MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Tampa, Fla. – The United States Special Operations Command is inviting the public to watch U.S. and international Special Operations Forces (SOF) demonstrate their combined combat capabilities outside the Tampa Convention Center next Wednesday, May 23 at 1 p.m. MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Tampa, Fla. – The United States Special Operations Command will host U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton as keynote speaker for the International Special Operations Forces Week conference Gala Dinner at the Tampa Convention Center Wednesday, May 23. (FORT CAMPBELL, KY, May 10, 2012) – The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) will honor one of its own with the official compound naming ceremony in honor of former regimental commander, retired Gen. Bryan “Doug” Brown, May 14 at Fort Campbell, Ky. Colorado Springs, Colo. – Athletes with the U.S. Special Operations Command team took home eight medals during track, field and swimming events to close out this year’s Warrior Games. The joint service team doubled their awards over 2011 results, bringing home a total of 10 medals during competitions throughout the week. Colorado Springs, Colo. - Members of the U.S. Special Operations Command archery team beat out their U.S. Air Force rivals to take the bronze medal in the compound archery category May 2. The competition is just one of seven athletic events held during the Warrior Games, an annual wounded warrior competition taking place here this week. The joint U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Warrior Games team joined more than 200 other wounded warriors to kickoff the 2012 Warrior Games April 30. The opening ceremony was held at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., and featured speakers First Lady Michelle Obama and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey. Joint Special Operations Forces Senior Enlisted Academy class six graduates and instructors pose with their commencement speaker, the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, Marine Sergeant Major Bryan Battaglia, after the class six graduation ceremony at the Davis Conference Center, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., March 16. Battaglia addressed JSOFSEA's sixth and most recent graduating class and personally handed out diplomas to each graduate. Photo by Army Staff Sgt. Sun Vega. April 25, 1980, was a defining moment for Special Operations as the tragic news of the failed Desert One mission became known that day. President Jimmy Carter announced a secret rescue mission for the Iranian hostages had failed; eight American servicemen were dead and several others were seriously injured. TAMPA, Fla. –Once a week, Army Sgt. Maj. Kent Dolasky wakes up extra early to pack his kids’ lunches and homework while his wife Lana cooks a bulk amount of scrambled eggs and pancakes. Dolasky brews a pot of coffee, then packs it in a thermos alongside large foil containers of the freshly-made pancakes and eggs, plus disposable plates, cups and forks, syrup, sugar and creamer. He puts these items in a box and heads out the door for work. After more than 10 years of combat operations, Special Operations servicemembers and their families are feeling the strains and pressures of multiple deployments and busy training schedules. To ensure everyone within the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has the resources available to them to deal with those stresses, a special task force has been launched. |
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The continued evolution and development of modern SOF is a
result of 50 years of experience, including a world war, three
large regional wars, many similar conflicts and operations other
than war. SOF have witnessed periods of improvisation, rapid
build-ups and subsequent rapid drawdowns, some magnificent
successes and some equally spectacular failures. The following
SOF Truths capture the essence of lessons learned over the past
decades, and provide a foundation for thinking about SOF today
and in the future.
Hover over the
Truths above to learn more.
Humans are more important than hardware.
People – not equipment – make the critical difference. The
right people, highly trained and working as a team, will
accomplish the mission with the equipment available. On the
other hand, the best equipment in the world cannot
compensate for a lack of the right people.
Quality is better than quantity.
A small number of people, carefully selected, well trained,
and well led, are preferable to larger numbers of troops,
some of whom may not be up to the task.
Special Operations Forces cannot be mass
produced.
It takes years to train operational units to the level of
proficiency needed to accomplish difficult and specialized
SOF missions. Intense training – both in SOF schools and
units – is required to integrate competent individuals into
fully capable units. This process cannot be hastened without
degrading ultimate capability.
Competent Special Operations Forces cannot
be created after emergencies occur.
Creation of competent, fully mission capable units takes
time. Employment of fully capable special operations
capability on short notice requires highly trained and
constantly available SOF units in peacetime.
Most special operations require non-SOF
assistance.
The operational effectiveness of our deployed forces cannot
be, and never has been, achieved without being enabled by
our joint service partners. The support Air Force, Army,
Marine and Navy engineers, technicians, intelligence
analysts, and the numerous other professions that contribute
to SOF, have substantially increased our capabilities and
effectiveness throughout the world.
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