craftsman aligned with a conventional or special operational United States Army combat maneuver unit to advise ground commanders on the best...
United States Coast Guard
- Coast Guard Deployable Operations GroupDeployable Operations GroupThe Deployable Operations Group is a United States Coast Guard command that provides properly equipped, trained and organized Deployable Specialized Forces to Coast Guard, DHS, DoD and inter-agency operational and tactical commanders...
Intelligence CommunityUnited States Intelligence CommunityThe United States Intelligence Community is a cooperative federation of 16 separate United States government agencies that work separately and together to conduct intelligence activities considered necessary for the conduct of foreign relations and the protection of the national security of the...
Special Units
- Special Activities DivisionSpecial Activities DivisionThe Special Activities Division is a division in the United States Central Intelligence Agency's National Clandestine Service responsible for covert operations known as "special activities"...
(CIACentral Intelligence AgencyThe Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
)
Disbanded and inactive units
In the modern U.S. military structure since World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, dozens of special operations units have been formed and later disbanded. Many were created for a specific, limited objective (such as Task Force 11
Task Force 11
-World War II:During World War II, Task Force 11 was a United States Navy aircraft carrier task force in the Pacific theater.TF 11 was originally formed around , then her sister ship until she was disabled by a Japanese torpedo in January 1942, then Lexington again for the Battle of the Coral...
), or for a specific conflict. In some cases, a special operations unit is reconstituted under a different name, usually for reasons of security, or evolves from a pilot project into a more permanent force.
U.S. special operations centers, schools, and courses
- Joint Special Operations UniversityJoint Special Operations UniversityThe Joint Special Operations University is the designated agency within USSOCOM to conduct joint Special Operations Force education and thus is tasked with and directed to provide relevant, realistic, leading-edge education opportunities to military and civilian special operations forces...
– Hurlburt FieldHurlburt FieldHurlburt Field is a U.S. Air Force installation located in Okaloosa County, Florida, immediately west of the Town of Mary Esther. It is part of the greater Eglin Air Force Base reservation, and is home to Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command , the 1st Special Operations Wing , the... - Ranger SchoolRanger SchoolThe United States Army Ranger School is an intense 61-day combat leadership course oriented towards small-unit tactics. It has been called the "toughest combat course in the world" and "is the most physically and mentally demanding leadership school the Army has to offer". The course is conducted...
– Fort BenningFort BenningFort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
- Small Unit Ranger Tactics (SURT) – Fort BenningFort BenningFort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
- Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP 1/ RASP 2) – Fort BenningFort BenningFort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
- Small Unit Ranger Tactics (SURT) – Fort Benning
- John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School – Fort BraggFort Bragg, North CarolinaFort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
- Naval Special Warfare CenterNaval Special Warfare CenterThe United States Phil Bucklew Naval Special Warfare Center is a component command of the Naval Special Warfare Command and is sited within Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, California....
– Coronado, CaliforniaCoronado, CaliforniaCoronado, also known as Coronado Island, is an affluent resort city located in San Diego County, California, 5.2 miles from downtown San Diego. Its population was 24,697 at the 2010 census, up from 24,100 at the 2000 census. U.S. News and World Report lists Coronado as one of the most expensive... - USAF Special Operations School – Hurlburt FieldHurlburt FieldHurlburt Field is a U.S. Air Force installation located in Okaloosa County, Florida, immediately west of the Town of Mary Esther. It is part of the greater Eglin Air Force Base reservation, and is home to Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command , the 1st Special Operations Wing , the...
- Marine Special Operations School – Camp Lejeune
- Marine Corps Special Operations Training GroupSpecial Operations Training GroupThe Special Operations Training Group, or SOTG, is a training section of the United States Marine Corps that provides Marine Expeditionary Force commanders with training facilities and a liaison for Marine Expeditionary Units . They also conduct special skills courses that trains Marines and...
- Marine CorpsMarine corpsA marine is a member of a force that specializes in expeditionary operations such as amphibious assault and occupation. The marines traditionally have strong links with the country's navy...
– Basic Reconnaissance Course (Camp Pendleton, CA)
- Marine Corps Special Operations Training Group
Commands
- United States Special Operations CommandUnited States Special Operations CommandThe United States Special Operations Command is the Unified Combatant Command charged with overseeing the various Special Operations Commands of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps of the United States Armed Forces. The command is part of the Department of Defense...
(SOCOM)- United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC)
- United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC)
- United States Army Special Operations CommandUnited States Army Special Operations CommandThe United States Army Special Operations Command is the command charged with overseeing the various Special Operations Forces...
(USASOC) - United States Naval Special Warfare CommandUnited States Naval Special Warfare CommandThe United States Naval Special Warfare Command was commissioned on April 16, 1987, at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in San Diego, California...
(SPECWARCOM, NAVSOC, or NSW)
- Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC)
- Special Operations Command South (SOCSOUTH)
- Special Operations Command KoreaSpecial Operations Command KoreaSpecial Operations Command Korea is a United States military organization in South Korea that provides special operations forces to United States Forces Korea, the United Nations Command, and the Combined Forces Command...
(SOCKOR)
See also
- Close quarters combat
- Counter-insurgencyCounter-insurgencyA counter-insurgency or counterinsurgency involves actions taken by the recognized government of a nation to contain or quell an insurgency taken up against it...
- Counter-terrorismCounter-terrorismCounter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...
- Guerrilla warfareGuerrilla warfareGuerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
- Hand-to-hand combat
- Hostage Rescue Team (FBI)
- Krav magaKrav MagaKrav Maga is a noncompetitive eclectic self-defense system developed in Europe that involves striking techniques, wrestling and grappling. Krav Maga is known for its focus on real-world situations and extremely efficient, brutal counter-attacks...
- Knife fightKnife fightA knife fight is a violent physical confrontation between two or more combatants in which one or more participants is armed with a knife...
- Light infantryLight infantryTraditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry. Heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight...
- List of special forces units
- Special reconnaissanceSpecial reconnaissanceSpecial reconnaissance is conducted by small units of highly trained military personnel, usually from special forces units or military intelligence organisations, who operate behind enemy lines, avoiding direct combat and detection by the enemy. As a role, SR is distinct from commando operations,...
- SWATSWATA SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
- Unconventional warfareUnconventional warfareUnconventional warfare is the opposite of conventional warfare. Where conventional warfare is used to reduce an opponent's military capability, unconventional warfare is an attempt to achieve military victory through acquiescence, capitulation, or clandestine support for one side of an existing...
- Urban warfareUrban warfareUrban warfare is combat conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat is very different from combat in the open at both the operational and tactical level...