Texas special operations units
Texas special operations units of the Texas Military Forces conduct special operations for the Texas Military Department via the Domestic Operations Command (DOMOPS) while under Title 32 command, and via United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) while under Title 10 command.[1][2][3]
History
Origins
Established in 1823 and officially organized in 1835 by Stephen Austin and Moses Morrison, the Texas Rangers served as the first special operations unit of the Texas Military Department until 1935 when they were re-designated to the Texas Department of Public Safety as a State Bureau of Investigation.[4][5] Their Special Operations Group was reestablished in 2011, consisting of six units.[6][7] However, the Rangers did not begin conducting special operations until the Texas—Indian Wars via their Frontier Forces and Special Forces companies, among others.[8][9][10]
The first special operations conducted by Texas Military Forces occurred during the Texas Revolution by ad-hoc units that executed reconnaissance, rescue, and demolition missions. They were primarily directed by Deaf Smith whom William Travis described as "the Bravest of the Brave in the cause of Texas" and Sam Houston as his "stay in my darkest hour...a man more brave, and honest, never lived".[11] Smith was instrumental in advising Houston in the controversial strategy that mirrored Comanche guerrilla tactics in evasion and selective attacks against Santa Anna's forces.[12][13][14] The strategy resulted in the Runaway Scrape, mutiny, and accusations of cowardice, but ultimately victory at the Battle of San Jacinto.[15]
Notable missions
- (1836) Battle of the Alamo
- Only unit to answer William Travis' letter.
- Their sacrifice galvanized casus belli with battle cry "Remember the Alamo!"
- "Remember the Alamo" became the official motto of Texas from 1836-1930 and remains on the state seal.
- The Alamo is the number one tourist destination in Texas, a National Landmark, and UNESCO world heritage site.
- (1836) Vince's Bridge
- Cut-off the escape and prevented re-enforcements of Santa Anna's army - decisively ending the Texas Revolution.
- Featured on the state seal
- (1846) Battle of Palo Alto / Battle of Resaca de la Palma
- First major engagement of Mexican-American War, galvanized casus belli.
- (1847) Battle of Buena Vista
- Made clear the Mexican Army could not win the war, leading to Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
- (1859) Battle of Rio Grande City
- Largest engagement of the Cortina War
- (1916) Pancho Villa Expedition
- Largest manhunt in United States military history up to that date
- (2017) Hurricane Harvey
- Second most destructive natural disaster in American history with estimates up to $125 billion in damage.
- (2020) Operation Ready Sandman
- Largest, most destructive protest in American history with estimates up to 26 million citizens and $2 billion in damage.
- (2021–present) Operation Lone Star
- Largest deployment of Texas Military Forces since the American Civil War. Most expensive operation in Texas Military history, totaling $4 billion as of February 2023.
Current units
Texas Army National Guard
- (Since 1989) Joint Counterdrug Task Force (Reconnaissance, Interdiction)[16][17]
- (Since 1998) Homeland Response Force
- (Since 2008) 19th Special Forces Group[19][20]
- C Company, 1st Battalion
- A Company, 5th Battalion
- 197th Special Troops Support Company
- (Since 2012) Special Operations Detachment - Africa, 71st Troop Command[21]
- (Since 2023) Texas Tactical Border Force[23][24]
- Rapidly deployed to intercept and repel large groups of migrants trying to enter Texas illegally at border hotspots.[23]
Texas State Guard
- (Since 2020) 2nd Special Troops Battalion, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th Brigades[1]
- A Company (Waterborne - Boat and Dive)
- B Company (Search and Rescue)
- C Company (Engineers)
Texas Air National Guard
- (Since 2009) 147th Air Support Operations Squadron, 147th Attack Wing[25]
- 147th Tactical Air Control Party Specialists[26]
- 147th Joint Terminal Attack Controllers[26]
Former Units
Texas Rangers
- (1846-1848) Frontier Regiment (Reconnaissance and Guerilla Warfare during Mexican—American War).[8]
- (1861-1865) State Troops[8]
- (1870-1901) Frontier Forces[8]
- (1874-1881) Special Forces[8]
Texas Brigade
- (1862-1864). Shock troops that received advanced training and equipment and conducted unconventional methods and tactics in direct action assaults.[27] When the first units reached Virginia, Jefferson Davis purportedly greeted them by declaring: "Texans! The troops of other states have their reputations to gain, but the sons of the defenders of the Alamo have theirs to maintain.”[28]
Texas Army National Guard
Texas State Guard
- (2005-2015) Quick Response Team (QRT), 1st, 2nd, 4th, 8th, 19th, and 39th Regiments (Critical Infrastructure Protection, Search and Rescue)[30]
- (2005-2019) C4I (Command, Control, Communications, Computing, and Intelligence) Detachment, 2nd, 4th, and 39th Regiments (Signals, Technology)[30]
Texas Air National Guard
- (Unknown-2017) 181st Weather Flight, 136th Airlift Wing.[31]
Training centers
- Special Warfare Training Detachment Airborne — Camp Bullis, Texas
- TXSG Special Troops School — Canyon Lake, Texas
Special Forces Day
Special Forces Day is an annual memorial holiday on June 28 that "honors the men and women who have served in the special operations forces..to be regularly observed by appropriate ceremonies." It was established on May 16, 2023, during the Eighty-eighth Texas Legislature in House Bill 2499 sponsored by Cecil Bell and Brandon Creighton.[32]
Portrayal in media
- 2015: Texas Rising, a 10-hour miniseries based on the Texas Revolution. Depicts the Texas Rangers.
See also
- Texas Task Force 1
- Texas Task Force 2
- Texas A&M Forest Service
- United States special operations forces
- List of military special forces units
- List of conflicts involving the Texas Military
References
- ^ a b "TMD Hosts Lawmakers". Texas Military Department. February 21, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ "Joint Force HQ". Texas Military Department. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ a b c Hamilton, Patrick (March 11, 2015). "From The Top: "What the Heck is DOMOPS?" The History and Composition of the Domestic Operations Task Force". Texas Military Department. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ Procter, Ben (January 11, 2023). "Texas Rangers". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ Jenkins, Rachel (February 9, 2019). "Moses Morrison". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ "Specialized Units". Texas DPS. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
- ^ "Special Operations Group". Texas Rangers Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Stopka, Christina (2019). "PARTIAL LIST OF TEXAS RANGER COMPANY AND UNIT COMMANDERS" (PDF). Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ Cox, Mike. "A Brief History of the Texas Rangers". Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ "Frontier Battalion". Texas State Historical Association. August 23, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ Cutrer, Thomas (August 3, 2020). "Smith, Erastus [Deaf] (1787–1837)". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ Haley, James (2002). Sam Houston. Norman : University of Oklahoma Press. p. 148. ISBN 9780806136448.
- ^ "Sam Houston's Notes Before San Jacinto, April 19, 1836". Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ Denton, Mansal (November 4, 2016). "3 Examples From the Battlefield of Discipline Succeeding In the Face of Adversity". CTPOST. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ Haley, James (2002). Sam Houston. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 128–140. ISBN 9780806136448.
- ^ "The Texas National Guard Joint Counterdrug Task Force". Texas Military Department. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ Al-Shaikh, Sarah (October 12, 2022). "Texas National Guard speaks with Hays CISD elementary school about drug prevention". KXAN. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
- ^ Burns, Ashlee (August 11, 2022). "Nueces County first responders participate in Texas National Guard hazmat exercises". Caller Times. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
- ^ "Texas Special Forces". Texas Military Department. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ Pena, Elizabeth (October 25, 2019). "Texas Guard Special Forces Soldiers awarded Medals by the Czech Republic". DVIDS. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
- ^ Meyer, Phillip (December 1, 2015). "Over There". Texas Monthly. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
- ^ "Special Operations Detachment - Africa". Texas Military Department. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ a b Cook, Ellie (May 9, 2023). "How Greg Abbott's 'Elite' Texas Tactical Border Force Will Stop Migrants". Newsweek. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
- ^ Abbott, Greg (May 8, 2023). "Governor Abbott Deploys New Texas Tactical Border Force". Office of the Texas Governor. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
- ^ "147th ASOS exercises war-fighting capabilities domestically to save lives".
- ^ a b Phillips, Asiah (May 17, 2023). "Texas Air National Guard Trains in Hawaii". U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
- ^ Ural, Susannah (February 15, 2019). "Hood's Texas Brigade". Army University Press. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
- ^ McComb, David (1989). Texas, a modern history (PDF). Austin : University of Texas Press. p. 72.
- ^ "Border Operation - Operation Phalanx". Texas Military Department. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
- ^ a b "Texas State Guard Fact Sheet No. 03-11" (PDF). Texas State Guard. March 1, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ "181st Weather Flight conducts Static Line Jumps over Corpus Christi, Texas".
- ^ Bell, Cecil (May 16, 2023). "A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT" (PDF). Texas Legislature Online. Retrieved May 27, 2023.