TSOCs

Theater Special Operations Commands, those associated with regional special operations components of Unified Combatant Commands, have grown steadily in importance. TSOCs, these regional SOF headquarters, are rapidly becoming significant centers of gravity and influence in the U.S. military.

• Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR) – Maj. Gen. Michael A. Repass, USA, continues to command SOCEUR. SOCEUR commands U.S. SOF forces that contribute to the NATO Alliance, and has a footprint that runs as far south as the Middle East and north to the Arctic Circle.
• Special Operations Command Central Command (SOCCENT) – Based at MacDill AFB, SOCCENT plans special operations throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility (AOR) and is commanded by Gen. Kenneth “Ken” Tovo, USA.
• Special Operations Command Pacific (SOCPAC) – Based at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, SOCPAC is responsible for special operations forces in the Pacific Command area of operations. SOCPAC covers a vast territory; more than 40 percent of the Earth’s surface is in its AOR. It was commanded in 2012 by Maj. Gen. Norman J. Brozenick, Jr., USAF.
• Special Operations Command South (SOCSOUTH) – Rear Adm. Thomas L. Brown II, USN, handed over command of SOCSOUTH to Brig. Gen. Sean P. Mulholland, USA, (a cousin of SOCOM Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. John F. Mulholland), in October 2012. SOCSOUTH is responsible for special operations forces and missions in the SOUTHCOM AOR, which includes Latin America (with the exception of Mexico) and the Caribbean.
• Special Operations Command Africa (SOCAFRICA) – SOCAFRICA is the SOF component for U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), responsible for special operations forces and missions in the AFRICOM AOR. Rear Adm. Brian L. Losey, USN, is the commander.
• Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) – While not technically the SOF component of AFRICOM, CJTF-HOA is the largest and best-established SOF organization in the region. In 2012, command of CJTF-HOA passed from Rear Adm. Michael T. Franken, USN, to Maj. Gen. Rob Baker, USAF. CJTF-HOA has been running operations ranging from anti-piracy to hunting al Qaeda affiliate leaders in East Africa and Nigeria.

 

Downrange: Out with the Component Commands

SOCOM and its components conducted a number of engagements in the field with partner/allied nations, as is the case every year. These exercises and training events were run regularly, as much as real-world contingencies allowed. Some of the exercises run in 2012 included:

• Operation Flintlock (Trans-Sahara) – AFRICOM’s premier SOF exercise, Operation Flintlock provides training for joint multinational forces to improve information sharing at the operational and tactical levels across the Saharan region and development of improved military-to-military collaboration and coordination.

• Operation Foal Eagle (Republic of Korea) – Foal Eagle is an annual large-scale exercise focused on rear area security and stability operations, along with onward movement of critical assets to the forward area, special operations, ground maneuver, amphibious operations, combat air operations, and maritime action group operations.

• Fuerzas Commando (Latin America/Caribbean) – Fuerzas Commando is a military skills competition between top military, police, and SOF teams from across the Western Hemisphere. Security forces from19 countries have taken part in Fuerzas Commando, promoting military-to-military relationships, increased interoperability, and improved regional security.

• Operation Jackal Stone (Europe) – Coordinated by SOCEUR, Jackal Stone is designed to give U.S. SOF units the capacity to exercise the capabilities of current and future partner nations and to promote interoperability between the participating forces.

 

The Budget and the Sequester

The specter of the 2011 Budget Control Act has finally come into effect in early 2013 in the form of the political phenomenon known as “the Sequester.” The cuts mandated by sequestration have already hit the DoD hard, with major cutbacks in training and exercise activities, along with forced furloughs of civilian personnel. SOCOM saw the early effects of this when they had to cancel the 2013 edition of Fuerzas Commando (planned to be hosted this year in the United States). Virtually all outreach events to the civilian community have also been canceled, along with any training away from home bases not directly related to a pending deployment. How long this will last is impossible to say at present, as the budget deadlock in Washington, D.C., continues with no end in sight.

This article was first published in The Year in Special Operations: 2013-2014 Edition.