For more than 20 years, special operations forces spearheaded US military operations around the world.
Throughout the “Global War on Terrorism,” the United States has gone to war in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, hunting down terrorists and insurgents. Although the US military deployed large numbers of conventional forces, it was special operations units that led the fight. Green Berets and CIA paramilitary and operations officers spearheaded the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, while Delta Force operators and Green Berets distracted several Iraqi divisions during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Today, the US special operations community is the largest and most capable in the world. It was not always so. But decades of fighting led to the creation of a lethal force with a global purview that can strike anywhere, anytime.
Understanding the US Special Operations Community
The US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is a four-star functional combatant command responsible for training, doctrine, and equipping special operations units. SOCOM consists of approximately 70,000 troops, contractors, and civilian personnel. Each service of the military has a subordinate command under SOCOM.
- Army: Special Operations Command (USASOC)
- Navy: Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC)
- Air Force: Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC)
- Marines: Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC)
- Combined: Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). This contains the military’s most elite special missions units, such as DEVGRU (popularly known as “SEAL Team Six”), the Delta Force, the Intelligence Support Activity (ISA), and so on.
Special operations forces offer an attractive package to policymakers: they are relatively cheap, with a small footprint, the allure of deniability, and—most crucially—a low political cost.
SOCOM’s Units and Mission Sets
SOCOM has 12 core mission sets among its units:
- Direct action
- Special reconnaissance
- Unconventional warfare
- Foreign internal defense
- Civil affairs operations
- Counterterrorism
- Hostage rescue
- Counter-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
- Security force assistance
- Military information support operations
- Counterinsurgency
- Foreign humanitarian assistance
Different special operations units can be capable of the same mission sets. For example, almost all special operations units can conduct direct action, or short-duration strikes and other small-scale offensive operations using specialized capabilities to seize, destroy, capture, exploit, recover, or damage enemy targets. Navy SEALs can conduct direct action, as can the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment.
But some mission sets are reserved for particular units. For example, the Army’s Civil Affairs units are the only ones that can conduct civil affairs operations. Moreover, only the Army’s psychological operations units can conduct military information support operations.
Some of SOCOM’s units include the Navy SEAL Teams, the Special Boat Teams, the Army Special Forces Regiment (the Green Berets), the 75th Ranger Regiment, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade, the Psychological Operations Groups, the Marine Raider Regiment, and the Air Commandos (aircraft units and special tactics airmen).
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
Image: Shutterstock / getmilitaryphotos.
