U.S. Special Operations Command

The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) is a unified combatant command with about 60,000 active-duty, National Guard, and reserve personnel from all four services, as well as Department of Defense civilians, with headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. It is commanded by a four-star officer who may be selected from any service. Like the other eight functional and geographical unified combatant commanders, the commander of USSOCOM reports directly to the secretary of defense.

Approximately two thirds of USSOCOM’s personnel are permanently assigned, and the other one third rotate in and out from the four services’ special operations commands: U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Naval Special Warfare Command, Air Force Special Operations Command, and Marine Corps Special Operations Command. Some of the best known service components of USSOCOM are the Army Special Forces and Army Rangers, Navy SEALS, Air Force AC-130 Gunship Squadrons and Pararescuemen, and Marine Corps Recon Teams and Scout Snipers.

Special operations forces (SOF) were generally assigned a low priority by conventional forces leaders and the Department of Defense bureaucracy during and immediately after the Cold War. However, following the attacks of 9/11 and subsequent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a new emphasis has been placed on SOF assets and skills. Indeed, President George W. Bush designated USSOCOM as the lead combatant command for planning, synchronizing, and conducting operations against terrorist networks in the Global War on Terrorism.