SOF Missions |
Special Forces soldiers are trained to perform the following missions: Unconventional Warfare (UW): A broad spectrum of military and paramilitary operations conducted in enemy-held, enemy-controlled or politically sensitive territory. UW includes, but is not limited to, the interrelated fields of guerilla warfare, evasion and escape, subversion, sabotage, and other operations of a low visibility, covert or clandestine nature. Conduct a broad spectrum of military and paramilitary operations.
Direct Action (DA): Either overt or covert action against an enemy force. Seize, damage, or destroy a target; capture or recover personnel or material in support of strategic / operational objectives or conventional forces.
Special Reconnaissance (SR): Special Forces teams are infiltrated behind enemy lines to provide the theater commander with intelligence on the enemy or to gather information on the terrain, local populace, etc. of an area. Verify, through observation or other collection methods, information concerning enemy capabilities, intentions, and activities in support of strategic/operational objectives or conventional forces.
Foreign Internal Defense (FID): FID operations are designed to help friendly developing nations by working with host country military and police forces to improve their technical skills, understanding of human rights issues, and to help with humanitarian and civic action projects. FID missions assist another government in any action program taken to free and protect its society from subversion, lawlessness, and insurgency.
Counter terrorism (CT): Offensive measures taken to prevent, deter, and respond to terrorism. Preempt or resolve terrorist incidents. Interagency activity using highly specialized capabilities. Psychological Operations (PSYOP): Induce or reinforce foreign attitudes and behavior favorable to Government objectives. Influence emotions, motives, and behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals. Civil Affairs (CA): Establish, maintain, influence, or exploit relations among military forces, civil authorities, and civilian populations to facilitate military operations.
Coalition Warfare / Support: Ensures the ability of a wide variety of foreign troops to work together effectively, in a wide variety of military exercises or operations such as Operation Desert Storm. Draws upon the SOF soldier's maturity, military skills, language skills and cultural awareness. Humanitarian and Civic Action (HCA): SOF soldiers' diversified military skills, language capabilities and cultural training make them a natural choice for supporting humanitarian and civic action Operations. Other Individual Missions Besides the individual skills of operations and intelligence, communications, medical aid, engineering and weapons, each Special Forces soldier is taught to train, advise, and assist host-nation military or paramilitary forces. Special Forces soldiers are highly skilled operators, trainers, and teachers. Area-oriented, these soldiers are specially trained in their area's native language and culture. Other Special Operations Missions In addition to the above specialized missions, the various Special Operations Commands must:
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