U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress

Abstract

Special Operations Forces (SOF) play a significant role in U.S. military operations and have been given greater responsibility for planning and conducting worldwide counterterrorism operations. U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has about 70,000 Active Duty, National Guard, and reserve personnel from all four services and Department of Defense (DOD) civilians assigned to its headquarters, its four service component commands, and eight sub-unified commands. In 2013, based on a request from USSOCOM (with the concurrence of Geographic and Functional Combatant Commanders and the Military Service Chiefs and Secretaries), the Secretary of Defense assigned command of the Theater Special Operations Commands (TSOCs) to USSOCOM. USSOCOM has the responsibility to organize, train, and equip TSOCs. While USSOCOM is responsible for the organizing, training, and equipping of TSOCs, the Geographic Combatant Commands will have operational control over the TSOCs. Because the TSOCs are now classified as sub-unified commands, the services are responsible to provide non-SOF support to the TSOCs in the same manner in which they provide support to the Geographic Combatant Command headquarters. The Unified Command Plan (UCP) stipulates USSOCOM responsibility for synchronizing planning for global operations to combat terrorist networks. In 2016, USSOCOM was assigned the leading role in coordinating DODs efforts to counter WMDs, a mission previously assigned to U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM). USSOCOM is also the DOD proponent for Security Force Assistance and recently was assigned the mission to field a Trans Regional Military Information Support Operations (MISO) capability. USSOCOM's FY2022 budget request was for $12.6 billion, representing a decrease of $495 million (4 percent) of the FY2021-enacted position of $13.1 billion. A potential issue for Congress includes potential implications of the Ukraine Conflict for U.S. SOF.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 11, 2022
Accession Number
AD1168720

Entities

People

  • Andrew Feickert

Organizations

  • Congressional Research Service

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Air Force
  • Combatant Commanders
  • Congress
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Department Of Defense
  • Military Information Support Operations
  • Military Operations
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Personnel
  • National Guard
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychological Operations
  • Special Operations Forces
  • Unified Combatant Commands
  • United States
  • United States Special Operations Command
  • United States Strategic Command
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Public Financial Management and Budgeting

Technology Areas

  • Fully Networked C3
  • Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control