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'''United States Special Operations Forces''' are active and reserve Component forces of U.S. Military Services designated by the [[United States Secretary of Defense]] and specifically organized, trained, to conduct operations conducted in hostile, denied, or politically sensitive environments to achieve military, diplomatic, informational, and economic objectives of the United States.
'''United States Special Operations Forces''' are active and reserve Component forces of U.S. Military Services designated by the [[United States Secretary of Defense]] and specifically trained to conduct operations in hostile, denied, or politically sensitive environments to achieve military, diplomatic, informational, and economic objectives of the United States.


==General information==
==General information==

Revision as of 23:18, 25 May 2008

United States Special Operations Forces are active and reserve Component forces of U.S. Military Services designated by the United States Secretary of Defense and specifically trained to conduct operations in hostile, denied, or politically sensitive environments to achieve military, diplomatic, informational, and economic objectives of the United States.

General information

While in the continental U.S., most SOF units fall administratively under their assigned branch of the military, but organizationally under U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM). Operational control of deployed units falls under the respective SOCOM and its Special Operations Command structure. However, the Secretary of Defense can place all Special Operations Forces under the direct control of the SOCOM, usually in time of active hostilities.

U.S. SOF units have the same basic role in warfare as the special forces of most other countries, supplying small, elite units that can operate far behind enemy lines on unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, counter-terrorism, special reconnaissance and direct action missions.

List of United States Special Operations Forces

Special Missions Units

U.S. Army Rangers on patrol

United States Army

United States Navy

United States Air Force

United States Marine Corps

Intelligence Community Special Units

Disbanded or Inactive Units

In the modern U.S. military structure since World War II, dozens of special operations units have been formed and later disbanded. Many were created for a specific, limited objective (such as Task Force 11), or for a specific conflict. In some cases, a special operations unit is reconstituted under a different name, usually for reasons of security, or evolves from a pilot project into a more permanent force. See Former United States special operations units.

U.S. Special Operations Centers, Schools, and Courses

Commands

See also

References

  • USDOD (June 5, 2003). "US DOD Dictionary of Military Terms". United States Department of Defense. United States of America. Retrieved 2004-01-11.
  • CSM Eric Haney (retired, former Delta Force operator and founding member. 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.
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