United States Special Operations Command

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

United States Special Operations Command
- USSOCOM -
- SOCOM -

United States Special Operations Command Insignia.svg


US Special Operations Command emblem
Lineup April 16, 1987
Country United States
Armed forces United States Armed Forces
Armed forces Armed forces General Command facility ( Unified Combatant Command ) of all American special forces ( Special forces )
Subordinate troops

s. u.

Strength 57,000
Insinuation United States Department of Defense
MacDill Air Force Base Hillsborough County, Florida
motto Provide fully capable Special Operations Forces to defend the United States and its interests. / Synchronize planning of global operations against terrorist networks.
commander
Commander of the United States Special Operations Command GEN Richard D. Clarke , USAR
Deputy Commander of the United States Special Operations Command Lt. Gen James C. Slife , USAF

The US Special Operations Command ( USSOCOM or SOCOM ; German  command for special operations of the United States ) is a cross-military command facility ( Unified Combatant Command ) of all US-American special units of the US Army , US Air Force , US Navy and the US Marine Corps . It was established under the Nunn-Cohen Amendment on April 16, 1987 and is headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base , Florida . The US special forces are often incorrectly referred to as US Special Forces ; However, these represent only a part of the entire US Special Operations Forces .

history

MacDill AFB, where SOCOM's headquarters are located

After failures during the US invasion of Grenada , when the special forces of the individual branches of the armed forces held a real race and sometimes hindered each other or at least did not support each other adequately, and also from the findings of the failed Operation Eagle Claw , the attempt to free hostages in Iran in 1980, it became clear that a common command is essential for the coordination and management of the various units. As early as 1982, on the initiative of General Edward C. Meyer, the army's special units were merged into a new 1st Special Operations Command .

The ratified in 1986 Act Goldwater-Nichols Act was the legal basis for comprehensive military reform of the US since the National Security Act of 1947. The law requires the Department of Defense to streamline the command chains and so-called for the establishment Unified Combatant Command , joint forces grip composite commands .

At the same time, the congress had also "suggested" a joint command for the special forces of the US armed forces in order to ensure the operational coordination of the individual special forces and to avoid a repetition of disastrous missions such as the 1983 invasion of Grenada ( Operation Urgent Fury ) .

The Ministry of Defense only implemented the changes required by law and ignored this “recommendation”.

In 1987, Congress ratified the Nunn-Cohen Amendment , which legally forced the Pentagon to set up SOCOM .

In 1989, with the US invasion of Panama ( Operation Just Cause ), the United States Special Operations Command was operationally integrated with the United States Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) for the first time .

In 2010, the Special Forces were deployed in 75 states, 86 percent of which were under the responsibility of the United States Central Command .

Mission and responsibility

The SOCOM has form the order, all the special forces of the three armed forces uniform, equip and for other Unified Combatant Commands require that such organizations for their order fulfillment and request to provide ( "chop" principle, Engl .: cut, separate ).

Core tasks

  • Ensuring the readiness of the special forces both CONUS and worldwide.
  • Ensuring professional personnel development for the special forces.
  • Development of cross-armed forces tactics, techniques and processes for special forces.
  • Constant further development and implementation of special courses for training
  • Training of forces not assigned to a regional command
  • Administration and execution of your own budget and financial plan (money comes directly from Congress, not from the armed forces)
  • Research, development and procurement of equipment specifically designed to meet the needs of the Special Operations Forces.

Global fight against terrorism

At the same time, however, it not only functions as a functional command, but also has its own associations around the world as part of the fight against terrorism . This makes it the only group command alongside the US Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) that trains, supplies and equips troops and still leads (partially) in missions itself.

Own budget

The SOCOM has under the Nunn-Cohen amendment as a single composite command of its own source of funding, which is independent of the decision of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff feeds and the budget planning of the remaining forces from a special fund the Defense Ministry.

As a result, it is no longer possible for the maternal armed forces to control the financing of their sometimes still unpopular (because costly) special forces “through the back door”.

As a result, SOCOM is de facto a sixth branch.

In fiscal 2002, the budget was $ 4.9 billion. Due to a new directive from the US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to the USSOCOM to track down and arrest terrorists around the globe, the annual budget was more than doubled. Among other things, the budget will be used to increase the workforce from 47,000 to 56,000 and to ensure the completion of the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft .

Since SOCOM is also largely autonomous in its procurement, it can happen that necessary equipment is procured on the world market apart from political requirements and national industrial interests. One example of this is the acquisition of the HELLAS helicopter laser obstacle warning system from EADS / Dornier , which was procured for its own helicopters.

In fiscal 2011, the budget was $ 9.8 billion.

Command structure

organization chart

Subordinate commands and units

Commanders

No. Surname image Beginning of the appointment End of appointment
12 Richard D. Clarke ( USAR ) Clarke USSOCOM.jpg 29th March 2019 ---
11 Raymond A. Thomas (USAR) General Raymond A. Thomas III (USSOCOM) .jpg March 30, 2016 29th March 2019
10 Joseph L. Votel (USAR) Votel2014.jpg August 28, 2014 March 30, 2016
9 William H. McRaven ( USN ) William H. McRaven.jpg August 8, 2011 August 28, 2014
8th Eric T. Olson (USN) ADM Eric T. Olson.jpg July 9, 2007 August 8, 2011
7th Bryan D. Brown (USAR) Bryan D. Brown.jpg September 2, 2003 July 9, 2007
6th Charles R. Holland ( USAF ) Holland cr.jpg October 27, 2000 September 2, 2003
5 Peter J. Schoomaker (USAR) Peter Schoomaker.jpg November 5, 1997 October 27, 2000
interim Raymond C. Smith, Jr. (USN) Raymond C. Smith Jr 1992.jpg September 25, 1997 November 5, 1997
4th Henry H. Shelton (USAR) General Henry Shelton, official portrait 2.jpg February 29, 1996 September 25, 1997
3 Wayne A. Downing (USAR) Wayne A. Downing MG 1988.jpg May 20, 1993 February 29, 1996
2 Carl W. Stiner (USAR) Carl W Stiner.jpg June 27, 1990 May 20, 1993
1 James J. Lindsay (USAR) GEN James Lindsay 1986.jpg April 16, 1987 June 27, 1990

Web links

Commons : United States Special Operations Command  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ www.socom.mil: About USSOCOM. ( Memento from July 11, 2010 in the web archive archive.today ) Accessed June 26, 2010.
  2. ↑ www.socom.mil ( Memento from December 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Mission of US Special Operations Command. Accessed November 24, 2013.
  3. ↑ US Code: Title 10, § 167 at law.cornell.edu ( accessed July 20, 2008)
  4. ↑ afsoc.af.mil ( Memento from December 17, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on November 16, 2008