United States Special Operations Command
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The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or USSOC) is the Unified Combatant Command charged with overseeing the various Special Operations Commands (SOC or SOCOM) of each branch of the U.S. military. The command is part of the U.S. Department of Defense. When Special Operations Forces (SOF) of different branches are used for the same operation, USSOCOM acts as the Joint Command Center (JCC) of all the forces used in the operation. USSOCOM is headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida.
Contents |
[edit] List of USSOCOM commanders
| Name and Affiliation | Start of Term | End of Term |
|---|---|---|
| Gen. Carl W. Stiner, US Army | June 1990 | May 1993 |
| Gen. Wayne A. Downing, US Army | May 1993 | February 1996 |
| Gen. Henry H. Shelton, US Army | February 1996 | September 1997 |
| Rear Adm. Raymond C. Smith, Jr., US Navy (interim) | September 1997 | November 1997 |
| Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, US Army | November 1997 | October 2000 |
| Gen. Charles R. Holland, US Air Force | October 2000 | September 2003 |
| Gen. Bryan D. Brown, US Army | September 2003 | present |
[edit] Component Commands (incomplete)
Each Special Operations Command is unique and capable of running their own operations, but when the different Special Operations Forces need to work together for an operation, USSOCOM becomes the joint component command of the operation, instead of a SOC of a specific branch. Joint Special Operations Command is under the command of USSOCOM.
[edit] Air Force
The Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) is in charge of the different Special Operations Forces of the U.S. Air Force. The command currently oversees:
Active-duty
- 1st Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field, FL
- 352d Special Operations Group, RAF Mildenhall, England
- 353d Special Operations Group, Kadena Air Base, Japan
- 720th Special Tactics Group, Hurlburt Field, FL
- U.S. Air Force Special Operations School, Hurlburt Field, FL
- 18th Flight Test Squadron, Hurlburt Field, FL
Reserves & National Guard
- 919th Special Operations Wing, Duke Field, FL
- 193rd Special Operations Wing, Harrisburg International Airport, PA
- 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, Standiford Field, KY
- 209th Civil Engineer Squadron, Gulfport, MS
- 280th Combat Communication Squadron, Dothan, AL
- 107th Weather Flight, Selfridge Air National Guard Base, MI
- 146th Weather Flight, Pittsburgh, PA
- 181st Weather Flight, Dallas, TX
[edit] Army
The U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) is in charge of the Special Operations Forces (SOF) of the U.S. Army. The command currently oversees:
- United States Army Special Forces Command (USASFC) (Green Berets)
- 1st Special Forces Group - 1st Battalion stationed in Okinawa, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions headquartered at Fort Lewis, Washington. 1st SFG has responsibility for the Pacific.
- 3rd Special Forces Group - Headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. 3rd SFG has responsibility for all of Africa except for the eastern Horn of Africa.
- 5th Special Forces Group - Headquartered at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. 5th SFG has responsibility for the Middle East, Persian Gulf, Central Asia and the Horn of Africa (HOA).
- 7th Special Forces Group - Headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. 7th SFG has responsibility for Latin and Central America as well as the Caribbean (along with 20th SFG).
- 10th Special Forces Group - 1st Battalion stationed near Stuttgart, Germany, and the 2nd and 3rd Battalions are headquartered at Fort Carson, Colorado. 10th SFG has responsibility for Europe, mainly Central and Eastern, the Balkans, Turkey, Israel and Lebanon.
- 19th Special Forces Group - National Guard unit for the Special Forces. 19th SFG has responsibility over Southeast Asia (shared with 5th SFG), as well as the Pacific (shared with 1st SFG).
- 20th Special Forces Group - National Guard unit for the Special Forces. 20th SFG has an area of responsibility covering 32 countries, including Latin America south of Mexico, the waters, territories, and nations in the Caribbean sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. The total area covers 15.6 square miles, and is shared with 7th SFG.
- 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (SFOD-D, Delta Force)
- 75th Ranger Regiment (U.S. Army Rangers, Light Infantry)
- 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Night Stalkers, Helicopters)
- 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne) Psychological Operations (PSYOP)
- 96th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) Civil Affairs (CA)
- U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (USACAPOC) was recently moved under the control of U.S. Army Reserve Command and is responsible to overseeing all Reserve Civil Affairs and PSYOP units. The 96th Civil Affairs Bn (A) and the 4th PSYOP Group (A) represent active duty Civil Affairs and PSYOP and fall directly under USASOC. USASOC retrains proponency for all Civil Affairs and PSYOP doctrine and training.
- Special Operations Support Command (Airborne)
- 112th Special Operations Signal Battalion (Airborne)
- 528th Special Operations Support Battalion (Airborne)
- Material Management Center (Airborne)
- five Special Operations Theater Support Elements
- John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center (USAJFKSWCS) and its schools:
- Military Free Fall School – HALO/HAHO
[edit] Navy
The U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command (NAVSPECWARCOM) is in charge of the different Special Operations Forces of the U.S. Navy, particularly the different SEAL Teams. The command currently oversees:
- Naval Special Warfare Group ONE (SEAL Teams, Naval Air Base, Coronado, CA)
- Naval Special Warfare Group TWO (SEAL Teams, Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, VA)
- Naval Special Warfare Group THREE (SEAL Delivery Vehicle Teams, Naval Air Base, Coronado, CA)
- Naval Special Warfare Group FOUR (Special Boat Teams, Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, VA)
- Naval Special Warfare Development Group (Counter-terrorist DEVGRU, fmr. SEAL Team 6, Dam Neck, VA)
[edit] Marine Corps
- Marine Forces Special Operations Command(MARSOC), as the US Marine Corps component of USSOCOM, trains, organizes, equips and, when directed by the Commander, USSOCOM, deploys task organized, scalable, and responsive U.S. Marine Corps special operations forces worldwide in support of
combatant commanders and other agencies.
- 2 Marine Special Operations Battalions (1st MSOB, Camp Pendleton, CA; 2nd MSOB, Camp Lejeune, NC)
- 24 planned Foreign Military Training Units (FMTUs)
- Marine Special Operations Support Group
- Marine Special Operations School (consisting of and East and West Coast Special Missions Training Branch (SMTB))
The FMTU has been operating since 2005; before MARSOC formally existed. MARSOC was formally activated during a February 24th ceremony at Camp Lejeune, N.C., where MARSOC is now headquartered. Fox Company, 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, was the first of the Marine Special Operations Battalions' companies to activate in the Spring of 2006. Drawing its manpower from the core of 2nd Force Reconnaissance Co., Fox Company's creation came at the expense of 2nd Force Reconnaissance Co., which stood down upon the transfer of its platoons to both MARSOC's 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, and a new company (Delta) of 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion.
[edit] The Joint Special Operations Command
The (Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) is the USSOCOM branch working on counter terrorism. It controls the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (SFOD-D, Delta Force), which is administratively under U.S Army command; the DEVGRU (Navy Special Warfare Development Group, formerly SEAL Team 6); parts of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), notably the the 1st Battalion, which flies several versions of the AH/MH-6 "Little Bird" helicopter; the USAF's 24th Special Tactics Squadron and several squadrons of the 16th Special Operations Wing; the unit previously known as Intelligence Support Activity, a covert unit that often changes its name and carries out special missions in support of other JSOC units, and several other Special Missions Units.
Portions of JSOC units have made up the constantly changing counter-terror strikeforce variously known as Task Force 121, Task Force 6-26, and Task Force 145 since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
[edit] External links
[edit] Official sites
[edit] Other useful links
- Spec Encyclopaedia
- Sua Sponte.com
- ShadowSpear Special Operations Community Website
- SpecialOperations.com: U.S. Special Operations
[edit] References
- USDOD. U.S. DOD Dictionary of Military Terms. United States of America: U.S. Department of Defense. June 5, 2003.
- USDOD. U.S. DOD Dictionary of Military Terms: Joint Acronyms and Abbreviations. United States of America: U.S. Department of Defense. June 5, 2003.
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| Regional responsibilities | |
| US Northern Command - US Central Command - US European Command - US Pacific Command - US Southern Command | |
| Functional responsibilities | |
| US Special Operations Command - US Joint Forces Command - US Strategic Command - US Transportation Command - US Unified Medical Command | |
