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. The Administration has given U.S. SOF forces greater responsibility for planning and directing worldwide counterterrorism operations. The Administration's proposed FY2004 defense budget requests about $6.7 billion for SOF forces -- an increase of about 34% over FY2003 -- and proposes increasing the total number of SOF personnel. The expanded use of SOF in U.S. military operations raises several issues for Congress. The House and Senate Armed Services Committees, in their reports on the FY2004 Defense Authorization Bill (H.R. 1588/S. 1050) included several provisions relating to U.S. SOF. This report will be updated as events warrant.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 15, 2003
Accession Number
ADA476654

Entities

People

  • Andrew Feickert

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Human Systems
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Aircrafts
  • Civil Affairs
  • Combatant Commanders
  • Congress
  • Governments
  • Military Operations
  • Military Organizations
  • National Security
  • Psychological Operations
  • Rotary Wing Aircraft
  • Special Forces
  • Special Operations Forces
  • Terrorism
  • Tilt Rotor Aircraft
  • United States Special Operations Command
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Military and Counterinsurgency Studies.