Today, the United States Armed Forces are more networked and coordinated than they ever have been before. While each branch has its own missions, its own culture, and its own way of doing things, sometimes they have to work together on the battlefield. During Operation Urgent Fury in October 1983, the United States Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy were involved in an invasion of Grenada to restore their democratically elected leader after a Cuban-backed coup. The lack of coordination between Army Rangers, Navy SEALs and US Marines led to friendly fire incidents and needless command arguments over who was really in charge of military operations on the tiny Caribbean island.
The answer?
Special Operations Command.
Every branch of the military has their own Special Operations units, but they were not amalgamated under a common command until SOCOM's formation in 1986. The command shortfalls in Grenada and the disastrous rescue attempt of hostages in Iran during Operation Eagle Claw in 1980 were a huge motivation for the creation of SOCOM, which would enable the Department of Defense to oversee units in all branches and be able to better coordinate their missions.
In this post, I will explore the history of the units under SOCOM, and what their roles are.
SOCOM is made up of commands from each branch that oversee their individual special operations units. They are as follows:
United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC)
United States Air Force Special Operations Command (USAFSOC)
United States Naval Special Warfare Command (USNSWC)
United States Marine Corps Special Operations Command (USMARSOC)
Since they are not a part of the DoD, the Coast Guard is not included in SOCOM, but they do have their own special operations units.
USASOC
The US Army has several special operations units with varying missions:
- 75th Ranger Regiment, aka "Army Rangers": Formed in 1942, the Rangers are made up of three battalions who are specialized light infantry, headquartered at Fort Benning, Georgia. Rangers have some of the toughest training in the military, and emphasize teamwork and speed. They are well known for taking the cliff at Point du Hoc during the D-Day landings in 1944, infiltrating enemy positions in Panama in 1989, securing landing zones in Somalia in 1993, and other missions in the Global War on Terrorism since 2001, where their reputation as a rapid reaction force was perfected. Their main roles are direct action, counterterrorism, and reconnaissance.
- US Army Special Forces, aka "Green Berets": Formed in 1952 and headquartered in Fort Bragg, North Carolina Green Berets are trained to be experts in weaponry and in various forms of warfare. Green Berets are required to learn foreign languages, and are divided into various jobs in three categories (weapons, medical and communications). Green Berets often spend long periods of time behind enemy lines training partisans; they are also used to train partner nations' police forces and militaries. Green Berets are well known for their operations during the Vietnam War and also during the Salvadoran Civil War in the early and mid-1980s. Their main missions are irregular & guerilla warfare, foreign internal defense and counterterrorism.
- Special Operations Detachment - Delta, or more common in contemporary times Combat Applications Group, aka "Delta Force": Delta Force was formed in 1977 and is the United States' premier counterterrorism unit, based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Delta is well-known for being incredibly secretive. Delta Force operators destroyed Iraqi Scud missiles in Desert Storm and were involved in the capture of several high level lieutenants from Mohammad Farah Aidid's regime in Somalia in 1993 during the Blackhawk Down incident. Delta's main mission is counterterrorism and direct action; they are trained to conduct hostage rescues.
- 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment aka "Night Stalkers": Formed in 1980 in response to the failed Iran hostage crisis, 160th SOAR is the only unit of its kind in the military. Based in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. their pilots are highly trained in low-level and night flight, utilizing the MH-60 Pave Hawk, MH-47 Chinook, and MH-6 Little Bird helicopters. Their primary mission is to support other SOCOM units; 160th SOAR transports Rangers, SEALs and other units to and from their operations, most famously during the Blackhawk Down mission in Somalia in 1993 and during the raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011.
- 4th & 8th Military Information Support Groups (Airborne): Formed in 2011, the MISGs are utilized to provide intelligence support to other Army Special Operations Units. They are also used to work with the State Department to gather information on political and military activity in foreign countries. Both MISGs are based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
- 528th Sustainment Brigade (Airborne): Formed in 1995, the 528th SB is used to provide logistical support to US Army Special Operations Command. The brigade is stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
AFSOC
AFSOC was created in 1983, moving all Air Force Special Operations units from Tactical Air Command to the newly formed Air Force Special Operations Command. AFSOC comprises four Special Operations Wings, one Special Operations Group, and one Special Operations Air Warfare Center on active duty, one Special Operations Wing, five Special Operations Squadrons, and three flights under the Air National Guard, and one Special Operations Wing in the Air Force Reserve.
Special Operations Wings contain parajumpers, joint tactical air controllers, civil engineers, weathermen, pilots and medical personnel who are tasked with combat search and rescue, irregular warfare, and behind enemy lines missions.
- 1st Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field, FL
- 24th Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field, FL
- 27th Special Operations Wing, Cannon AFB, NM
- 352nd Special Operations Wing, RAF Mildenhall, UK
- 353d Special Operations Group, Kadena AFB, Japan
- Air Force Special Operations Air Warfare Center, Hurlburt Field, FL
- 193rd Special Operations Wing (Air National Guard), Harrisburg ANGB, PN
- 919th Special Operations Wing (Air Force Reserve), Eglin AFB, FL
NSWC
NSWC oversees SEAL teams, SDV teams, Special Boat Teams, and training units. There are ten SEAL teams (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 17, 18), two SDV teams (1, 2) and three Special Boat Teams (12, 20, 22).
The Navy SEALs were formed in 1962, SDV teams in 1975, and Special Boat Teams in 1987. SDV teams utilize the SEAL Delivery Vehicle submersible, which can be attached to nuclear submarines and used to deliver SEALs into enemy areas underwater. Special Boat Teams utilize various small water craft to infiltrate coastal regions or rivers; the Special Operations Craft Riverine (SOC-R) was featured in the 2012 film "Act of Valor". SEALs are most well-known for their work in the Vietnam War, where they gained the nickname "Men with Green Faces" by the Viet Cong. SEALs also gained worldwide fame in 2011 after killing Osama bin Laden, the most wanted terrorist in the world.
SEAL Team 6, alternatively referred to as Naval Special Warfare Development Group, is a specialized SEAL team separate from other teams and included under Joint Special Operations Command, which is shared with Delta Force, Air Force 24th Special Tactics Squadron, and the 4th MISG.
- Naval Special Warfare Group 1 (SEAL Teams 1, 3, 5, 7; NSW Units 1 & 3) Coronado, CA
- Naval Special Warfare Group 2 (SEAL Teams 2, 4, 8, 10; NSW Unit 2) Little Creek, VA
- Naval Special Warfare Group 3 (SDV Team 1) Pearl Harbor, HI
- Naval Special Warfare Group 4 (SBT-12, 20 & 22) Little Creek, VA
- Naval Special Warfare Group 5 (Reserve) (SEAL Teams 17 & 18) Coronado, CA
MARSOC
MARSOC is comprised of one Special Operations Regiment, separated into three battalions. MARSOC operators are called "Raiders", harkening back to their World War Two lineage when Jungle Raiders attacked Japanese positions throughout the Pacific Theatre. MARSOC was formed in 2006 and is the newest unit in SOCOM. MARSOC Raiders are well known for their operations inside Afghanistan, where they have conducted counterintelligence missions, direct action raids and reconnaissance to assist Coalition forces.
-- Marine Corps Special Operation Regiment (Camp Lejeune, NC)
- 1st Marine Corps Special Operations Battalion (Camp Pendleton, CA)
- 2nd Marine Corps Special Operations Battalion (Camp Lejeune, NC)
- 3rd Marine Corps Special Operations Battalion (Camp Pendleton, CA)
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