Special Operations Command (Philippines)

Armed Forces of the Philippines Special Operations Command
Unit Seal of the AFPSOCOM
Active	January 16, 1978 – present
Country
Branch	Armed Forces of the Philippines
Type	Special Operations
Role	Direct Action Reconnaissance counter-terrorism Special operations Direct action Special reconnaissance Unconventional warfare Hostage rescue Foreign internal defense Counter narcotic operations HVT Raids
Size	Classified
Garrison/HQ	Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija
Colors	Maroon, Gold and Black
Anniversaries	January 16
Decorations	Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation Badge Presidential Streamer Award
Commanders
Current commander	MGen. Divino Rey Pabayo, AFP
Notable commanders	Col. David Abundo Jr., PA (INF) (GSC) Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, AFP Gen. Victor Ibrado, AFP LtGen. Arturo Ortiz, AFP LtGen. Danilo M. Pamonag

The Armed Forces of the Philippines Special Operations Command (abbrv. as AFPSOCOM) is the unified special operations command of the armed forces. It is responsible for planning, conducting, and supporting special operations. Although the current command was established in April 2018, the date marked as the official anniversary of AFPSOCOM is January 16, 1978. The same date the Philippine Army Special Warfare Brigade (ASWABde) was organized, to which AFPSOCOM traces its origin.

History

The AFPSOCOM traces its roots to the Philippine Army Special Warfare Brigade (ASWABde) that was organized in January 1978. The Army Special Warfare Brigade was the first attempt to unify the specialties of two army units with the most highly trained personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Special Forces and the Scout Rangers, and structure their collective efforts into a highly effective army unit. Disbanded in 1986, it was reactivated as the Philippe Army Special Operations Command (PA-SOCOM) in 1995. It has been headquartered in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija since its reactivation, and was expanded in 2004 to accommodate the newly activated Light Reaction Company.

In April 2018, the PA-SOCOM was elevated to an Armed Forces combatant command and became the AFPSOCOM. The AFP Joint Special Operations Group (AFP-JSOG) was also disbanded and its officers, enlisted personnel and units was transferred to form the core of the new command. The units transferred from the AFP-JSOG included not just the Light Reaction Regiment, but also the Naval Special Operations Group and the 710th Special Operations Wing. The AFP-JSOG K-9 Platoon was also included into the new command.

Unit mission

The mission of the AFPSOCOM is to plan, conduct and support special operations in all operational environments in support of the fundamental missions of the entire Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Unit core capabilities

SOCOM forces are employed based on the following core capabilities:

• Unconventional Warfare
• Direct Action
• Special Reconnaissance
• International and domestic Counter-terrorist Operations
• HVT Raids
• Sabotage
• Humanitarian Assistance/ Disaster Response
• Security Assistance

Units

The current AFP Special Operations Command is organized into:

• Scout Ranger Regiment - Organizes, trains, equips and provides rapidly deployable forces and conducts special operations in support of SOCOM's mission. The unit was modeled after the intelligence-gathering American Alamo Scouts and the combat-ready US Army Rangers. The regiment's core capabilities are: direct action, jungle warfare, special reconnaissance, and sniping operations against hostile positions.
• Special Forces Regiment (Airborne) - Organizes, trains, equips and provides rapidly deployable forces and conducts unconventional warfare in all types of operational environment in support of SOCOM's mission. The Special Forces specializes on the following: unconventional warfare, direct action; special reconnaissance; psychological warfare and mass base operations.
• Light Reaction Regiment - The premier counter-terrorist unit of the Philippine Army and the Special Mission Unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It was formerly known as the Light Reaction Battalion and the Light Reaction Company before finally being upgraded into a regimental unit. Due to its specialization in counter-terrorism operations and its formation with the assistance of American advisers, the Light Reaction Regiment has been sometimes referred to as the Philippines' Delta Force.
• Naval Special Operations Command - The Naval Special Operations Command (NAVSOCOM) is a unit of the Philippine Navy trained in special operations, sabotage, psychological and unconventional warfare and is heavily influenced by the United States Navy SEALs.
• Marine Special Operations Group - The Marine Special Operations Group (MARSOG) was formerly known as the Force Reconnaissance Battalion of the Philippine Marine Corps. It served similar missions to the now defunct Philippine Navy Special Operations Group.
• 710th Special Operations Wing - The 710th SPOW is the Special operations unit of the Philippine Air Force handling hostage rescue and counter-terrorist operations.
• AFP SOCOM K-9 Platoon - Highly trained canine unit transferred from the deactivated AFP Joint Special Operations Group.

Training

Some types of training in AFPSOCOM

• Basic Airborne Course
• Jumpmaster Course
• Parachute Packing, Maintenance and Air Delivery Course
• Military Freefall Course
• Combat Diver’s Course
• Scout Ranger Target Interdiction Course
• Close Quarter Combat Training
• Basic Naval Special Warfare Course

See also

• Armed Forces of the Philippines
• Philippine Army
• Philippine Air Force
• Philippine Navy
• 1st Scout Ranger Regiment
• Special Forces Regiment (Airborne)
• Light Reaction Regiment
• Naval Special Operations Command
• Marine Special Operations Group
• 710th Special Operations Wing

References

Bibliography

• Philippine Army History, The Philippine Army Museum.
• The Philippine Army Public Affairs Office, The Philippine Army: First 100 Years, 1997, OTAPA.
• The Special Forces School, Philippine Army Special Forces Operations Manual PAM 3-071, 2008, SFR(A).
• Dennis V. Eclarin, Scout Ranger Combat Guide (Third Edition), 2003, The Philippine Star.
• Pobre, Cesar P. (2006). History of the Armed Forces of the Filipino People. New Day Publishers.ISBN 9711010410.
• Ryan, Mike (2008). The Operators: Inside the World's Special Forces. Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 1602392153.
• Southby-Tailyour, Ewen (2005). Jane's Special Forces Recognition Guide. HarpersCollins Publishers. ISBN 0007183291.
• Conboy, Ken. South-East Asian Special Forces. London, UK: Osprey Publishing, 1991
• Special Operations Forces Online Database