United States special operations forces
United States Special Operations Forces (SOF) are components of the Department of Defense's United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).
The U.S. military definition of Special Operations Forces according to the Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms is "Those Active and Reserve Component forces of the Military Services designated by the Secretary of Defense and specifically organized, trained, and equipped to conduct and support special operations. Also called SOF".[1] The definition in the DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms references Joint Publication 3-05.1 - Joint Special Operations Task Force Operations (JP 3-05.1) as its source.[1][2]
List of SOF units
- ★ Represents a unit led by a Brigadier General or Rear Admiral (lower half)
- ★★ by a Major General or Rear Admiral (upper half)
- ★★★ by a Lieutenant General or Vice Admiral
Joint Special Operations Command
Joint Special Operations Command ★★★[3]
- 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta
- Intelligence Support Activity
- United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group
- 24th Special Tactics Squadron
- US Army Flight Concepts Division
- 427th Special Operations Squadron
- Joint Communications Unit
United States Army
- United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) ★★★[3]
- 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) (Provisional) ★★[3]
- Special Forces Regiment[3]
- 1st Special Forces Group[3]
- 3rd Special Forces Group[3]
- 5th Special Forces Group[3]
- 7th Special Forces Group[3]
- 10th Special Forces Group[3]
- 19th Special Forces Group (Army National Guard)[3]
- 20th Special Forces Group (Army National Guard)[3]
- Military Information Support Operations Command[3]
- 4th Military Information Support Group[3]
- 6th Military Information Support Group[3]
- 95th Civil Affairs Brigade[3]
- 528th Sustainment Brigade[3]
- Special Forces Regiment[3]
- 75th Ranger Regiment[3]
- 1st Ranger Battalion[3]
- 2nd Ranger Battalion[3]
- 3rd Ranger Battalion[3]
- 75th Ranger Special Troops Battalion[3]
- US Army Special Operations Aviation Command (ARSOAC) ★[3]
- 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR)[3]
- Special Operations Aviation Training Battalion[3]
- John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School ★★[3]
- 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) (Provisional) ★★[3]
United States Marine Corps
- United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) ★★[3]
- Marine Raider Regiment[3]
- Marine Raider Support Group[3]
- Marine Special Operations School[3]
United States Navy
- Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC) ★★[3]
- Naval Special Warfare Group 1[3]
- Naval Special Warfare Group 2[3]
- Naval Special Warfare Group 3[3]
- Naval Special Warfare Group 4[3]
- Naval Special Warfare Group 10[3]
- Naval Special Warfare Group 11[3]
- SEAL Teams 17, 18 (Navy Reserve)[3]
- Naval Special Warfare Center[3]
- United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group[3]
United States Air Force
- Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) ★★★[3]
- 1st Special Operations Wing[3]
- 1st Special Operations Group[4]
- 24th Special Operations Wing[3]
- 720th Special Tactics Group[5]
- 724th Special Tactics Group[5]
- 24th Special Tactics Squadron[5]
- 724th Intelligence Squadron[5]
- 27th Special Operations Wing[3]
- 27th Special Operations Group[6]
- 3rd Special Operations Squadron[6]
- 9th Special Operations Squadron[6]
- 16th Special Operations Squadron[6]
- 20th Special Operations Squadron[6]
- 33rd Special Operations Squadron[6]
- 56th Special Operations Intelligence Squadron[6]
- 73rd Special Operations Squadron[6]
- 318th Special Operations Squadron[6]
- 524th Special Operations Squadron[6]
- 27th Special Operations Group[6]
- 193d Special Operations Wing (Air National Guard)[3]
- 919th Special Operations Wing (Air Force Reserve)[3]
- 919th Special Operations Group[7]
- 352d Special Operations Wing (Provisional)[3]
- 353rd Special Operations Group[3]
- 1st Special Operations Squadron[9]
- 17th Special Operations Squadron[9]
- Detachment 1, 43rd Intelligence Squadron[9]
- 320th Special Tactics Squadron[9]
- Air Force Special Operations Air Warfare Center ★★[3]
- 19th Special Operations Squadron[10]
- 551st Special Operations Squadron[10]
- 5th Special Operations Squadron (USAF Reserves)[10]
- 371st Special Operations Combat Training Squadron[10]
- 280th Combat Communications Squadron[10]
- 18th Flight Test Squadron[10]
- 6th Special Operations Squadron[10]
- United States Air Force Special Operations School[10]
- 1st Special Operations Wing[3]
SOF career fields
United States Army
- Enablers[11]
- Sustainers
- Army Special Operations Aviators
- Military Information Support Operators (Psychological Operations)
- Civil Affairs Soldiers
- Military Intelligence and other Special Operations/Support with enlisted Special Qualification (SQI) Identifier "S" or "K9" for Officers.
United States Marine Corps
- Enablers[11]
- Special Operations Capabilities Specialist
- Combat Services Specialist
United States Navy
- Navy SEALs
- Special warfare combatant-craft crewmen (SWCC)
- Special amphibious reconnaissance corpsman (SARC)
- Enablers[11]
- United States Navy EOD
- Mobile Communications Team
United States Air Force
- Officers
- Combat Rescue Officer (CRO) - PJ officers
- Special Tactics Officer (STO) - CCT/SOWT officers
- Air Liaison Officer (ALO)* - TACP officers
- Enlisted
- Combat Control (CCT)
- Pararescue (PJ)
- Special Operations Weather Technician (SOWT)
- Tactical Air Control Party (TACP)*
* Note: ALO/TACP are not inherently designated SOF, only ALO/TACP belonging to Special Tactics Squadrons which are under AFSOC, the vast majority of TACPs/ALOs are in Air Support Operations Squadrons which belong to Air Combat Command.
U.S. Special Operations centers, schools, and courses
- International Special Training Center (ISTC) - Pfullendorf, Federal Republic of Germany
- Joint Special Operations University – Hurlburt Field
- Advanced Special Operations Techniques Course (ASOTC) - Fort Bragg
- John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School – Fort Bragg
- Military Free Fall Advanced Tactical Infiltration Course (ATIC) - Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona
- Naval Special Warfare Center – Coronado, California
- Naval Special Warfare Advanced Training Command, Imperial Beach, CA
- Recon and Surveillance Leaders Course (RSLC) - Fort Bening, Georgia
- Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat (SFAUC) - Fort Bragg
- Special Forces Combat Diver Qualification Course - Key West, Florida
- Special Forces Sniper Course (SFSC) - Fort Bragg
- Special Forces Advanced Targeting Reconnaissance Target Analysis Exploitation Techniques (SFARTAETC)
- Special Forces Physical Surveillance Course
- SOF Sensitive Site Exploitation, Technical Exploitation Course
- SOF Sensitive Site Exploitation, Operator Advanced Course
- Special Forces Master Mountaineering Course (Level 1)
- Special Forces Senior Mountaineering Course (Level 2)
- Winter Warfare, Mountain and Cold Weather Operations
- Special Forces Technical Surveillance (SFTSC)
- Marine Special Operations School – Camp Lejeune
- Marine Corps Special Operations Training Group
- US Army Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP) – Fort Benning, Georgia
- US Army Small Unit Ranger Tactics (SURT) – Fort Benning, Georgia
- USAF Combat Control School – Pope Field, North Carolina
- USAF Pararescue Recovery Specialist Course - Kirtland AFB, NM
- USAF Special Operations School – Hurlburt Field, FL
- Special Tactics Training Squadron
- Special Operations Terminal Attack Control Course (SOTACC), Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona[12]
- JTAC Advanced Instructor Course – Nellis AFB, NV[13]
- Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, Naval Air Station Fallon, NV
- US Navy Rescue Swimmer school, Pensacola, Florida
- US Coast Guard Special Mission Training Center, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
Commands
- United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM)[11]
- Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC)[11]
- United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC)[11]
- United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC)[11]
- United States Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC)[11]
- United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC)[11]
- Special Operations Command – Joint Capabilities (SOC-JC)
- Theater Special Operations Commands
- Special Operations Command Africa (SOCAFRICA)[11]
- Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT)[11]
- Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR)[11]
- Joint Special Operations Air Component Europe
- Special Operations Command Pacific (SOCPAC)[11]
- Special Operations Command South (SOCSOUTH)[11][14]
- Special Operations Command North (SOCNORTH)[15][11]
- Special Operations Command Korea (SOCKOR)[11]
Notes
- 1 2 special operations forces. Dtic.mil. Retrieved on 2014-05-24.
- ↑ "Joint Special Operations Task Force Operations" (PDF). 26 April 2007. p. GP-15 (Glossary page). Retrieved 2013-09-19.
- 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 86 87 88 SOCOM Public Affairs (2015). SOCOM Fact Book 2015 (PDF). SOCOM Public Affairs.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "1st Special Operations Group fact sheet". July 1, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "24th Special Operations Wing fact sheet". July 1, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "27th Special Operations Wing fact sheet". July 1, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 "919th Special Operations Wing fact sheet". July 1, 2015.
- 1 2 3 "352d Special Operations Wing fact sheet". July 1, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 "353rd Special Operations Group fact sheet". July 1, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Air Force Special Operations Air Warfare Center". July 1, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "SOCOM 2014 Factbook" (PDF). 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
- ↑ http://www.yumasun.com/news/military_news/air-force-becomes-newest-ypg-tenant/article_86301f97-82f9-57a8-8f72-c741ed862483.html
- ↑ "Enlisted heroes receive graduate-level education at Weapons School". 6 February 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
- ↑ Special Operations Command South
- ↑ U.S. Special Operations Command, North (Provisional Command) > U.S. Northern Command > Article View. Northcom.mil (2013-05-16). Retrieved on 2014-05-24.
References
- United States Department of Defense (5 June 2003). "US DOD Dictionary of Military Terms: Joint Acronyms and Abbreviations". United States Department of Defense. United States of America. Retrieved 11 January 2004.
- CSM Eric Haney (retired, former Delta Force operator and founding member) (2002). Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit. Delacorte Press. ISBN 0-385-33603-9.
- Linda Robinson (2004). Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of the Special Forces. PublicAffairs. ISBN 1-58648-249-1.
- Mark Bowden (1999). Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern Warfare. Atlantic Monthly Press. ISBN 0-87113-738-0.
- Sean Naylor (2005). Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda. The Berkeley Publishing Group. ISBN 0-425-19609-7.
- "Special Forces Units". Retrieved 8 October 2006.
External links
- David Ignatius: Learning to Fight a War - Washington Post, 2008-02-10
- US Special Operation Forces – 2009 SOCOM Factbook
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