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US Special Operations

I thought I'd add a bit discussing the SPECOPS community and leave this here in case anyone had any questions.

The US military has various branches of SPECOPS forces and they all have varying and different missions.

At the top of the SPECOPS community is 1st Special Forces (SF) Operational Detachment-Delta (Popularly known as Delta Force) and Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Development Group (DEVGRU) (Popularly known as SEAL Team 6). These are the most highly trained SPECOPS units the US. They take on the most difficult missions, such as hard target extraction or eradication, hostage rescue, and deep penetration reconnaissance.

Next comes the regular SPECOPS units of the Army and Navy. The regular Army SF Operational Detachments and the other navy SEAL Teams. They both conduct unconventional warfare (UW), special reconnaissance (SR), direct action (DA), and foreign internal defense (FID) and these are their most common missions. They also conduct hostage rescue, counter-terrorism, counter-drug operations, counter-proliferation, information operations, and humanitarian missions.

Then there is Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC) which is a relatively new force. Their mission is to recruit, train, sustain, and deploy scalable, expeditionary forces worldwide to accomplish special operations missions assigned by U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).

Along with MARSOC is Air Force Special operations Command (AFSOC). Now AFSOC is an anomaly in its own branch of service. You see, among the military, the USAF is the least regimented and strict. They are more a gentlemen's club and the other services often joke that the USAF is the only uniformed branch of the Department of the Defense that is NOT a military organization. But that is not true of AFSOC personnel. They are tough and dedicated. Their missions run the gamut from providing air support to other SF units, to providing Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) with their Pararesue force, and setting up drop zones and landing zones.

Then there is the Army Rangers, and their mission include DA, raids, personnel and special equipment recovery, as well as light infantry operations.

Image from Wikimedia public domain.

Operations Special US

I remember training at a US Air force base for as a six man team that we called SRT (Special Reactionary team) We had two six man teams who would be responsible for anything that came up that they needed people on the ground quickly. We we trained for hostage negotiation and entering a hostile building. It was some of the most intense and rewarding training I took. I was one of the team leaders due to my verbal skills in talking to people.

US Special Operations History & Civil Business Politics

Yeah, people make fun of the USAF but they have some tough cookies and what they do they do well. Heck, they are pretty much the artillery for the Army any more and they do a great job there. I remember during Desert Storm calling in the A-10s when the Iraqis were evacuating Kuwait City and the destruction they rained down was awe-inspiring and just a little scary. I remember thinking if I was on the receiving end of that I'm not sure I wouldn't just curl up into a little ball and start crying… especially since the Iraqis had nothing to respond with.

And USAF pilots are the best in the world and that is simply a fact. It is a function of the richness of our country and their dedication to their mission and profession. You see, we are a rich country so our pilots fly more, spend more time in the air, than that of any other country. So, they fly in the best planes and they are the best pilots. Our air force has some near peers (Israel, UK, France, Chinese and Russian elite air units) but no peers.

Operations Special US

The United States: Addicted to special forces. In 2017, the US dispatched special operations to 149 countries. What were they doing there? Source 5s.