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1 [1] (November 19, 2025)

handle is hein.crs/govestd0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Defense Primer: U.S. Special Operations Forces Overview U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) are those active duty and reserve component forces of the military services designated by the Secretary of Defense, who is using Secretary of War as a secondary title under Executive Order 14347, dated September 5, 2025. These forces are specifically selected, organized, trained, and equipped to conduct and support special operations. Special operations frequently require unique modes of employment, tactics, techniques, procedures, and equipment. SOF often conducts special operations in hostile, politically, and/or diplomatically sensitive environments, and are characterized by one or more of the following: time- sensitivity, clandestine or covert in nature, low visibility, work with or through indigenous forces, greater requirements for regional orientation and cultural expertise, and a high degree of risk. SOF's core activities are * direct action, * special reconnaissance, * unconventional warfare, * foreign internal defense, * civil affairs operations, * counterterrorism, * military information support operations, * counter-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, * security force assistance, * counterinsurgency, * hostage rescue and recovery, and * foreign humanitarian assistance. Selection of SOF Operatonal Personnel SOF operational personnel (often referred to as operators) undergo a rigorous screening and selection process characterized by a low selection rate. After selection, they receive mission-specific training to achieve proficiency in a variety of special operations skills. SOF operators tend to be experienced personnel and many maintain competency in more than one military specialty. Selected operators have regional, cultural, and linguistic expertise. Some SOF personnel require highly technical and advanced training for anticipated missions such as Military Freefall parachute training, Combat Diver training, and Sniper training. Command Structure and Components In 1986, Congress, concerned about the status of SOF within overall U.S. defense planning and budgeting, enacted legislation to strengthen special operations' position within the defense community and to strengthen interoperability among the branches of U.S. SOF. The Updated November 19, 2025 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1987 (NDAA; P.L. 99-661), established an Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict (ASD [SOLIC]) and a new four-star command to prepare SOF to carry out assigned missions and, if directed by the President or Secretary of Defense (Secretary of War), to plan for and conduct special operations. Assistant Secretary of Defense (War) for Special Operations and Low-intensity COn fict The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict (ASD [SOLIC]), who is using Assistant Secretary of War for Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict (ASW [SOLIC]) as a secondary title under E.O. 14347, is the principal civilian advisor to the Secretary of Defense (Secretary of War) on special operations and low-intensity conflict matters. The ASD (SOLIC) has, as their principal duty, overall supervision (to include oversight of policy and resources) of special operations and low-intensity conflict activities. The ASD (SOLIC) falls under and reports to the Under Secretary of Defense (War) for Policy (USD [P]). Congress, wanting ASD (SOLIC) to exercise greater oversight of USSOCOM, enacted Section 922 of the FY2017 NDAA (P.L. 114-328) to facilitate and resource ASD (SOLIC), as originally intended, to assume Service Secretary-like authorities. U.S. Specda Operations Command Activated on April 16, 1987, and headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, FL, USSOCOM is the unified Combatant Command responsible for organizing, training, and equipping all U.S. SOF units. Headquarters, USSOCOM consists of around 2,500 military and civilian personnel, and overall, the command has approximately 70,000 personnel assigned to its headquarters, its service components, and sub-unified commands. The USSOCOM commander is a four-star general officer from any Service who reports directly to the Secretary of Defense (Secretary of War). After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, USSOCOM's responsibilities were expanded in the 2004 Unified Command Plan (UCP), assigning USSOCOM responsibility for coordinating the Department of Defense (Department of War) plans against global terrorism and conducting global operations as directed. Since 2016, USSOCOM has also been assigned the roles coordinating authority over countering violent extremist operations (CVEO) and counter weapons of mass destruction (CWMD) operations.