List of Special Operations Forces Involved in the War




    
    
    Special operations forces are playing a key role in the Iraq conflict, albeit a 
    covert one given the secretive nature of these units. U.S. Army Maj. Gen. 
    Stanley McChrystal said on April 4, 2003, that the war in Iraq is supported 
    by the largest special operations force since the Vietnam War. 
    
    U.S. Special Forces
    
    The soldiers of the U.S. Army Special Forces, the "Green Berets," are among 
    the military's most versatile. Special Forces units not only train and advise 
    troops in other countries, they also conduct combat operations. According to 
    the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, the units are able to perform five 
    principal missions: foreign internal defense, unconventional warfare, 
    reconnaissance, direct action and counter-terrorism. 
    
    Army Rangers
    
    As with all special operations forces, the Rangers report to the Joint Special 
    Operations Command, or JSOC, when in hostile or war situations. They are 
    organized into the 75th Ranger Regiment, consisting of three battalions based 
    at Fort Benning, Georgia. 
    
    The Rangers are kept at a high level of readiness and can deploy anywhere in 
    the world at a moment's notice. Rangers are trained in rapid infantry assault and 
    night 
    
    
    Delta Force
    
    While the military acknowledges the existence of special mission units like Delta 
    Force, it does not specify what they are called or their locations, staffing or 
    organizational structure. Unofficially, Delta Force is considered one of the U.S. 
    military's elite special operations units, its members drawn from all branches. 
    Based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, its formal name is 1st Special Forces 
    Operational Detachment - Delta. 
    
    
    'Night Stalkers'
    
    U.S. special operations forces are often supported by the Army's 160th Special 
    Operations Aviation Regiment, which specializes in night flying and is known as 
    "The Night Stalkers." Based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and Hunter Army Airfield 
    in Georgia, the Regiment consists of MH-6 and AH-6 light helicopters, MH-60 
    helicopters and MH-47 heavy assault helicopters. 
    
    The regiment was formed after Desert One, the failed 1981 attempt to rescue 
    hostages in Iran, when the Army determined it needed a special aviation unit 
    trained in low-level night operations. The unit has served in a number of combat 
    operations, including Urgent Fury in Grenada, Just Cause in Panama, Desert 
    Shield/Desert Storm in Kuwait, Task Force Ranger in Somalia and Enduring 
    Freedom in Afghanistan.
    
    
    SEALs
    
    SEALs, which stand for Sea, Air, Land, are the U.S. Navy's primary and most 
    acclaimed special operations forces unit. Operating mainly in tight 16-man teams, 
    SEALs train for missions in maritime environments, the desert, the jungle, in cold 
    weather, and in urban surroundings. 
    
    SEALs are trained extensively and rigorously in and around San Diego, California, 
    and Norfolk, Virginia, to withstand and thrive in the face of personal, physical, 
    environmental and other challenges. A final phase of their training is known as 
    "Hell Week." SEALs trace their history to the frogmen of World War II, although 
    new threats -- including terrorism -- have forced them to evolve substantially in 
    recent years. 
    
    Specially trained crewmen drive a variety of water craft to support SEALs and other 
    special operations forces during maritime missions, and conduct unconventional 
    small boat operations such as coastal and river patrols.
    
    
    
    Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen
    
    Special Boat Teams (SBTs) are part of the U.S. Navy's Special Warfare Command 
    and participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom. SBTs are composed of Special Warfare 
    Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC), which are specially trained coxswains who 
    employ, operate and maintain a variety of surface combatant craft to conduct and 
    support special operations, including maritime interdiction missions, insertion and 
    extraction of Navy SEALs and other U.S. special operations units, direct action 
    missions, and special reconnaissance. 
    
    According to the Navy, Virginia-based Special Boat Team 20 assisted in the capture 
    of the Iraqi port city of Umm Qasr and played a role in securing oil delivery stations 
    along the Iraqi coast. SBT 20 detachments also conducted several leadership 
    interdiction operations to prevent the escape of suspected Iraqi regime members. 
    
    
    
    
    Air Force Special Operations Forces
    
    While not as widely known as the SEALs, Army Rangers or even the mysterious 
    Delta Force, the Air Force Special Operations Forces transport and provide close 
    air support as an integral part of any special operations mission. 
    
    Air Force SOF consists of uniquely equipped fixed and rotary wing aircraft operated 
    by highly trained aircrews whose missions include insertion, extraction, re-supply, 
    aerial fire support, refueling, combat search and rescue, and PSYOPS -- 
    psychological operations. Aircraft flown by Air Force SOF include the AC-130 gunship, 
    the MJ-53J Pave Low helicopter, used by other special operations forces for covert 
    infiltrations, and the EC-130E Commando Solo, which is used for psychological 
    operations. 
    
    Air Force SOF also includes the Special Tactics Group. This group includes combat 
    controllers who coordinate and direct airstrikes, para-rescuers who conduct combat 
    search and rescue operations, and combat weathermen who operate expeditionary 
    airfields and provide support for combat rescue missions.
    
    


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