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. 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. 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. 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. A Special Forces A-Team is on patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan, when it suddenly comes under attack. An Improvised Explosive Device is detonated and two Special Forces Soldiers are badly wounded. A medic rushes in through the acrid smoke and sees one Soldier with a badly injured lower torso and the other with a ruptured femoral artery. The medic applies an Abdominal Aortic Tourniquet from his Casualty Evacuation Kit to the Operator with the badly injured torso, stopping the flow of blood. The medic d United States Special Operations Command hosted a suicide prevention conference Oct. 23-25, at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., to develop and integrate a robust Special Operations Forces suicide prevention program. In a small ceremony, the United States Special Operations Command’s directorate of communications systems dedicated a conference room to Air Force Col. Eric Leon Buchanan, a fallen SOF communicator, Oct. 25, 2012, in Building 501 at the command headquarters.
Buchanan, who was selected to become a Brigadier General, had worked for SOCOM since October of 2004, holding various positions such as deputy chief information officer, chief C4I combat systems development division, and Chief of the CIO division, befo The Para-Commandos team represented Special Operations Command at the 15th Annual Petit Le Mans Race in Braselton, Georgia on October 20, 2012. The skies were clear, but the racetrack was humming with engine noise and mechanics doing last minute adjustments on the cars. The sky was blue with a few clouds in the background as the Para-Commandos freefall into the Everbank Stadium for the Oct. 7, during the Jacksonville Jaguars game against the Chicago Bears with 67,000 fans in attendance. The half time demonstration had many fans cheering as the U.S. flag came in from the sky, followed by the POW/MIA Flag. Lt. Col. Ken Ates jumped in with the Jaguars Team flag. As the jump team was leaving the field, many fans let them know they enjoyed the demonstration. Geoff Barker received his second Outstanding Civilian Service Medal in a ceremony Sept. 10, in the Donovan room at USSOCOM’s headquarters, paying tribute to his work with the Special Operations Memorial Foundation from June 1997 to July 2012. Although the medal recognizes his work from the past 15 years, he has had a remarkable career for more than 50 years. |
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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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