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SOF Truths

2013 Warrior Games celebrates an indomitable spirit

In a remarkable celebration of perseverance and resiliency more than 200 wounded military athletes competed in the 2013 Warrior Games. The games held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. May 11 -16 had seven events: archery, cycling, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and field and wheelchair basketball.
2013 Warrior Games celebrates an indomitable spirit

USSOCOM Warrior Games Athletes Kick Off Competition with Medal Wins

The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Warrior Games team joined more than 250 other wounded warriors from around the country and the United Kingdom for the 2013 Warrior Games in Colorado Springs, Colo., this week.
USSOCOM Warrior Games Athletes Kick Off Competition with Medal Wins

U.S. Special Operations Team Charges Toward 2013 Warrior Games

The joint U.S. Special Operations Command Warrior Games team will join more than 200 other wounded warriors to kickoff the 2013 Warrior Games May 11.
U.S. Special Operations Team Charges Toward 2013 Warrior Games

Medal of Honor Recipients Inducted into USSOCOM Hall of Honor

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – A crowd of several hundred onlookers watched as the names of two Special Operators who earned the Nation’s highest military award were unveiled on the black granite walls of the Special Operations Memorial here March 27.
Medal of Honor Recipients Inducted into USSOCOM Hall of Honor

STAND BY!..GO!

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Military parachutists received a rare opportunity recently when an aircraft that normally isn’t found here travelled to the base to drop them from the skies above.
STAND BY!..GO!

NSW operators assist Honduran military to establish elite maritime unit

With a rate of 86 people killed for every 100,000 habitants, Honduras is considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world according to statistics from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report in 2011.
NSW operators assist Honduran military to establish elite maritime unit

Morton Named Ultra Runner of the Year

Army Master Sgt. Mike Morton, U.S. Army Special Operations Command liaison officer, of Lithia, Fla., has been voted the 2012 UltraRunning magazine North American ultramarathon runner of the year.
Morton Named Ultra Runner of the Year

SOCOM Sharpens Spear, Hosts “Innovation” Conference

United States Special Operations Command hosted a conference themed “Building a Culture of Innovation,” at MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Fla., Jan. 7 – 9, 2012.
SOCOM Sharpens Spear, Hosts “Innovation” Conference

Plaque of posthumous Medal of Honor recipient Staff Sgt. Miller added to the Medal of Honor Wall on the Plaza Level of the Florida capitol

The late Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller was honored when his plaque was added to the Medal of Honor Wall on the Plaza Level of the Capitol Dec. 11. Robert James Miller was a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in combat on January 25, 2008 in Afghanistan. Sergeant Miller's parents, Maureen and Phil Miller, attended the ceremony.
Plaque of posthumous Medal of Honor recipient Staff Sgt. Miller added to the Medal of Honor Wall on the Plaza Level of the Florida capitol
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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