Army Special Operations
Rangers (Airborne): The Rangers are a special operations
response strike force that primarily conducts direct action missions.
They are expert infantrymen-the principal airfield seizure-and-raid
unit in the U.S. Army. A Ranger unit is proficient in all light
infantry skills, focusing on mission-essential tasks that include
movement to contact, ambush, reconnaissance, airborne, air assault,
night operations and hasty defense.
Each battalion in the Ranger Regiment can deploy anywhere in the
world within 18 hours.
The 75th Ranger Regiment, headquartered at Fort Benning, Ga., is
composed of three battalions, and is the premier light-infantry
unit of the U.S. Army. The three Ranger battalions that comprise
the 75th Ranger Regiment are geographically dispersed:
Special Forces: The U.S. Army Special Forces (the operators
who wear the Green Beret) are trained to perform extended operations
in extremely remote and hostile territory.
Special Forces soldiers have extensive expertise in intelligence,
communications, weapons, medical aid, engineering, explosives, and
use these skills to conduct operations that are characterized by
their motto “De Oppresso Liber”—To Free the Oppressed.
Special Forces are divided into five groups (1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th
and 10th) in the Regular Army and two (19th and 20th) in the National
Guard, each with a specific regional focus.
Other special operations forces missions include counterproliferation,
information operations, combat search and rescue, counterdrug activities,
security assistance, humanitarian assistance, humanitarian demining
and special activities
Delta Force: Although not officially identified by the Defense
Department, the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta
(SFOD-D), or Delta Force, is known as the nationÕs foremost
counter-terrorist strike force.
Delta (also referred to as Combat Applications Group) is reported
to train extensively in CQB (Close Quarters Battle), including airplane,
bus and train scenarios.
160th SOAR “The Night Stalkers”: The 160th Special
Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) provides aviation support
to Army special operations forces. The regiment consists of modified
OH-6 light observation helicopters, MH-60 utility helicopters and
MH-47 medium-lift helicopters. Its focus on night operations has
resulted in the nickname, “The Night Stalkers.”
The regiment currently consists of three battalions. The 1st and
2nd battalions are located at Fort Campbell, Ky., while the 3rd
battalion is located at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.
Army special operations aviation missions include the use of dedicated
aviation assets to:
Psychological Operations: PSYOP units are trained to induce
or reinforce attitudes and behaviors favorable to U.S. national
goals in selected foreign target audiences. The PSYOP motto is:
“Persuade, Change, Influence.” They use print and broadcast
media to carry out their mission.
Civil Affairs: Civil Affairs units support the commander's
relationship with civil authorities and the civilian populace. U.S.
Army Reservists comprise some 97 percent of this force. Their skills
include public safety, agriculture, finance, economics and the support
of dislocated civilian operations.
The Civil Affairs motto is: “By Sword, Deed and Word.”
Special Operations Chemical Response Detachment: CRDs are
the sole units with the mission of conducting chemical reconnaissance
in permissive, semi-permissive and denied areas for special operation
forces in theater. These special detachments are located at: 56th
CRD — Ft. Campbell, Ky.; 445th CRD (Reserve) — Ft. Meade,
Md.; 801st CRD — Ft. Bragg, N.C.; 900th CRD — Ft. Carson,
Col
Special Operations missions include:
Unconventional Warfare: A broad spectrum of military and
paramilitary operations conducted in enemy-controlled or politically
sensitive territory. Missions include guerilla warfare, evasion
and escape, subversion, sabotage and other operations of a low visibility.
Direct Action: Either overt or covert action against an
enemy force. These include: seizing, damaging or destroying a target;
capturing or recovering personnel or material in support of strategic/operational
objectives; or acting as conventional forces.
Special Reconnaissance: Special Operations teams are inserted
behind enemy lines to provide intelligence on the enemy or to gather
information on the terrain, local populations, enemy capabilities,
intentions and activities.
Foreign Internal Defense: FID operations are conducted to
help developing nations improving their military and police force.
Technical skills, understanding of human-rights issues and humanitarian/civic
action projects are included.
Counter-Terrorism: Offensive measures taken to prevent,
deter and respond to terrorism.
Psychological Operations: PSYOP is employed to induce or
reinforce foreign attitudes and behavior favorable to U.S. objectives.
It can influence emotions, motives and behavior of foreign governments,
organizations and individuals.
Civil Affairs: Special Operations can establish, maintain,
influence or exploit relations among military forces, civil authorities
and civilian populations to facilitate military operations.
Coalition Warfare/Support: Special Operations soldiers have
a cultural awareness and language ability, which helps facilitate
work with foreign troops.
Humanitarian and Civic Action: Special Operations soldiers
also support and initiate humanitarian and civic action operations,
such as demining.
The Army's 82nd Airborne, 101st Air Assault and Long-Range Surveillance
Units are not listed in this overview, because their missions do
not fall under the auspices of special operations. They are, however,
highly specialized and capable infantry units.
U.S. Navy Special Warfare
SEALs: SEAL is an acronym for Sea, Air and Land. SEALs are
qualified in diving and parachuting, and are experts at combat swimming,
navigation, demolitions, weapons and many other skills. SEALs operate
in small units in maritime, desert, jungle, cold-weather and urban
environments.
The major operational components of Naval Special Warfare Command
include Naval Special Warfare Group One and Special Boat Squadron
One in San Diego, Calif., and Naval Special Warfare Group Two and
Special Boat Squadron Two in Norfolk, Va.
These components deploy SEAL teams, SEAL Delivery Vehicle Teams
and Special Boat Units to meet the training, exercise, contingency
and wartime requirements of theater commanders.
SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team: SDV teams are specially trained
SEALs and support personnel who operate and maintain SDVs and dry-deck
shelters. The SEAL delivery vehicles are wet submersibles designed
to conduct clandestine reconnaissance, direct action and passenger
delivery missions in a maritime environment.
Special Boat Squadrons and Units: These units are responsible
for operating and maintaining a variety of special operations ships
and crafts to conduct coastal and riverine interdiction and support
of naval operations. These units are comprised of Special Warfare
Combat Crewmen (SWCC).
Special Warfare Combat Crewmembers: Special Warfare Combat
Crewmen operate and maintain the inventory of state-of-the-art,
high-performance boats and ships used to support SEALs and special
operations missions. SWCC focus on clandestine infiltration and
exfiltration of SEALs and other special operations forces. They
also provide dedicated, rapid mobility in shallow-water areas where
larger ships cannot operate.
Air Force Special Tactics
Pararescue: The primary mission of pararescue (whose members
are sometimes called parajumpers or PJs) is personnel recovery and
emergency medical capabilities in peacetime and combat environments.
They deploy by air, land or sea to provide the trauma medical care
for injured personnel. They participate in combat search and rescue
operations.
Combat Controllers: Combat controllers establish assault
zones. The assault zone is either a drop zone (for parachute operations);
a landing zone (for fixed wing or helicopter operations); or an
extraction zone (for low altitude resupply). They also establish
recovery zones (for surface-to-air recovery of personnel or equipment)
and ground-based fire control for AC-130 gunship operations. Combat
controllers also are qualified in demolitions to clear obstructions
and hazards.
When assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC),
combat controllers and PJs are combined into special tactics teams.
A special tactics team frequently operates with Navy SEALS, Army
Rangers and Special Forces in direct action, airfield seizure and
personnel recovery missions in hostile territory.
Weather Parachutists: Combat weather personnel provide meteorological
and oceanographic information in and for the special operations
theater of operations. Functions include tactical infiltration,
data collection, analysis and forecasting, mission-tailoring of
environmental information, and operations in concert with host nation
weather personnel. They perform this job from forward-deployed bases
or behind enemy lines using miniature, tactical weather equipment
and a variety of communications equipment.
These personnel make up one squadron comprised of five detachments
supporting Special Forces Groups, the Ranger Regiment, Special Operations
Aviation Regiments (SOAR), Psychological Operations Groups (POG),
Special Warfare Training Groups (SWTG), Civil Affairs (CA) units
and Special Operations Support Battalions.
U.S. Marine Corps
Note: No Marine units are part of the Special Operations
Command, but are listed here due to their specialized training and
ability to perform missions similar to that of the U.S. Navy SEALS
and U.S. Army Special Forces.
Force Reconnaissance: The U.S. Marine CorpsÕ Force
Reconnaissance units conduct pre-assault and distant post-assault
reconnaissance in support of an amphibious landing force. They obtain
information on all routes, obstacles, terrain and enemy forces within
certain boundaries and provide real-time information, through surveillance
of areas of interest, photographs and sketches.
Force Reconnaissance missions include:
Force Recon companies are attached to a Marine Expeditionary Unit
(Special Operations Capable) (MEU(SOC)).
SOCOM to Re-compete Prime Vendor Contract
The U.S. Special Operations Command, in Tampa, Fla., is expected
to issue a solicitation this spring for industry bids to manage
the commandÕs logistics-support operations.
The contract is called SOFSA, for special operations forces support
activity. It requires that a contractor manage the logistics-supply
and depot maintenance workload at USSOCOMÕs facility in Lexington,
Ky. The current contractor is Raytheon Serv Air, in Greenville,
Texas.
A request for proposals is due out in March or April, said Scott
Bowles, industrial liaison officer at USSOCOM.
The command recently awarded two five-year $120 million contracts
for engineering and technical assistance services. The contracts
fund additional manpower for specific tasks, such as acquisition
and engineering, said Bowles. We don't have engineers on our staff.
One contract was awarded to Gemini Industries Inc., Billerica,
Mass., and the other to Sverdrup Technology Inc., in Tampa.