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1 1 (December 11, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdcxk0001 and id is 1 raw text is: \ Q Defense Primer: Special Operations Forces Special Operations Forces (SOF) are those active duty and reserve component forces of thenmilitary services designated by the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) and 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. They are often conducted in hostile, politically, and/or diplomatically sensitive environments, and are characterized by one or more of the following: time-sensitivity, clandestine or covert nature, low visibility, work with or through indigenous forces, greater requirements for regional orientation and culturalexpertise, andahigh degree ofrisk. SOF's core activities are listed below. Direct action Specialreconnaissance Countering weapons of mas s destruction Counterterrorism * Unconventional warfare * Foreign internal defense * Security force assistance Hostage rescue and recovery Counterinsurgency * Foreign humanitarian assis tance * Military information support operations * Civil affairs operations Se4ectkn cf SOF Operaton&aPo r r c SOF operational personnel (oftenreferred to as operatois) undergo a rigorous screening and selection process characterized by a low s election rate. After s election, they receive mis ion -specific training to achieveproficiency in a variety of s pecial operations skills. SOF operators tend to be more experienced personnel and many maintain competency in more than one military specialty. Selected operators have regional, cultural, and linguistic expertise. Some SOF pers onnelrequire highly technical and advanced training for anticipated mis sions such as Military Freefall training, Combat Diver training, and Sniper training. In 1986, Congress, concerned about the status of SOF within overallU.S. defense planning, passed legislation to strengthen specialoperations' position within the defense community and to strengthen interoperability among the branches of U.S. SOF. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 1987 (P.L. 99-661), established an Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low IntensityConflict (ASD(SOLIC)) and anew four-star command to prepare Special Operations Forces (SOF) to carry out as signed mis sions and, if directed by the President or SECDEF, to plan for and conduct specialoperations. Specia rd Low CA)nThict (AS'L D S LI) The ASD (SOLIC) is the principal civilian advisor to the Secretary of Defense 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 specialoperations and low- intensity conflict activities. TheASD(SOLIC) falls under and reports to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (USD (P)). Congres s, wishing for the ASD (SOLIC) to exercise greater oversight ofUSSOCOM, enacted Section 922, FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 114-328) to facilitate and resource ASD (SOLIC)'s originally-intended Service Secretary-like authorities. On November 18, 2020, Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher C. Miller announced the ASD (SOLIC) would thereafter directly report to the Secretary of Defense. %eMa pCaa Operatio ns C Cmand (U . \oC.\: Activated on April16, 1987, and headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, FL, USSOCOM is the unified Combatant Command (COCOM) responsible for organizing, training, and equipping all U.S. SOF units. Headquarters, USSOCOM consists of approximately 2,500 military and civilian personnel, and overall, the command has more than 70,000 personnel as signed 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 SECDEF. 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 (DOD) plans against global terrorismand conducting glbbal operations as directed. Since 2016, USSOCOM has also been as signed theroles coordinating authority over countering violent extremis t operations (CVEO) and counter weapons of mass destruction (CWMD) operations. USSOCOM has also been given the mis s ion to field a trans- regional Military Information Support Operations (MISO) capability to address the opportunities and risks of the global information space. 0 0 0 0 Updated December 11,2020

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