USSOCOM Fact Book - United States Special Operations Command

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Two aircraft crashed. Eightservicemembers lost their lives.Fifty-three hostages remained incaptivity. Operation Eagle Claw wasa heroic effort, but this tragic secretmission in April 1980 showed theneed for a joint Special OperationsForce, leading to the creation of U.S.Special Operations Command.The operation occurred at a remotesite in Iran known as Desert One, and itspurpose was to rescue 53 Americanhostages held at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran,Iran. Servicemembers from the Army, Navy, AirForce and Marine Corps were involved in the operation, butmiscommunication, lack of standardized training amongthe branches and other external factors caused the missionfailure, which showed the need for a unified, multi-serviceSpecial Operations command.Special Operations Forces had declined in the 1970sdue to significant SOF funding cuts. Over the next fewyears following the Desert One disaster, Congress begantaking the necessary steps toward building adequate SOF.In 1983, the Senate Armed Services Committee began anin-depth study of the Defense Department, including acareful examination of SOF. When the study wascompleted two years later, the SASC published a review ofits findings entitled, “Defense Organization: The Need forChange.” This document, which analyzed past SOFmissions and future threats, influenced the creation of theGoldwater-Nichols Act of 1986.The Goldwater-Nichols Act caused majorreorganization throughout the DOD. Shortly after itscreation, Congress passed SOF reform bills, calling for aunified combatant command headed by a four-star generalfor all SOF. The final bill, which amended the Goldwater-Maj. Gen.William DonovanOfficeof Coordinatorof Informationpredecessor to theOSS establishedJuly 11, 1941Operation Ivory CoastNov. 20-21, 1970Operation Eagle ClawApril 24, 1980Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada)Key impetus toUSSOCOM establishmentOct. 25, 1983Operation Earnest WillJuly 1987 - Sept. 1989Operation Just CauseDec. 1989 - Jan. 1990USSOCOMformally established asfour-star headquartersApril 16, 1987Operations DesertShield &Desert StormAug. 1990 - Feb. 1991Office of the StrategicServicesJune 13, 1942Joint SpecialOperations CommandOct. 22, 1980Naval Special WarfareCommandApril 16, 1987USSOCOM Fact Book8
Nichols Act, marked the first time Congress mandated apresident create a unified combatant command.The legislation promised to improve SOF significantly.It fostered joint service cooperation, as a single commanderwould promote greater interaction among forces within thesame command. It also provided SOF with its ownresources, allowing the command to modernize forces asneeded. Just days after President Ronald Reagan approvedthe establishment of the new command, the DOD activatedUSSOCOM April 16, 1987, at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.Gen. James A. Lindsay was the first commander ofUSSOCOM. Since Lindsay, there have been seven otherUSSOCOM commanders: Generals Carl W. Stiner, WayneA. Downing, Henry H. Shelton, Peter J. Schoomaker,Charles R. Holland, Bryan D. Brown, and the currentcommander, Adm. Eric T. Olson, who has held this positionsince July 2007.Over the years, USSOCOM’s missions andorganizational structure have evolved to meet the needs ofmodern warfare. Originally, the command’s mission was“to prepare SOF to carry out missions and, if directed bythe President or the Secretary of Defense, to plan andconduct special operations.” Commanders refined themission statement over the years to reflect the need and roleof SOF during their periods of time in command. Uponbecoming USSOCOM commander, Olson further refinedthe mission: “Provide fully capable Special OperationsForces to defend the United States and its interests. Planand synchronize operations against terrorist networks.”SOF deployments have greatly increased sinceUSSOCOM’s inception, measured by both personneldeployed and the number of countries visited. Currently,approximately 58,000 servicemembers and civilians workat USSOCOM headquarters or one of its unifiedcommands: U.S. Army Special Operations Command,Naval Special Warfare Command, Air Force SpecialOperations Command, Marine Corps Forces SpecialOperations Command, and Joint Special OperationsCommand, a sub-unified command.Haiti - OperationsSupport DemocracyMay 1991- Sept. 1994Uphold DemocracySept. 1994 - March 1995Restore DemocracyMarch 1995 - UN MissionOperation ProvideComfortIraq 1991Somalia - Operations1992-1995Joint EndeavorDec. 1995 - Dec. 1996Joint GuardDec. 1996 - June 1998Joint ForgeJune 1998 - May 2001Joint GuardianJune 1999 - 2006Allied ForceMarch - June 1999Operation EnduringFreedomAfghanistanOct. 19, 2001 - PresentOperation Iraqi FreedomMarch 19, 2003 - Aug. 31, 2010Operation New DawnAug. 31, 2010 - PresentOperationEnduring FreedomPhilippinesJan. 2002 - PresentU.S. Army SpecialOperations CommandDec. 1, 1989Air Force SpecialOperations CommandMay 22, 1990Operation Noble EagleSept. 11, 2001Marine Corps Forces SpecialOperations CommandFeb. 24, 2006USSOCOM Fact Book9
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Page 4 and 5: USSOCOM Fact Book4USSOCOM Mission P
Page 12 and 13: U.S. Army Special Operations Comman
Page 14 and 15: The U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Speci
Page 16 and 17: The 75th Ranger Regiment is a letha
Page 18 and 19: The 4th Military Information Suppor
Page 20 and 21: Naval Special Warfare Command is th
Page 22 and 23: The SEAL Team is the heart of the N
Page 24 and 25: SEAL Delivery Vehicle Teams are spe
Page 26 and 27: Mine Resistant/Ambush ProtectedVehi
Page 29 and 30: Air Force Special Operations Comman
Page 31 and 32: The Air Force Special Operations Tr
Page 33 and 34: Pararescuemen, commonly known as PJ
Page 35 and 36: MC-130W Combat SpearPrimary functio
Page 37 and 38: Headquartered at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Page 41 and 42: equipment support, intelligence and
Page 43: million square miles and nearly 60

USSOCOM Fact Book - United States Special Operations Command

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