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". 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.
Video United States special operations forces
Composition
- Component commands
- United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM)
- Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC)
- United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC)
- United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC)
- United States Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC)
- United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC)
- Special Operations Command - Joint Capabilities (SOC-JC)
- Theater Special Operations Commands
- Special Operations Command Africa (SOCAFRICA)
- Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT)
- Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR)
- Joint Special Operations Air Component Europe
- Special Operations Command Pacific (SOCPAC)
- Special Operations Command South (SOCSOUTH)
- Special Operations Command North (SOCNORTH)
- Special Operations Command Korea (SOCKOR)
- ? Represents a unit led by a Brigadier General or Rear Admiral (lower half)
- ?? Represents a unit led by a Major General or Rear Admiral (upper half)
- ??? Represents a unit led by a Lieutenant General or Vice Admiral
Joint Special Operations Command
Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) ???
- 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Airborne) (USA)
- 24th Special Tactics Squadron (USAF)
- 427th Special Operations Squadron (USAF)
- Flight Concepts Division (USA)
- Intelligence Support Activity (USA)
- Joint Communications Unit (Joint Service)
- Naval Special Warfare Development Group (USN)
- Regimental Reconnaissance Company (USA)
United States Air Force
United States Army
United States Marine Corps
Maps United States special operations forces
SOF career fields
United States Army
- Special Forces
- Rangers
- Military Information Support Operators (Psychological Operations)
- Civil Affairs Soldiers
- Enablers
- Sustainers
- Army Special Operations Aviators
- Military Intelligence and other Special Operations/Support with enlisted Special Qualification (SQI) Identifier "S" or "K9" for Officers.
United States Marine Corps
- United States Marine Corps Critical Skills Operator (CSO)
- Enablers
- Special Operations Capabilities Specialist
- Combat Services Specialist
- Navy SEALs
- Special warfare combatant-craft crewmen (SWCC)
- Special amphibious reconnaissance corpsman (SARC)
- Enablers
- United States Navy EOD
- Mobile Communications Team
United States Air Force
- Combat Control (CCT)
- Special Operations Weather Technician (SOWT)
- Special Tactics Officer (STO)
- Special Operations Surgical Team (SOST)
- Pararescuemen (ST PJ) *
- Combat Rescue Officer (ST CRO) *
- Tactical Air Control Party (ST TACP) - enlisted *
- Air Liaison Officer (ST ALO) *
* Note: CRO/PJ and ALO/TACP Airmen are not inherently designated SOF; those belonging to Special Tactics Squadrons fall under AFSOC. The vast majority are assigned to conventional rescue squadrons or Air Support Operations Squadrons as part of 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 Benning, 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 Dive Course - NDSTC Panama City, Florida
- 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
- JTAC Advanced Instructor Course - Nellis AFB, NV
- 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
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
- American Special Operations Forces
Source of the article : Wikipedia