United States Army Special Forces

on horseback in the Dari-a-Souf Valley, Afghanistan, . The primary mission of the Army Special Forces is to train and lead unconventional warfare (UW) forces, or a clandestine guerrilla force in an occupied nation. The 10th Special Forces Group was the first deployed SF unit, intended to train and lead UW forces behind enemy lines in the event of a Warsaw Pact invasion of Western Europe. As the U.S. became involved in Southeast Asia, it was realized that specialists trained to lead guerrillas could also help defend against hostile guerrillas, so SF acquired the additional mission of Foreign Internal Defense (FID), working with Host Nation (HN) forces in a spectrum of counter-guerrilla activities from indirect support to combat command. Special Forces personnel qualify both in advanced military skills and the regional languages and cultures of defined parts of the world. While they are best known for their unconventional warfare capabilities, they also undertake other missions that include direct action raids, peace operations, counter-proliferation, counter-drug advisory roles, and other strategic missions. As strategic resources, they report either to USSOCOM or to a regional Unified Combatant Command. To enhance their DA capability, specific units were created with a focus on the direct action side of special operations. First known as Commander's In-extremis Force, then Crisis Response Forces, they are now supplanted by Hard-Target Defeat companies which have been renamed Critical Threats Advisory Companies. SF team members work closely together and rely on one another under isolated circumstances for long periods of time, both during extended deployments and in garrison. SF non-commissioned officers (NCO) often spend their entire careers in Special Forces, rotating among assignments to detachments, higher staff billets, liaison positions, and instructor duties at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. With the creation of USSOCOM, SF commanders have risen to the highest ranks of U.S. Army command, including command of USSOCOM, the Army's chief of staff, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. ==History==

{{Listen , February 1991 In 1951, Major General Robert A. McClure chose former World War Two OSS member Colonel Aaron Bank as Operations Branch Chief of the Special Operations Division of the Psychological Warfare Staff in the Pentagon. In June 1952 the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) was formed under Bank, soon after the establishment of the Psychological Warfare School, which eventually became John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. The 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) was then split with the cadre that kept the designation 10th SFG deployed to Bad Tölz, Germany, in September 1953; and again with the establishment of Detachment A in 1956. The remaining part at Fort Bragg formed the 77th Special Forces Group, which in May 1960 was reorganized and designated as today's 7th Special Forces Group. Since their establishment in 1952, Special Forces soldiers have operated in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, North Vietnam, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Colombia, Panama, Haiti, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo, 1st Gulf War, Afghanistan, Iraq, the Philippines, Syria, Yemen, Niger and, in a FID role, East Africa. The Special Forces branch was established as a basic branch of the United States Army on 9 April 1987 by Department of the Army General Order No. 35. ==Organizational structure==

1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) Special Forces Groups , 5th, 7th, 10th, 19th, 20th and 3rd SFG) at the gravesite of President John F. Kennedy in November 2011. from 160th SOAR deploys an ODA from 7th SFG(A) on board a U.S. submarine for a joint exercise In 1957 the two original Special Forces groups (10th and 77th) were joined by the 1st SFG, stationed in the Far East. Additional groups were formed in 1961 and 1962 after President John F. Kennedy visited the Special Forces at Fort Bragg in 1961. The 5th SFG was activated on 21 September 1961; the 8th SFG on 1 April 1963; the 6th SFG on 1 May 1963; and the 3rd SFG on 5 December 1963. In addition, there have been seven Reserve groups (2nd SFG, 9th SFG, 11th SFG, 12th SFG, 13th SFG, 17th SFG, and 24th SFG) and four National Guard groups (16th SFG, 19th SFG, 20th SFG, and 21st SFG). A 4th SFG, 14th SFG, 15th SFG, 18th SFG, 22nd SFG, and 23rd SFG were in existence at some point. Many of these groups were not fully staffed and most were deactivated around 1966. In the early twenty-first century, Special Forces are divided into five active duty and two Army National Guard (ARNG) Special Forces groups. Each Special Forces Group (SFG) has a specific regional focus. The Special Forces soldiers assigned to these groups receive intensive language and cultural training for countries within their regional area of responsibility. Due to the increased need for Special Forces soldiers in the war on terror, all groups—including those of the National Guard (19th and 20th SFGs)—have been deployed outside of their areas of operation, particularly to Iraq and Afghanistan. A recently released report showed Special Forces as perhaps the most deployed SOF under USSOCOM, with many soldiers, regardless of group, serving up to 75% of their careers overseas, almost all of which had been to Iraq and Afghanistan. Until 2014, an SF group has consisted of three battalions, but since the Department of Defense has authorized the 1st Special Forces Command to increase its authorized strength by one third, a fourth battalion was activated in each active component group. File:1st Special Forces Group - New 4-digit numbers ODA.JPG|Current structure of the 1st SFG (A) File:3rd Special Forces Group - New 4-digit numbers ODA.JPG|Current structure of the 3rd SFG (A) File:5h Special Forces Group - 4 battalions.jpg|Current structure of the 5th SFG (A) File:7th Special Forces Group - New 4-digit numbers ODA.JPG|Current structure of the 7th SFG (A) File:10th Special Forces Group - New 4-digit numbers ODA.JPG|Current structure of the 10th SFG (A) File:20th Special Operations Group - New nomenclature.JPG|Current structure of the 20th SFG (A) (ARNG) A Special Forces group is historically assigned to a Unified Combatant Command or a theater of operations. The Special Forces Operational Detachment C or C-detachment (SFODC) is responsible for a theater or a major subcomponent, which can provide command and control of up to 18 SFODAs, three SFODB, or a mixture of the two. Subordinate to it is the Special Forces Operational Detachment Bs or B-detachments (SFODB), which can provide command and control for six SFODAs. Further subordinate, the SFODAs typically raise company- to battalion-sized units when on unconventional warfare missions. They can form six-man "split A" detachments that are often used for special reconnaissance. Support positions as part of the ODB/B Team within an SF company are as follows: • The supply NCO, usually a staff sergeant, the commander's principal logistical planner, works with the battalion S-4 to supply the company. • The Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN defense) NCO, usually a sergeant, maintains and operates the company's NBC detection and decontamination equipment, and assists in administering NBC defensive measures. • Other jobs can also exist depending on the B-Team structure. Specialist team members can include I.T. (S-6) personnel, and Military Intelligence Soldiers, including Intelligence Analysts (35F), Human Intelligence Collectors (35M), Signals Intelligence (35 N/P - also known as SOT-A and SOT-B as related to their positions on SFODA and SFODB teams), Intelligence Officers (35 D/E/F), and Counterintelligence Special Agents (35L/351L). Basic Element – SF Operational Detachment-A (SFODA) composition A Special Forces company normally consists of six Operational Detachments-A (ODA or "A-Teams"). Each ODA specializes in an infiltration skill or a particular mission-set (e.g. military free fall (HALO), combat diving, mountain warfare, maritime operations, etc.). Each ODA Team's number is unique. Prior to 2007, the number typically consisted of three digits, reflecting the Group, the specific ODB within the battalion, and the specific ODA within the company. Starting in 2007, the number sequence was changed to a four-digit format. The first digit would specify group (1=1st SFG, 3=3rd SFG, 5=5th SF, 7=7th SFG, 0=10th SFG, 9=19th SFG, 2=20th SFG). The second digit would be 1-4 for 1st through 4th Battalion. The third digit would be 1-3 for A to C Companies. The fourth digit would be 1-6 for the particular team within that company. For example, ODA 1234 would signify the fourth ODA in Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group. ==Qualifications==

(HALO) jump over Yakima training center, c. 2014 The basic eligibility requirements to be considered for entry into the Special Forces for existing service members are: :*Be age 20–36 :*Be a U.S. citizen ==Selection and training==

The Special Forces soldier trains on a regular basis over the course of their entire career. The initial formal training program for entry into Special Forces is divided into four phases collectively known as the Special Forces Qualification Course or, informally, the "Q Course". The length of the Q Course changes depending on the applicant's primary job field within Special Forces and their assigned foreign language capability, but will usually last between 55 and 95 weeks. After successfully completing the Special Forces Qualification Course, Special Forces soldiers are then eligible for many advanced skills courses. These include, but are not limited to, the Military Free Fall Parachutist Course, the Combat Diver Qualification Course, the Special Operations Combat Medic Course, the Special Forces Sniper Course, among others. ==Special Forces MOS descriptions==

• 18A – Special Forces Officer • 180A – Special Forces Warrant Officer • 18B – Special Forces Weapons Sergeant • 18C – Special Forces Engineer Sergeant • 18D – Special Forces Medical Sergeant • 18E – Special Forces Communications Sergeant • 18F – Special Forces Intelligence Sergeant • 18X – Special Forces Candidate (Active Duty and National Guard Enlistment Option) • 18Z – Special Forces Operations Sergeant ==Uniforms and insignia==

Green beret in 1956, wearing their green berets in 2014, wearing their green berets U.S. Army Special Forces adopted the green beret unofficially in 1954 after searching for headgear that would set them visually apart. Members of the 77th SFG began searching through their accumulated berets and settled on the rifle green color from Captain Miguel de la Peña's collection; since 1942 the British Commandos had permeated the use of green on berets of specialist forces, and many current international military organisations followed this practice. Captain Frank Dallas had the new beret designed and produced in small numbers for the members of the 10th & 77th Special Forces Groups. Their new headdress was first worn at a retirement parade at Fort Bragg on 12 June 1955 for Major General Joseph P. Cleland, the now-former commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps. Onlookers thought that the operators were a foreign delegation from NATO. In 1956 General Paul D. Adams, the post commander at Fort Bragg, banned the wearing of the distinctive headdress, although members of the Special Forces continued to wear it surreptitiously. This was reversed on 25 September 1961 by Department of the Army Message 578636, which designated the green beret as the exclusive headdress of the Army Special Forces. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy authorized them for use exclusively by the U.S. Special Forces. Preparing for a 12 October visit to the Special Warfare Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the president sent word to the center's commander, Colonel William P. Yarborough, for all Special Forces soldiers to wear green berets as part of the event. The president felt that since they had a special mission, Special Forces should have something to set them apart from the rest. In 1962, he called the green beret "a symbol of excellence, a badge of courage, a mark of distinction in the fight for freedom." Kennedy's actions created a special bond with the Special Forces, with specific traditions carried out since his funeral when a sergeant in charge of a detail of Special Forces soldiers guarding the grave placed his beret on the coffin. The insignia is the crossed arrow collar insignia (insignia of the branch) of the First Special Service Force, World War II combined with the fighting knife which is of a distinctive shape and pattern only issued to the First Special Service Force. The motto is translated as "From Oppression We Will Liberate Them." Before the 1st Special Forces Command SSI was established, the Special Forces groups that stood up between 1952 and 1955 wore the Airborne Command SSI. According to the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry, the Airborne Command SSI was reinstated on 10 April 1952—after being disbanded in 1947—and authorized for wear by certain classified units—such as the newly formed 10th and 77th Special Forces Groups—until the 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) SSI was established on 22 August 1955. Award eligibility: ==Vehicles==

in Afghanistan (2003) Green Berets. During the Green Berets' missions in other nations, they would use Ground Mobility Vehicle (GMV)-S Humvees made by AM General for various uses. While using purpose built technicals for patrol on rugged terrain which would help preserve the clandestine nature of their missions. They have also had access to the General Dynamics M1288 GMV 1.1 variant of the Army Ground Mobility Vehicle as well as the Oshkosh M-ATV Special Forces variant MRAPs. For aircraft other than the ones used by the US military and its special forces/special operations forces units, they extensively used the CIA-operated Mi-8 and Mi-17 variants of those military helicopters in Afghanistan during the initial stages of Operation Enduring Freedom. ==Use of the term "Special Forces"==

In countries other than the U.S., the term "special forces" or "special operations forces" (SOF) is often used generically to refer to any units with elite training and special mission sets. In the U.S. military, "Special Forces" is a proper (capitalized) noun referring exclusively to U.S. Army Special Forces (a.k.a. "The Green Berets"). As a result, the terms USSF and, less commonly, USASF have been used to specify United States Army Special Forces. ==Use of the term "Operator"==

The term "Operator" pre-dates American Special Operations and can be found in books referring to French Special Operations as far back as WWII. Examples include A Savage War of Peace by Alistair Horne and The Centurions by Jean Larteguy. The origin of the term operator in American special operations comes from the U.S. Army Special Forces. The Army Special Forces were established in 1952, ten years before the Navy SEALs, and 25 years before Delta Force. Every other modern U.S. special operations unit in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines was established after 1977. In Veritas: Journal of Army Special Operations History, Charles H. Briscoe states that the Army "Special Forces did not misappropriate the appellation. Unbeknownst to most members of the Army Special Operations Force community, that moniker was adopted by the Special Forces in the mid-1950s." He goes on to state that all qualified enlisted and officers in Special Forces had to "voluntarily subscribe to the provisions of the 'Code of the Special Forces Operator' and pledge themselves to its tenets by witnessed signature." This pre-dates every other special operations unit that currently uses the term/title operator. Operator was used by Delta Force to distinguish between operational and non-operational personnel assigned to the unit. Other special operations forces use specific names for their jobs, such as Army Rangers and Air Force Pararescuemen. The Navy uses the acronym SEAL for both their special warfare teams and their individual members, who are also known as Special Operators. In 2006 the Navy created "Special Warfare Operator" as a rating specific to Naval Special Warfare enlisted personnel, grades E-4 to E-9 (see Navy special warfare ratings). Operator is the specific term for operational personnel, and has become a colloquial term for almost all special operations forces in the U.S. military, as well as around the world. ==In popular culture==

• Ranger Regiment (United Kingdom) - British Special Operations Capable unit with similar roles • Canadian Special Operations Regiment - Canadian special forces unit with similar roles • 2nd Commando Regiment - Australian special forces unit with similar roles • JW Komandosów - Polish special forces unit with similar roles ==Notes==