Special Operations

Know a SEAL from a Night Stalker: a breakdown of US Special Operations units

While it could be said that every unit which falls under the “special ops” umbrella is comprised of operators who can move, shoot, and communicate with lethal efficiency, different units developed to address specialized challenges.

As the years wore on, and particularly since the onset of the Global War on Terrorism, lines may have blurred a bit between specialties in many cases, allowing various units to conduct similar operations. But, the specific nature of each continues to inform the internal culture of divisions that fall under the command of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), honoring their heritage as well as the prowess their service experience allots.

Many people who understand America’s special operations apparatus are usually most familiar with the elements of one of SOCOM’s subordinate commands, the Joint Special Operations Command, or JSOC. Officially, JSOC is tasked with studying special operations requirements and techniques in order to ensure the best methods of unit interoperability are employed, while fielding new equipment and conducting special operations exercises, training, and missions in the best interest of our nation. To be succinct, JSOC has the “best of the best.” It might help to think of them as America’s war-fighting All-Star team.

Units of JSOC include:

The Intelligence Support Activity, commonly called “The Activity”
The U.S. Air Force 24th Special Tactics Squadron
The U.S. Navy’s Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) or the recently popularized SEAL Team Six
The U.S. Army’s 75^th Ranger Regiment: Regimental Reconnaissance Company
The U.S. Army’s 1^st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, commonly known as Delta Force

However, listing these names does little to clear up potential confusion, so allow me to elaborate briefly on three of these four units.

DEVGRU, SEAL Team 6, and whatever their current (and classified) operational title may be are all referring to the same group of elite Navy SEALs. Team 6 recruits from within, choosing only the best of the already elite Navy SEAL community. Delta is often compared to Seal Team 6 in terms of operational capabilities and grueling indoctrination and training, but differs from its sea-based brethren primarily in recruiting tactics: Delta operators may come from any branch, and are sometimes even former SEALs.

The Air Force’s 24^th Special Tactics Squadron (24^th STS) is perhaps the least recognized of the three, which may be because pararescuemen, combat controllers, and Tactical Air Control Parties deployed by the 24^th STS usually serve alongside DEVGRU or Delta teams, rather than fielding complete teams on their own. These airmen synchronize and control elements of air support or provide medical assistance to other special operators in the field.

Beyond the elite units housed within JSOC, SOCOM boasts a number of other special operations teams that may be best addressed by dividing them by their representative military branches.

United States Army Special Operations Command

Know a SEAL from a Night Stalker: a breakdown of US Special Ops units — (Photo: U.S. Department of Defense)

Special Forces (Green Berets)

The term “special forces” is often misattributed to any military personnel working within America’s special operations community. However, the phrase is actually specific to the Army’s elite group of soldiers who specialize in unconventional warfare, reconnaissance, internal foreign defense, anti-terror operations, and direct action combat. Green Berets are considered unique from other special operators for various reasons, most importantly being put to use in times of peace and conflict alike. Their motto, “De Oppresso Liber” translates to “Free the Oppressed.”

The 75^th Ranger Regiment

Like the Navy SEALs, a highly specialized company of Rangers falls under JSOC, but the rest of Ranger Battalion answers to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Rangers are specifically-selected soldiers who must first complete an eight-week long Ranger Assessment and Selection Program—which replaced the Ranger Indoctrination Program, or RIP, in 2010—before reaching their assignment within the regiment. Once there, they must complete the even more arduous Ranger School in order to earn their Ranger Tab.

The 160^th SOAR (Night Stalkers)

The U.S. Army’s Special Operations Regiment (SOAR) provides helicopter aviation support for special operations troops, often flying into extremely hostile territory to deliver and extract elite operators from combat zones. Aviators in the 160^th are among the most highly-trained pilots on the planet, and use the latest in new and modified military aircraft to complete missions often deemed too dangerous for many other aviation units. It was the 160^th that delivered JSOC operators to the compound in Pakistan on May 2^nd, 2011 to kill Osama Bin Laden.

Other units or personnel that fall under SOCOM include skilled civil affairs soldiers, military information support operators, sustainment soldiers, and the training cadre responsible for assessing, training, and educating the Army’s elite war-fighters.

United States Navy Special Warfare Command

SEALs

Navy SEALs are probably the most famous special operations unit in the world. Countless movies have depicted the heroism of SEALs, and even more books recount stories told by individuals who earned the coveted Trident. Unbeknownst to some, SEAL is an acronym that stands for Sea, Air, and Land—acknowledging the heart of the Navy SEALs’ role as a multi-purpose combat force. SEALs conduct operations in any situation or location, from clandestine reconnaissance to direct action missions.

Special Warfare Combatant-craft (SWCC) Crewmen and Enablers

SWCC Crewmen belong to Special Boat Teams often tasked with operating small surface craft for coastal operations and to support special operations missions. Primarily focused on aiding in the infiltration and exfiltration of SEAL teams, these Crewmen work where larger vessels cannot operate, providing close fire support and medical care to special operators on mission. Enablers, like the SWCC Crewmen, offer technical assistance to special operations personnel, including everything from cryptologic support to explosive ordnance disposal.

United States Air Force Special Operations Command

Special Tactics Airmen

Special Tactics Airmen offer a wide variety of operational capabilities derived through diverse areas of training and expertise. Combat controllers are certified air traffic controllers that infiltrate combat zones undetected to simultaneously conduct air traffic control and coordinate air support while also participating in direct action missions. Pararescuemen, or PJs, specialize in both conventional and unconventional recovery operations. The Special Operations Surgical Team offers a rapid deploying and lightweight medical element for trauma life support.

Special Operations Aviators

The men and women assigned to the Air Force’s Special Operations Aviators are considered some of the most exceptional pilots in the military. Flying in specialized aircraft, they conduct operations primarily under cover of darkness, and offer varying levels of support to special operations missions, including reconnaissance, infiltration and exfiltration, and command and control operations.

Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command

Critical Skills Operators/Special Operations Officers

Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) recently reflagged with the historically-consistent moniker of Marine Raiders. They’re the latest addition to the SOCOM organizational structure. For much of the Marine Corps’ history, it operated without any formal association to SOCOM, instead establishing independent Force Recon units in a similar fashion while retaining organizational control. Since MARSOC entered the SOCOM fold, its operators conduct foreign internal defense operations, special reconnaissance, and direct action combat missions.

While this list offers a glimpse into the various facets of special operations units, it’s important to acknowledge that the nuanced differences in culture and conduct exhibited by operators within each can be difficult to quantify.

Each special operations group had to shed aspects of its parent branch in order to better integrate unique skill sets and capabilities with those offered by groups hailing from other branches. However, traditions and culture found within groups such as the SEALs or Marine Raiders remain intrinsically tied to their service birthplaces. There’s always been a fair amount of friendly competition between branches, but once a Soldier, Sailor, Marine, or Airman answers to SOCOM, they must work their way into the new combined culture of the service. SOCOM, in many ways, is an extraordinary beast all its own.

SOCOM operators come from all walks of life, and represent a variety of military occupational specialties established in each of the four branches of American service. Ultimately, these special operators are more than war-fighters: they’re diplomats, problem solvers, and instruments of foreign policy. Only by combining the best and brightest from America’s exceptional military infrastructure can they possibly accomplish so much.

Check out the magnetic system Navy SEALs use to climb ships like Spider-Man

America’s special operations units have seen a dramatic uptick in the missions sets they’ve been tasked with throughout nearly two straight decades of the War on Terror, but despite some overlap in combat operations, each specialized unit has a specific area of expertise to draw from. The Navy SEALs, as most could assume from their name alone, specialize in water-born operations, and as such, they have a long list of specialized tools in their team rooms for just that sort of work.

While SEALs are often seen in Defense Department footage fast roping down onto the deck of ships from aloft helicopters, the reality of modern combat dictates that such an insertion isn’t always possible. That’s why SEALs don’t only employ quiet, stealthy watercraft — they’ve also got some loud, angry, souped up boats that are perfect for rapidly closing with enemy vessels. The problem is, once you’ve whipped your supercharged jet ski up alongside an oil tanker full of terrorists… how do you get on board? That’s where the incredible tech in the REBS Magnetic Climbing System comes in.

The REBS system is made up of four high-powered magnetic grips, with two designed to capture feet and two intended for use with your hands. The lever operated system is entirely waterproof and dive capable, meaning SEALs and other combat divers can actually engage the system from beneath the waterline to begin their climb up the ship’s hull to the deck.

SEALs put this system on display during a demonstration in Greece two years ago during a joint Special Operations exercise, in which SEALs used specially modified Yamaha FX Cruiser SHO jet skis to approach the USS Porter (an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer). Once they reached the ship, the SEALS then produced their Magnetic Climbing Systems (MCS’s) and used them to scale the external hull of the vessel, ultimately climbing onto the ship’s deck.

The REBS MCS is actually only one of a number of superhero-like devices American special operations troops have at their disposal. One company called Batelle is hard at work at Batman-style grappling gun, and equipment that literally pulls operators up their ropes already has a place in SOCOM’s tool box.

Here I am testing a similar device in Las Vegas.

America’s special operations forces may have to do some of the heaviest fighting once they reach their destinations, but the truth is, there’s just as much time, thought, effort, and expense put into determining the best possible ways to get them there and back again as well. If this is the stuff that’s shown off in demonstrations, one’s left to wonder just how superhero-like the classified equipment in operational use today may be.

Check out this underwater pistol Heckler & Koch built for the Navy SEALs

One of the things movies always get wrong about firearms is how water will affect the way a bullet travels. Even in the otherwise-almost-too-real “Saving Private Ryan,” bullets are shown flying through water almost exactly as they do in the air: on a straight trajectory and with a lethal amount of kinetic energy. The truth of the matter is, bullets just don’t move through the water all that well. In fact, with many firearms, all it takes is a few inches of water to strip a moving bullet of the speed necessary to penetrate the human body. In most cases, water just knocks bullets off their course, but in some, hitting the water is enough to break the round apart completely. While some firearms can function under water, they tend not to function as you’d need them to if you were in a fight for your life.

This scene from John Wick 3 actually does a really good job of demonstrating how water affects bullets.

(Warning: graphic content)

For most folks, a weapon’s ability to take a life while completely submerged in water isn’t a pressing concern, but for some very specific groups of war fighters, this presents a serious issue. Navy SEALs are known for conducting clandestine operations in and around the water, and Navy Frogmen are often tasked with preventing the foreign equivalent of our SEALs from doing the same near American shores. Because most standard issue firearms would be all but useless in an underwater engagement, these undersea war fighters needed something with a bit more reach than their diving knives that actually worked beneath the waves.

That’s where Heckler & Koch stepped in. Back in 1976, they secretly developed the P11: a five-barrel module-arrangement pistol that’s capable of firing 4-inch long steel darts. Its effective range underwater was between 30 and 50 feet (depending on depth) and they could even be fired in the dry air with an effective range of just shy of 100 feet (though accuracy was said to be questionable at such distances).

Heckler & Koch P11 with test-device (WikiMedia Commons)

H&K didn’t even acknowledge producing the pistol until 1997, giving their select customer list a solid two decades of use before letting the cat out of the bag. According to some sources, hundreds of these pistols were issues to Naval special warfare units, though it’s unclear how many are still in service. It stands to reason that the Navy may now be operating more effective underwater weapons.

Instead of using traditional rounds, each of the five barrels came sealed from the manufacturer with what was effectively a mini-rocket propelled missile stored inside. The projectiles were actually tiny solid-fuel rockets with fins to stabilize their path as they sailed through the water. When the operator pulls the trigger, an internal battery actually sends a current to ignite the fuel and launch the projectile through its barrel. Once all five rounds had been expended, there was no way to reload the pistol — it had to be sent back to Heckler & Koch to have a new sealed five-round chamber installed.

Feature image screen captured from YouTube

Why do Navy SEALs hate the SCAR?

For many of us from the conventional side of the military (or who never served at all) the FN Scar tends to carry with it a certain appeal. As a rifle designed specifically for Special Operations troops (SCAR actually stands for Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle), it’s hard not to look at the jagged angles of the rifle and bulky 7.62×51 magazines with a sense of envy. There we were carrying around our M4s (or often in my era, M16 A4s) chambered solely in 5.56, baby faced and feeling awfully standard issue, when a group of Special Operations bubbas came strolling by with slung SCARs and the sort of beards that could intimidate a bear. In our minds, everything about that life just seemed better. Better training, better grooming standards, and of course, better guns.

But maybe that’s not the case after all. If you’ve spent some time rolling rounds through a SCAR, you might have responded like I did my first few times firing one: by assuming your issues with the platform must have been operator error. Try as I might, I just couldn’t get to liking the SCAR chambered in 7.62 or 5.56, but because I’d seen it in the hands of so many prolific war fighters, I figured any issues I had with the platform must have been a result on my lack of familiarity with it. Sure, it occasionally misfeeds, it’s loud enough to hurt your ears through cheap ear protection at an indoor range, and I would hate to try to clear a house with such a long weapon (standard barrel)… but it’s hard to shake the assumption that it’s not the rifle that’s the problem, it’s got to be the shooter.

Over the years, I’ve spoken to a fair number of special operations veterans that shared my distaste for the SCAR (but with operational experience to pull from, rather than just being a range cowboy with it like I was), and I came to appreciate that despite lacking in the high speed training allotted to SOCOM’s best, a bad feed is still a bad feed, and provided you’re not putting pressure on the magazine or otherwise mishandling the weapon, the fault tends to fall squarely on the platform, not the shooter, when it tries to cram two rounds into the chamber at once.

So, maybe that’s why I enjoyed this video from Vigilance Elite so much — because it features shooters more qualified than myself nit picking the SCAR in much the same way I have in the past. In the video, former SEALs Shawn Ryan and Jeff Reid put a SCAR through its paces, discuss some of its strengths, and then break down exactly why they do not like the platform. Reid goes into detail about his experiences on deployment with the SCAR and how he (as well as many other SEALs) suffered through repeated malfunctions until he finally decided to switch back to the M4 despite often finding himself in 1,000 meter engagements. In his mind, the added range and accuracy of the 7.62 chambered SCAR simply wasn’t worth the headaches.

Check out the video below:

Feature image courtesy of WikiMedia Commons

These are the elite warfighting units throughout history that inspired modern American special operations

It can be said that the need to band together in groups is intrinsic to what makes us human beings. Long before the dawn of civilization, humans gathered together in like-minded groups in order to offer one another protection, defend resources, and share the mental and physical challenges of survival. Forming a cooperative group, or herd, may have been one of the earliest human advancements that would one day lead to the complex societies we live in today. But like today, whenever groups gather, conflict is never far behind.

Warfare, it would seem, was the inevitable result of humans living in groups. When one group had something another needed (or wanted), they sought to take it by force. What started as small skirmishes between tribes eventually grew into major battles between city-states, religions, and eventually, nations. The drive to fight and win wars led to countless technological developments throughout human history, but new and advanced weapons have never been the only element necessary to secure victory in a tribal spat or global conflict. Instead, finding and training the most capable war-fighters has always been a key element influencing who would go home the victor and who wouldn’t make it home at all.

Although modern special operations are, as the phrase implies, very much modern, the roots of America’s most elite war-fighting institutions can be traced back as far as warfare itself. In the Marine Corps, we would often liken the lessons we learned in combat training to those first established by the Spartans. Though our modern lineage might be more comparable to that of the British Royal Marines, our ideological ancestors hailed from another time entirely. The mindset employed by Spartan warriors, perhaps as much as their tactical expertise, set them apart from other militaries of the day—something many could attribute to the Marine Corps of today as well. Similarly, one could draw historical parallels between SOCOM’s specialized units and some of the most impressive, capable, and downright frightening warriors throughout human history.

Helmet plate depicting a dancing warrior and a bear warrior (Norse berserker)

Viking berserkers, recounted in Norse legend as men who would fight with a fury that seemed inhuman, often chose to forgo the chain mail armor of their day, instead adorning themselves with the pelts of predators such as bears and wolves or, often, wearing nothing at all. The bloodlust demonstrated by berserkers in combat granted them a far-reaching reputation, allowing them to sometimes skip the battle completely and instead simply accept an opponent’s surrender based on nothing more than their presence.

Courtesy of dynamosquito via WikiMedia Commons

The Immortals who fought for the Achaemenid Empire of Persia, depicted in the stylized movie “300,” were the special operations forces of Persia’s multinational military machine. The Immortals were designated as such, according to Herodotus, not only because they were the most fearsome and well-equipped soldiers in King Xerxes’ army, but also because their 10,000-strong unit would immediately field replacements for any Immortal who fell to battle or sickness, ensuring the mighty Immortals retained their 10,000-strong moniker at all times.

Rembrandt chose to illustrate the moment of the oath of the Batavia in the sacred grove, as described by Tacitus, Histories IV, 14. Civilis, with crown and sword. (WikiMedia Commons)

The Batavi were a warrior people who served with the Roman military (when not rebelling against Roman rule). Like modern American Navy SEALs, the Batavi gained a reputation not only for being fearsome and brutally barbaric warriors, but for possessing an incredible strength that allowed them to swim across rivers others saw as impassable, all while wearing their armor and carrying their weapons. This tactic enabled the Batavi to attack enemy armies that had used swift waterways as a natural barrier against attack, taking them utterly by surprise.

The classic cliché of black-adorned ninjas sprinting across rooftops may not have been accurate, but the ninja’s reputation for stealth, reconnaissance gathering, and guerrilla warfare tactics is well deserved. Often disguising themselves to blend in with the civilian populace, ninjas trained with a myriad of weapons and prized adaptability in their training regimens. Ninjas were most effectively employed in specialized missions, not unlike modern special operations units.

All of these elite warriors, and countless others, helped form a common fabric of tactics, strategy, and mindset that would one day be employed by America’s elite special operators. Considering that, to a large extent, one can truly credit the breadth of warfare throughout human history with planting the seeds that would later become our modern special operations infrastructure.

Feature photo courtesy of MaxPixel.net

REFactor Advanced Special Operations (ASO) Bag

I’ll admit it. I have a bag problem. In my garage, there is an entire storage shelf where I keep my wide assortment of shoulder bags, rucks, backpacks, duffels… you name it. There are many categories and I have at least one entry from each. Although I have a wide variety of them, my favorite bags tend to be those with a high level of compartmentalization. Call it the former military in me, call it OCD, call it whatever you want but I enjoy having a well-organized bag.

So, when I found out about the Advanced Special Operations (ASO) bag from REFactor Tactical, I was very interested. The company, founded by a former Green Beret, has put a lot of attention into this bag and you can tell that it was designed for utility by people who have a lot of experience. That experience informed the design of the bag and some good forethought made it accessible to a very wide market. It comes in a variety of colors, including navy blue in case you want to be a little less conspicuous.

Advertised as a bag “specifically designed for the individual who needs the ability to travel with a tactical bag, without the tactical look” which is mostly accurate except for the color choices. I don’t think you’re fooling anyone if you carry a Multicam or Ranger Green bag but certainly, the black and blue offerings look ordinary. The ASO bag is constructed to last, using very sturdy stitching and durable materials. The bottom of the bag, as well as ¼ of the sides, are covered with a vinyl material which goes a long way toward keeping the contents of the bag dry, even if set in standing water.

The three exterior Velcro pockets are great for smaller items that need to be readily accessible. I tend to use those for snacks, simple first aid items and to stow the strap the bag comes with. Using those straps, this duffle can turn into a shoulder bag or a backpack in a matter of seconds. There is also a medium-sized zipper pocket on the right side of the bag which I use for a more extensive trauma kit, but could fit a few pistols, several magazines or boxes of ammunition, 3 boxes of power bars or whatever you prefer.

The large main compartment is large enough for me to fit my kit (plate carrier, helmet, battle belt) and a carbine. I have a folding stock on my rifle, but you could fit a full-sized AR15 if you detached the upper receiver. The lid to the main compartment has 3 mesh zipper pockets and the inside of the compartment has MOLLE lining in case you wanted to add pouches for even further compartmentalization.

Conclusion: The Advanced Special Operations bag is an excellent and sturdy addition to anyone’s range, bug-out or duty gear, especially if there is a desire or requirement for low-visibility.

Durability – 5/5

Design/Use of Space – 5/5

Color Choices – 4/5

Utility – 5/5

Author – Eddy South is a security consultant working in both the government and private sectors, where he works in full spectrum security operations in austere environments. Previously he served in the U.S. Army for 10 years as a Combat Engineer, Infantryman and finally Psychological Operations specialist for an SMU. He is an enthusiastic shooter, boater, snowboarder, gamer and traveler.