Army Special Operations Command: Difference between revisions

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The Joint Special Operations Medical Training Center is responsible for all U.S. Military
The Joint Special Operations Medical Training Center is responsible for all U.S. Military
Special Operations Forces’ combat medical training including Army Rangers and
Special Operations Forces’ combat medical training including Army Rangers and
[[Navy SEAL]]S.
[[United States Navy SEAL]]S.


The Noncommissioned Officer Academy prepares enlisted soldiers for leadership positions
The Noncommissioned Officer Academy prepares enlisted soldiers for leadership positions

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The U.S. Army Special Operations Command is the land forces component of United States Special Operations Command; it is commanded by a lieutenant general.

U.S. Army Special Forces Command

This provides overall directions to the deployed and reserve component Special Forces Groups (Airborne), the various augmentation detachments, and training, support, and development. It is headed by a major general.

John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School

The U. S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School is the the Army’s "special operations university", but also has responsibility for doctrinal development and career management for Special Forces, Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations.[1]

Training Group

The Group’s lst Battalion conducts four of the six phases of training in the [[United States Army Special Forces]] Training Pipeline: Phase I is the three-week Special Forces Assessment and Selection course, Phase II is Small Unit Tactics training and Phase IV is the culminating unconventional warfare exercise known as “Robin Sage”. Phase VI is the Survival, Escape, Resistance and Evasion(SERE) course, given in its most advanced version.

The 2nd Battalion teaches advanced special operations skills in weapons training; military free fall and combat diving. They also teach all Special Forces Warrant officer courses and the Special Forces Intelligence Sergeants' course.

The 3rd Battalion conducts Phase V of the Special Forces Training Pipeline – language training. Additionally, 3rd Battalion is responsible for all civil affairs and psychological operations training conducts an extensive regional studies program

The 4th Battalion conducts Phase III of the SF Training Pipeline including the Weapons, Engineer, Communications and Medical Sergeants' courses and the Officer Qualification course.

The Support Battalion, consisting of 29 different combat service support [[Military Occupational Skill]]s (MOS) allows the training battalions to focus on quality training by providing the logistics logistical, administrative, transportation, and facility management support to the Center and School.

The Joint Special Operations Medical Training Center is responsible for all U.S. Military Special Operations Forces’ combat medical training including Army Rangers and United States Navy SEALS.

The Noncommissioned Officer Academy prepares enlisted soldiers for leadership positions in all Army Special Operations Forces including Army Special Forces, Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations. Soldiers receive training in leadership skills, military studies, resource management, effective communication, operations and intelligence, unconventional warfare, operational planning, psychological operations and advanced military occupational skills.

Doctrine

The Center and School’s Directorate of Training and Doctrine develops all special operations doctrine and works with the field and the Training Group to develop all courses and training programs.

Career management

The Proponency Office has the responsibility for managing the careers of all Special Forces, Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations soldiers.

75th Ranger Regiment

The Regiment stays at a high level of readiness; each battalion can deploy in 18 hours, and either land or parachute into the area of operations.

  • lst Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.
  • 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Lewis, Wash.
  • 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga.

The Regiment and its battalions are qualified in:

  • Infiltrating and exfiltrating by land, sea and air
  • Conducting direct action operations, especially seizing airfields
  • Conducting raids
  • Recovery of personnel and special equipment
  • Conducting conventional or special light-infantry operations, including as backup to covert special operations forces.

160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment

One of the major causes of failure of Operation EAGLE CLAW, the planned rescue of U.S. diplomats held hostage in the U.S. embassy in Iran was a lack of both specialized aviation skills, and aviation units experienced in working in special operations.

As a consequence, a specific force was created, specializing in low-level, night operations. The unit became a battalion of its own on Oct. 16, 1981. Designated the 160th Aviation Battalion, the unit was popularly known as Task Force 160 because of the constant attachment and detachment of units to prepare for a wide variety of missions. Its focus on night operations resulted in the nickname, the "Night Stalkers." On May 16, 1990, the unit was reorganized, designated the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), and assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. It operates MH-6 and AH-6 light helicopters, MH-60 Nighthawk helicopters and MH-47 medium assault helicopters.

The Regiment currently consists of three battalions, a headquarters company, the Special Operations Aviation Training Company, and two forward-deployed companies located in the United States Southern Command and United States Pacific Command areas of responsibility. The 1st and 2nd battalions are located at Fort Campbell, Ky., while the 3rd Battalion is located at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga. A detachment operates with the highly classified Joint Special Operations Command

4th Psychological Operations Group

Psychological operations units of the U.S. Army are language and culturally oriented. The 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, N.C., the only active Army psychological operations unit, constitutes 26 percent of all U.S. Army psychological operations units. The remaining 74 percent, split between the 2nd and 7th Psychological Operations Groups, are in the Army Reserve.

95th Civil Affairs Brigade

Special Operations Support Command

There is a headquarters element at Fort Bragg, and a Special Operations Theater Support Element (SOTSE) at each of the geographic Unified Combatant Commands.

At Bragg, the 112th Special Operations Signal Battalion (Airborne) and the 528th Special Operations Support Battalion (Airborne) procure, or sometimes make, unconventional items, and package them appropriately for field delivery and use. They can provide technical support and training, and are airborne qualified to deploy as needed,

The Material Management Center provides the ARSOF with centralized and integrated materiel management of property, equipment maintenance, logistical automation and repair parts and supplies.

  1. U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (5 July 2007), USAJFKSWCS Factsheet