Feickert, Andrew

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1 2005 Annual Report, United States Special Operations Command, p. 17. Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code RS21048Updated June 9, 2005U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF):Background and Issues for CongressAndrew Feickert Specialist in National DefenseForeign Affairs, Defense and Trade DivisionSummarySpecial Operations Forces (SOF) play a significant role in U.S. military operationsand the Administration has given U.S. SOF forces greater responsibility for planningand conducting worldwide counterterrorism operations.  The Department of Defense(DOD) is presently examining options for creating a dedicated Marine Corps specialoperations unit. A  recently approved a series of retention bonuses for selected SOF non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and warrant officers is currently being offered in anattempt to keep senior SOF personnel in service longer.  DOD is reportedly alsoconsidering transferring some Civil Affairs units from the U.S. Special OperationsCommand (USSOCOM) to conventional forces.  This report will be updated as eventswarrant.BackgroundOverview.  Special Operations Forces (SOF) are small, elite military units withspecial training and equipment that can infiltrate into hostile territory through land, sea,or air to conduct a variety of operations, many of them classified.  SOF personnel undergorigorous selection and lengthy, specialized  training.   By the end of FY2006, SOF isexpected to grow to an end-strength of almost 53,000 personnel.1 The U.S. SpecialOperations Command (USSOCOM) oversees the training, doctrine, and equipping of allU.S. SOF units.Operations in the Global War on Terror. SOF forces continue to operate inIraq and Afghanistan where they are actively pursuing key insurgents. Approximately1,000 SOF troops — primarily from Europe — will reportedly train African troops fromSenegal, Niger, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Algeria, and Tunisia during June 2005 in avariety of military skills that can be used in counterterror and counterinsurgencyCRS-22 Charlie Coon, “U.S. Special Ops Troops Preparing to Train Foreign Soldiers in Africa,”European Stars and Stripes, May 15, 2005.3 “U.S. Navy SEALS in Indonesia Anti-Terrorism Drill,” Reuters.com, May 9, 2005.4 An A Team consists of twelve multi-skilled Army SOF soldiers and is the basic operating unitfor Army Special Forces (“Green Berets”).5 Joshua Kucera, “U.S. Boosts Special Forces to Meet Iraqi Challenge,” Jane’s Defence Weekly,Feb. 18, 2004.6 Ibid. 7 Hearing of the Terrorism Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, FY2005National Defense Appropriations Act, Mar. 11, 2004, p. 14.8 Joshua Kucera, op.cit.9 Ibid.10 Jefferson Morris, “SOCOM Changing From ‘Supporting’ To ‘Supported’ Command, OfficialSays,” Aerospace Daily, Apr. 2, 3003; Rowan Scarborough, “‘Special Ops’ Gets OK To InitiateIts Own Missions,” Washington Times, Jan. 8, 2003, p. 8; Rowan Scarborough, “RumsfeldBolsters Special Forces,” Washington Times, Jan. 6, 2003, p. 1.operations.2 U.S. Naval Special Forces have also recently conducted small-scalecounterterrorism training exercises with Indonesian forces.3  U.S. SOF continue theirinvolvement in the Philippines and  Colombia where their role is strictly limited totraining the armed forces of those respective countries in counterterror andcounterinsurgency tactics. SOF Enhancements.  As a result of DOD transformation initiatives and lessonslearned in Afghanistan and Iraq, SOF is undergoing a number of enhancements inpersonnel, organization, and equipment.  During the next three to four years, twoadditional SEAL teams will be added to the existing five teams; in 2008 the U.S. ArmySpecial Operations Command (USASOC) plans to add 550 special forces soldiers to itsactive duty Operational Detachment-Alphas (A Teams)4 and 192 to National Guard ATeams.5  The Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) is also planning to addadditional combat controller and combat aviation advisor personnel.6  U.S. SpecialOperations Command  is also reportedly planning on adding two active duty  Civil Affairs(CA) companies, two Reserve Civil Affairs (CA) battalions, and two active dutyPsychological Operations (PSYOPS) companies to SOCOM over the next few years.7USASOC also plans to form a new MH-47 Chinook battalion and AFSOC plans toconvert four C-130H Hercules transport aircraft into AC-130U gun ships.8  AFSOCreportedly anticipates replacing 34 MH-43 Super Stallion heavy lift helicopters with about50 CV-22 tilt-rotor Osprey aircraft sometime in FY2009.9 Authority for Planning Operations.  In January 2003 DOD gave USSOCOMgreater responsibility for planning and directing worldwide counterterrorism operations. Instead of being primarily a supporting command that provides forces to other regionalU.S. commanders, USSOCOM will more often be a supported command capable ofplanning and conducting operations in its own right.10  To facilitate this new authority,CRS-311 Harold Kennedy, “SOCOM Creates New Hub for Fighting War on Terror,” National Defense,Feb. 2004.12 Information in this section was taken from General Bryan Brown, “U.S. Army SpecialOperations: Focusing on People — Humans are More Important than Hardware,” Army, Oct.2001, pp. 157-162.USSOCOM reportedly reorganized its headquarters to better conduct collaborativeplanning with DOD, the Intelligence Community, and various government agencies.11Command Structures.  Congress in 1986 expressed concern for the status of SOFwithin overall U.S. defense planning and passed measures to strengthen its position. These actions included the establishment of USSOCOM as a new unified command.USSOCOM is headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, FL.  The Commanderof USSOCOM is a four-star officer who may be from any service.  Commander,USSOCOM reports directly to the Secretary of Defense, although an Assistant Secretaryof Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict (SO/LIC) providesimmediate civilian oversight over many USSOCOM activities. Army Special Operations Forces.12  U.S. Army SOF (ARSOF) include 26,000soldiers from the Active Army, National Guard, and Army Reserve who are organizedinto Special Forces units, Ranger units, special operations aviation units, civil affairsunits, psychological operations units, and special operations support units.  ARSOFHeadquarters and other resources, such as the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Centerand School, are located at Fort Bragg, NC.  Five active Special Forces Groups (Airborne)are stationed at Fort Bragg and at Fort Lewis, WA, Fort Campbell, KY, and Fort Carson,CO.  Special Forces soldiers — also known as the Green Berets — are trained in variousskills, including foreign languages, that allow teams to operate independently indesignated regions of the world.  Two Army National Guard SF groups are headquarteredin Utah and Alabama.  An elite airborne light infantry unit, the 75th Ranger Regiment, isheadquartered at Fort Benning, GA and consists of three battalions specializing in directaction operations.  Army special operations aviation units, including the 160th SpecialOperations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) at Fort Campbell, KY,  feature pilots trainedto fly the most sophisticated Army rotary-wing aircraft in the harshest environments, dayor night, and in adverse weather. The most frequently deployed SOF assets are civil affairs (CA) units, which provideexperts in every area of civil government to help administer civilian affairs in the theater.The 96th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) is the only active CA unit; all other CA unitsreside in four Army Reserve Civil Affairs Commands located in Pensacola, FL, MountainView, CA, Riverdale, MD, and Bronx, NY.  Psychological operations units disseminateinformation to large foreign audiences through mass media.  The 4th PsychologicalOperations Group (Airborne) is stationed at Fort Bragg, and two Army Reserve groupsare located in Cleveland, OH, and at Moffett Federal Airfield, CA.  Finally, Fort Braggis also home to specialized supporting units and Special Mission Units that support avariety of ARSOF and joint missions. CRS-413 For additional information on Air Force SOF units, see Robert Wall, “Conflict Could TestSpecial Ops Improvements,”  Aviation Week & Space Technology, Oct. 1, 2001, p. 30.14 Information in this section is from the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command’s Officialwebsite, [http://www.navsoc.navy.mil/navsoc_missions.asp], accessed on May 26, 2005.15 Information in this section is from  Jon R. Anderson, “Marine Corps Creating Training Unitto Aid Local Militaries in Foreign Hot Spots,” Stars and Stripes, Feb. 25, 2005;  “Marine Corpsto Support U.S. SOCOM in Training Foreign Militaries,” Inside the Navy, Apr. 25, 2005; andBradley Graham, “Larger Special Operations Role Being Urged on Marines,” Washington Post,May 8, 2005.Air Force Special Operations Forces.13  The Air Force Special OperationsCommand (AFSOC) includes about 10,000 active and reserve personnel, of which about22% are stationed overseas.  AFSOC is headquartered at Hurlburt Field, FL, which is alsothe home of most of AFSOC’s active units, including the 16th Special Operations Wing,the 720th Special Tactics Group, the 18th Flight Test Squadron, and the U.S. Air ForceSpecial Operations School. The 352nd Special Operations Group is at  RAF Mildenhall,England, and the 353rd Special Operations Group, is at Kadena Air Base, Japan.  ReserveAFSOC components include the 193rd Special Operations Wing, Air National Guardstationed at Harrisburg, PA, the 280th Combat Communications Squadron, Air NationalGuard stationed at Dothan, AL, and the 919th Special Operations Wing, Air ForceReserve stationed at Duke Field, FL.  AFSOC’s three active-duty flying units arecomposed of more than 100 fixed and rotary-wing aircraft.   The V-22 Osprey tilt-rotoraircraft, a Marine Corps priority, is also being developed for AFSOC.  If procured, SOFCV-22s will conduct long-range vertical takeoff and landing infiltration, exfiltration, andresupply missions.Naval Special Operations Forces.14  The Naval Special Warfare Command(NSWC)  is located in Coronado, CA. The major operational components of NSWCinclude Naval Special Warfare Groups 1 and 3 stationed  in San Diego, CA, and NavalSpecial Warfare Groups 2 and 4 in Norfolk, VA. These components deploy SEAL Teams,SEAL Delivery Vehicle Teams, and Special Boat Teams world wide to meet the training,exercise, contingency and wartime requirements of theater commanders. NSWC hasapproximately 5,400 total active-duty personnel — including 2,450 SEALs and 600Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC) — as well as a 1,200-person reservecomponent of approximately 325 SEALs, 125 SWCC and 775 support personnel. SEALsare considered the best-trained combat swimmers in the world, and can be deployedcovertly from submarines or from sea-based aircraft. Issues for CongressCreation of Marine Special Operations Forces. The Marine Corps will reportedlyform a new organization, tentatively named the Foreign Military Training Unit (FMTU),to support USSOCOM and regional commanders in the training of regional militaries.15The Marines have been involved in a number of training missions in recent years in placessuch as Chad, Niger, and the former Soviet republic of Georgia and these new units willbe built in partnership with Army SOF and the U.S. Special Operations TrainingCommand. According to reports, there will be 24 FMTU teams, consisting of 13 memberseach, who will receive special training in foreign languages and cultures, and these teamsCRS-516 Information in this section is from Bradley Graham, “Larger Special Operations Role BeingUrged on Marines, Washington Post, May 8, 2005 and Jason Sherman, “Rumsfeld Eyes Marinesto Boost Commando Ranks for Terror War,” InsideDefense.com, May 19, 2005..17 Information in this section is taken from Thom Shanker, “Pentagon Sets Bonuses to RetainMembers of Special Operations,” New York Times, Feb. 6, 2005 and Associated Press,“Incentives Offered to Retain Special Forces,” Los Angeles Times, Feb. 5, 2005.18 U.S. Army Special Operations Command, “Special Forces Recruiting Exceeds Year-EndGoals,” U.S. Army Special Operations Command News Service, Jan. 7, 2005.19 Ibid.will be aligned to four regions: the Middle East, Europe, the Pacific, and Latin America.The Marines reportedly plan to have the FMTU fully operational by the end of 2005.DOD, USSOCOM, and the Marines are reportedly considering options fordeveloping a Marine unit of approximately 3,000 Marines to be permanently assigned toUSSOCOM to participate in combat missions in support of the war on terror.16 Accordingto reports, DOD, USSOCOM, and Marine Corps leadership have met to discuss thisproposal on several occasions, but a decision has yet to be reached. If such a unit is agreedupon, some argue that by taking 3,000 or so of the Marine Corp’s best Marines awaypermanently to form this unit, that the Marines Corps could suffer an appreciable loss ofleadership which could have operational ramifications for conventional Marine forces. If such a course of action is decided upon, Congress might act to review how sucha proposal might impact Marine Corps conventional combat forces, particularly if thisproposed Marine Corps special operations  unit is non-commissioned officer (NCO) andjunior officer-heavy — as are Army SOF A-Detachments and SEAL Platoons. Such a lossof some of the Marine’s best leadership could have a more pronounced impact on thesmaller Marine Corps than it does on the much larger Army and Navy.  SOF Retention Bonuses and Recruiting.  In response to the growing number ofsenior special operations personnel leaving the service for higher paying security jobs inthe private sector, DOD reportedly approved a series of retention bonuses aimed at seniorsergeants, petty officers, and warrant officers — offering up to a $150,000 bonus if theysign up for an additional six years of service.17  Shorter service extensions also are eligiblefor bonuses, down to $8,000 for one year.  Reportedly, about 1,500 special operationspersonnel qualify for these bonuses.  In addition, about 7,000 mid-level special operationspersonnel will get an additional $375 a month in pay and senior operators with 25 yearsor more of experience will get $750 a month more. According to USSOCOM, U.S. Army Special Forces recruiting exceeded its FY04 recruiting goal of 1,600 soldiers by recruiting 1,628 soldiers.18 USSOCOM alsoreported that they were ahead of their recruiting schedule for the first quarter of FY2005.19Although recruiting in FY2004 exceeded its goals, U.S. Army Special Forces Groups arereportedly operating under the authorized strength, allegedly due to high attrition rates inthe lengthy and demanding Special Forces Qualification Course and also because ofsenior special operations forces personnel leaving the Army for higher paying civilianCRS-620 Information in this paragraph is taken from Rowan Scarborough, “Green Berets’ Numbers FallShort,” Washington Times, Feb. 8, 2005, p. 1.21 Richard Lardner, “Senior Soldiers in Special Ops Being Lured Off,” Tampa Tribune, Mar. 21,2005.22 Ibid.23 Information in this paragraph is taken from Thomas Ricks, “Army Contests Rumsfeld’ Bid onOccupation,” Washington Post, Jan. 16, 2005, p. 6.jobs.20 Some suggest, however, that  private sector demand for experienced SOFpersonnel from all services may be softening some  after the initial surge of hiring in2003-2004.21  Even if this is indeed the case, USSOCOM personnel experts maintain thatit is still too early to tell if these new bonuses will have an impact on retention.22It is possible that Congress may explore the effectiveness of this new retentionprogram and continuing efforts to recruit and train new special operations personnel.Such an examination could possibly prove useful in potential deliberations regardingexpanding the size of special forces, as some in Congress have suggested.Civil Affairs Units Transferred to Conventional Forces.  According to a report,Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is considering shifting Army Civil Affairs unitsfrom under USSOCOM to the conventional Army.23 The reported rationale behind thispossible move is to improve the Army’s security and stabilization efforts which have beencriticized by some as ineffective, largely because conventional Army commanders do notunderstand how best to employ USSOCOM’s civil affairs units.  Another result of thismove is that it would permit USSOCOM to focus more exclusively on direct actionmissions designed to kill or capture terrorists.The Army reportedly opposes this proposal, stating that it would “undermine thesystems and relationships carefully developed between the Army and USSOCOM sincethe mid-1980s,” and “would not be wise, given our involvement in current operations andthe Global War on Terrorism.” Some civil affairs officers suggest, however, that theirrelationship with special operations forces has never been particularly comfortable andthat they might fit in better with conventional forces.Congress might act to review the merits and drawbacks of this proposal.  Whilesuch a move might, over time, improve the Army’s ability to conduct security andstabilization operation, some suggest that civil affairs units enjoy greater freedom ofaction and better funding under USSOCOM which some argue makes them ultimatelymore effective. 

U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress

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U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress

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