USAFSOC- The Year in Spec Ops

8/18/2019 USAFSOC- The Year in Spec Ops

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The Year in

SPECIAL

OPERATIONS

2015-2016 EDITION

AFSOC25 YEARS

IN THIS EDITION> Iconic AFSOC Aircraft

> The Ravens in Laos

> Task Force Normandy

INTERVIEWS

> AFSOC Commander Lt. Gen. Bradley A. Heithold

> AFSOC Command Chief Master Sgt. Matthew Caruso

> AFSOC Wing Commanders


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U . S .

M A R I N E C O R P S P H O T O

B Y L A N C E C P L .

S T E V E N

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The Year in

SPECIALOPERATIONS2015-2016 Edition


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Editor’s Note

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of U.S. Air Force Special Operations

Command (AFSOC) on May 22, 1990, following the creation of U.S. Special Operations

Command (SOCOM). Very much a child of the Goldwater-Nichols Defense Reform Act andthe subsequent Nunn-Cohen Amendment, AFSOC was born in the dark shadow of Operation

Eagle Claw, the failed mission to rescue American hostages from Iran 35 years ago. Out in

the middle of a massive dust storm on an airfield codenamed Desert One, American special

operations fell to its nadir, costing the lives of eight special warfare professionals in the

burning wreckage of two collided aircraft. Yet Eagle Claw created the requirements and

justification both for SOCOM and AFSOC as we know them today.

As the command begins to celebrate its 25th birthday, it does so from Kadena A ir Base

on Okinawa in the Far East, to RAF Mildenhall in Europe. And far from its founding roots

built on elderly converted helicopter and cargo airframes, AFSOC is rapidly becoming

one of the most advanced forces of aircraft in the U.S. Air Force today. State-of-the-art

CV-22B tilt-rotors and a new fleet of C-130J Hercules-based tanker/transport, gunship, andpsychological warfare broadcast aircraft now inhabit the AFSOC flight lines. These are

the aircraft that all of SOCOM uses to get to the fights, provide gas and support to other

aircraft in the theater, deliver world-class precision fires, and get the American message

broadcast to the people below. Today’s AFSOC was founded on the legacy of Operation Eagle

Claw, but is built on the service and sacrifice of all the Air Force special operations forces

that came before and after, and it is to those brave warriors that we dedicate this year’s

edition of THE YEAR IN SPECIAL OPERATIONS.


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INTERVIEWS

10 Lt. Gen. Bradley A. HeitholdCommander, Air Force Special Operations Command

By John D. Gresham

88 Command Chief Master Sgt. Matthew M. CarusoSenior Enlisted Advisor, Air Force Special

Operations Command

By John D. Gresham

110 AFSOC Today: The Wing Commanders Speak By John D. Gresham

FEATURES

16 SOCOM Navigating the Gray Zone

By Chuck Oldham

26 AFSOC New Commander with New Missions

Adjusts Modernization Plans

By Maj. Gen. Richard Comer, USAF (Ret.)

36 MARSOC Today Will Be Different

By J.R. Wilson

44 NAVSPECWARCOM Naval Special Warfare in an Uncertain

Global Security Environment

A Global Security Environment That Calls

for Special Operations Forces

By Rear Adm. Brian Losey

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52 USASOC: Enduring Commitment By John D. Gresham

62 International SOF ReviewBy Nigel West

72 Fuerzas ComandoTo Be the Best of the Best

By John D. Gresham and Shawn E. Gorman

80 AFOSC at 25: Busy Before BirthBy John D. Gresham

94 Iconic AFSOC AircraftBy Robert F. Dorr

104 Gunship UpdateBy Scott R. Gourley

130 Pave Low Leaders By Maj. Gen. Richard Comer, USAF (Ret.)

142 The Ravens and the Secret Air War in LaosBy Dwight Jon Zimmerman

150 Special Misssion V-2Col. Holger Toftoy and the Operation That Brought

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EDIORIAL

Editor in Chief: Chuck Oldham

Consulting Editor: John D. Gresham

Managing Editor: Ana E. Lopez

Editors: Rhonda Carpenter

Contributing Writers: Maj. Gen. Richard Comer, USAF (Ret.), Robert F. Dorr,

Shawn E. Gorman, John D. Gresham, Scott R. Gourley, Rear Adm. Brian Losey,

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By John D. Gresham

Interview with Lt. Gen.

Bradley A. Heithold

The Year in Special Operations: What are your thoughts

on the anniversary of AFSOC?

Lt. Gen. Bradley A. Heithold: This is a special year as weare fast approaching our command’s 25th birthday on May22. In 1990, the 23rd Air Force was designated Air ForceSpecial Operations Command, and we proudly took our

place as an Air Force major command. Our nation expectsthat we have the people and capabilities needed to quicklyaddress our nation’s most threatening adversaries, andthat’s something that hasn’t changed over the years. Evenbefore we were a major command, we were providingspecial operations airpower across the globe.

Can you reach back in your own memory and recall

some of the things you saw the Air Force SOF commu-

nity do during the time before AFSOC became a major

command?

I’ve been in the special operations community since

the mid-1980s and I’m proud that we’ve always answeredthe nation’s call to carry out sensitive missions anytime,anyplace. Before AFSOC stood up, we still providedSOF airpower, but we were more limited in the typesof aircraft we owned and the size of our force. We flewMC-130Es, AC-130Hs, CH-3Es, and UH-1Ns, while our

Ai r Force Reserve and National Guard partners flew AC-130As, EC-130Es, and HH-3Es. We have grown sincethen in both responsibility and scope, from the days ofserving as the 23rd Air Force to standing up AFSOC in1990. Now we fly two types of MC-130s, three types of

AC-130s, EC-130Js, manned intel ligence, surveil lance,and reconnaissance aircraft as well as unmanned

remotely piloted aircraft, the CV-22 vertical lift platform,and non-standard aviation mobility aircraft. We also havea Combat Aviation Advisor mission and an entire SpecialTactics wing. We have grown to many times the size wewere in the 1980s, to a force of some 19,000 people, andwe are now a major command. What has not changed

is that Air Commandos have always proven themselvesquiet professionals, working to accomplish the missionas a dedicated team, regardless who receives the credit.

What do you remember of the atmosphere around

special operations prior to the passage of Goldwater-

Nichols and Nunn-Cohen in the late 1980s?

I entered special operations in December of 1985. At the time, SOF was in quite a bit of turmoil after thetragedy in the desert in Iran five years earlier. There wasa lot of new attention being placed on the community, soI made sure to read the entire Holloway Report. I think

I was the only captain in the squadron who did. I wasthe 16th Special Operations Squadron Chief of Tacticsthen, and I was focused on what gunships could havedone better in the Iran mission; recall that gunshipswere planned to fly on night two, supporting the hostageextraction. I was very interested in emerging night-vision goggle tactics, techniques, and proceduresbecause they weren’t commonly used then. I rememberthinking, “how can I get my unit better prepared toexecute the mission if we had to do it again?” This goesto show that there was a feeling of wanting to improvethe effectiveness of special operations at all levels, evendown in the squadrons.

Commander, Air Force SpecialOperations Command

Lt. Gen. Bradley A. Heithold is the commander, Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), Hurlburt Field,

Florida. The command is the Air Force component of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), and provides Air

Force special operations forces (SOF) for worldwide deployment and assignment to unified combatant commanders.

The command has approximately 19,000 active-duty, Reserve, Air National Guard, and civilian professionals.

Heithold enlisted in the Air Force in 1974 and spent three years at Holloman Air Force Base (AFB), New Mexico, asan F-4D avionics technician. He was commissioned in 1981 as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at the

University of Arkansas. He has commanded at the squadron, group, wing, and agency levels, including serving as the

commander of the 451st Air Expeditionary Group in Southwest Asia and as the commander, Air Force Intelligence,

Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency. His staff assignments include positions on the Air Staff and a unified command

staff. Prior to his current assignment, he was the vice commander, United States Special Operations Command.


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U . S .

A I R

F O R C E P H O T O

B Y S E N I O R

A I R M A N

C H R I S T I N E

G R I

F F I T H S

U . S .

A I R

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P H O T O

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and as Air Commandos, we organize, train, and equipairmen to execute those missions in concert with ourbrothers and sisters from the other services.

What are your personal memories from the Invasion of

Panama (Operation Just Cause) in December 1989, and

what were AFSOC’s part icular achievements?

The operation took place in 1989, but the planning andtraining started in May of 1987. I was a captain then, again

working as the 16th Special Operations Squadron Chiefof Tactics. My squadron commander, Howie Chambers,came and got me, taking me off to a secret location righthere at Hurlburt Field, in a tent with wire around it, andbriefed me in. There, we started the initial planning forJust Cause. Bringing all of the components together todo the training together was quite an experience for me.To train with the soldiers that we were going to directlysupport with the gunships – it was the beginning of my

joint planning experience. Al l of the focused trainingthat we had done to practice seizing airfields, which wasa capability that came out of the Iran hostage rescuemission, paid off.

When the enabling legislation (Goldwater-Nichols/

Nunn-Cohen) was passed in the late 1980s, what were

your feelings as a young U.S. Air Force SOF aviator

when you realized that Congress was about to give you

and the rest of your fellow special warfare brethren a

service-component community of your own?

Speaking as a SOF aviator, Goldwater-Nichols andthe Nunn-Cohen Amendment were the most significantacts of Congress to affect my career. Out of these piecesof legislation sprang United States Special OperationsCommand with a four-star officer at its helm, enhancing

SOF interoperability and fostering joint cooperation andtraining. I lived through the change and it was a good one.I watched SOCOM, and then on the heels of that, AFSOC,stand up. It all unfolded from inside the same buildingthat I sit in today. I’ve had many years to reflect on the actthat provides separate funding for SOCOM and habitual

joint training opportunities, such as Emerald Warrior,which is taking place right now. I think personally, one ofthe most significant effects of Goldwater-Nichols was thatit meant there was not going to be an attempt to “stove-pipe” unique solutions by the services. By the legislation’svery nature it ensured teamwork. As part of SOCOM, wepresent a unified portfolio of diverse SOF capabilities,

BELOW: Then-Brig. Gen. Bradley A. Heithold (right) speaks with Dan

Richardson and Kevin Kelly in front of the AC-130U gunship after a

release ceremony at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. Maintainers

repaired the gunship in only 146 days and four days ahead of

schedule. RIGHT: U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Bradley A. Heithold, Air Force

Special Operations Command commander, speaks during the 352nd

Special Operations Wing activation ceremony March 23, 2015, on

RAF Mildenhall, England. The 352nd SOW comprises more than 1,200

active-duty and civilian Airmen performing missions on MC-130J

Commando II and CV-22B Osprey aircraft for AFSOC.


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U . S .

A I R

F O R C E P H O T O

B Y S E N I O R

A I R M A N

C H R I S T I N E

G R I F F I T H S

What are some takeaways from your time as AFSOC commander?

First, AFSOC is an incredibly dynamic place right now. Our is ashigh as I have ever seen it, and our people are knocking it out of thepark every day. Our people’s ability to get the mission done doesn’tdepend on proximity to the fight – they will get it done right, whetherin garrison or on the front lines. The Air Commando, “quiet profes-

sional” ethic is strong, and I am very proud to be a part of this team. We are engaged all over the world. Our forces are on five conti-

nents and bring a diverse range of talents to their missions. Ouraviation wings and groups continue to make huge impacts across theworld in combat zones and training environments. We have the mostdecorated unit in the Air Force: the 24th Special Operations Wing.Many of our support specialties have won Air Force-level awards,recognized as the best in the business. Each of the Air Force Crosses,Silver Stars, Purple Hearts, Distinguished Flying Crosses, BronzeStars, Meritorious Unit Awards, and Gallant Unit Citations havestories behind them that pay tribute to all of our Air Commandoswho have deployed into harm’s way. All of our Air Commandos havemade meaningful contributions to the struggles of this generation,and many of the stories wil l remain untold.

This is a special year for us – the 25th anniversary of AFSOC – andI’ve designated it the “Year of the Air Commando.” This year willsimply highlight our Air Commandos and their accomplishments.It started with a ceremony we recently held to remember those welost during our command’s watershed moment in history, OperationEagle Claw in 1980. This is the 35th year since that tragedy playedout in Iran at Desert One. Our next Commando Rally meeting in Maywil l continue to honor this heritage, and we will host al l of our AirForce SOF general officers and senior commanders at that event.This will culminate in our annual Outstanding Airmen and Civiliansof the Year Awards Banquet, where we highlight our best of the best.Our Air Commandos are the best in the world, and this is our timeto pay tribute to them as they create their own AFSOC history.n

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Lt. Gen. Bradley A. Heithold, Ai r Force Special Operations Command commander,speaks with 352nd Special Operations Wing Special Tactics Airmen, Oct. 27, 2014,

on RAF Mildenhall, England. Heithold visited the 352nd Special Operations Wing to

discuss the vision and priorities of the AFSOC community.


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YEAR in

REVIEW

A 1st Marine Special Operations Battal ion critical skills operator surfaces from the ocean and advances onto a beach during

a combat dive exercise in Key West, Florida, Feb. 18, 2015. The operator’s team spent a week in Key West practicing various

maritime operations skill sets, further solidifying the development of their techniques, tactics, and procedures.


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WHEN U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND (USSOCOM)Commander Gen. Joseph L. Votel testified before theHouse Armed Services Committee (HASC) in March 2015,he described the nation’s special operations forces (SOF)as deeply engaged across the globe and achieving notablesuccesses, but also, because of that very success, increas-ingly in demand. Far from seeing the expected drawdownof forces and missions as troops have been pulled out ofIraq and Afghanistan, the nation’s special operationsforces are being called upon to take up new commitmentsin addition to ongoing missions and operations.

The demand signal for SOF has, if anything, increasedas the security environment has changed. Certainly

there has been some steady progress, enough so thatin the Phil ippines, Joint Special Operations Task Force-Phil ippines (JSOTF-P) is being stood down and replacedwith a smaller U.S. commitment, since the threat of

Abu Sayyaf has significantly degraded. The commit-ment in Afghanistan is winding down through OperationResolute Support. The successful partnership withColombia and other Latin American partners has nearlyeliminated the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia(Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – FARC)and is helping tamp down transnational organizedcrime in the region.

On the other hand, the r ise of the Islamic State (ISIL),especially in Syria and Iraq, has meant new demands

on SOF forces, as in Iraq, the Iraqi Special OperationsForces (ISOF), trained by U.S. Special Forces, are leadingthe fight. While U.S. SOF have been authorized to trainand advise local forces in the fight against ISIL, PresidentBarack Obama is trying to expand their missions on theground. In Europe, Vladimir Putin’s Russia has annexedthe Crimea and is supporting proxies striving to take theeastern provinces of the Ukraine. In Africa, Boko Haramcontinues to bomb, kidnap, and kill civilians as well asits government opponents. In strategically importantYemen, Sunni, Shia, al Qaeda, and Islamic State forcesare vying with each other for control of a country onthe brink of civil war. Important ongoing training and

U . S .

M A R I N E C O R P S P H O T O

B Y C P L

. S T E V E N

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Navigatingthe Gray Zone

SOCOM

YEAR in

REVIEW

By Chuck Oldham


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partnership commitments in countries worldwide mustcontinue as well.

Today’s security environment is characterized not onlyby the violent religious extremism, resurgent nationalism,hybrid conflict, and non-state actors with which we havebecome familiar, but also by the variety of powerful anddestructive tools that are readily available to a rangeof actors who had not previously had that sort of poweror influence, for good or ill. Witness the rise and fall ofexpectations associated with the “Arab Spring.”

“Within states, it is becoming much easier for aggrievedpopulations to network, organize, and demand change tothe status quo; we have seen this in a number of locationsacross the world,” Votel told Congress.

“Across state boundaries, violent non-state actors suchas ISIL are exploiting local grievances among popula-tions to advance their own horrific ends. Their methodsroutinely violate international norms and challengeregional governments’ capabilities to respond. Thesegroups rely upon their abil ity to build common identitieswith sub-sets of disaffected populations and magnify thepotential for violence. Other non-state actors have morecriminal inclinations and avoid law enforcement whilebuilding their power and influence.

“Between states, technological advancement isproviding rising powers more options to pursue theirinterests. In some cases, countries are seeking to

expand their claims of sovereignty outside of recognizedborders. In other cases, they are sponsoring and relyingupon non-state actors to act on their behalf abroad.Traditional approaches to deterrence are increasinglyinadequate – particularly as some states are becomingadept at avoiding conventional military responses whileadvancing their interests through a combination of coer-cion, targeted violence, and exploitation of local issues.Russia is taking this approach and is systematicallyundermining neighboring governments and complicatinginternational responses to its aggressive actions.”

Unconventional strategies are becoming more preva-lent, requiring new approaches to counter them. Suchstrategies seek to destabilize a government or accom-

plish an adversary’s goal while not crossing a line thatwould lead to conventional military retaliation. Socialmedia are playing an increasing role in motivating andorganizing protests or other action. Cyber attacks areanother unconventional threat that can do great harmin a networked society and are also hard to trace backto the perpetrators.

“Actors taking a ‘gray zone’ approach seek to securetheir objectives while minimizing the scope and scale ofactual fighting,” Votel said in congressional testimony.“In this gray zone, we are confronted with ambiguity onthe nature of the conflict, the parties involved, and thevalidity of the legal and political claims at stake. These N A

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conflicts defy our traditional views of war and require usto invest time and effort in ensuring we prepare ourselveswith the proper capabilities, capacities, and authoritiesto safeguard U.S. interests.”

Special operations forces are particularly important inthis new security environment because of their abilityto respond with a wide range of capabilities. Votel toldCongress that SOCOM’s advantage in this environmentis built upon its persistent engagement, enabling of part-

ners, and capability for discreet action when called for.In ensuring American SOF continue to be prepared

and equipped to operate and succeed in this gray zone ofconflict, Votel said he has identified a series of objectivesfor SOCOM.

“I was very fortunate to assume command of a head-quarters that was already operating at a high level,” Voteltold The Year in Special Operations. “But that didn’t meanwe wouldn’t benefit from an azimuth check, and a reviewof our efforts and goals. That’s why I sat down early onwith al l my commanders and set out to define our collec-tive priorities. After talking with the command’s seniorleaders, I saw five objectives as essential for USSOCOM

and all of special operations forces.“My first of these priorities is to ensure SOF main-tains the readiness level required to accomplish themissions the nation expects of us. In order to maintainthat readiness level, we will need to develop the rightpeople, with the right skills, and provide them with theright capabilities to meet current requirements as wellas the requirements that wil l emerge in the future. Thismeans we must remain faithful to the first SOF Truth:Humans are more important than hardware. We will dothis by investing in our people to ensure they have theright skil ls, the opportunity to develop their talents, andhave equipment that will enhance their capabilities.”

Votel’s testimony before the HASC stressed that main-

taining superior selection, training, and education forthe force is a continuing goal, as is developing operatorswith the language and cultural expertise essential tobuilding relationships and operating in complex situ-ations. “Operational success for SOF often depends onbeing able to establish relationships with key partners.The strength of those relationships is founded on cultur-ally attuned, regionally trained operators interactingdirectly with foreign officials and security forces in theirown language,” Votel said in his statement to the HASC.

“Next, we must be successful in the role in keeping U.S.citizens safe and ensuring the nation effectively dealswith today’s national security challenges. This will bedone by following strategic Department of Defense guid-

ance and serving as the global synchronizer of specialoperations and the provider of special operations forcesin support of the Geographic Combatant Commanders[GCCs]. When the GCCs are successful, we are successful.

When the GCCs win, the nation wins,” Votel told thispublication. Today, U.S. SOF are deployed to more than 80nations worldwide, he told Congress, and are supporting10 named operations. More than 3,500 personnel aredeployed forward, with another 7,000 in support of GCCrequirements on any given day.

“Third, relationships are the cornerstone of the SOFmission,” Votel continued. “This means we must continueto build relationships in order to increase our situational

Green Berets from the 7th Special Forces

Group (Airborne) review the performance of

Honduran TIGRES and provide guidance to

improve their movement and marksmanship

while clearing rooms inside a shoot house

during Close Quarters Batt le Training Feb.

25, 2015, on Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

The TIGRES, a counternarcotic and counter-

trafcking force, traveled from Honduras to

the United States for the rst time to t rain with

their Special Forces partners.


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awareness and understanding. The greater our situ-

ational awareness and understanding, the better wewill be able to offer realistic, effective options for poli-cymakers. Our relationships across the interagency andcoalition partners have already had a positive impact.They have strengthened our ability to coordinate onmatters such as hostage rescue, the movement of foreignfighters, international training, and developing the capa-bilities for responding to shared threats.”

SOCOM has been building international and inter-agency relationships over the years since 9/11, recog-nizing the necessity of multiple approaches to today’sproblems in the gray zone. Special Operations LiaisonOfficers (SOLOs), for example, were introduced in 2007

and have become part of building a network of interna-

tional partners, Votel told Congress. SOLOs now operatein every GCC’s area of responsibility and are residentin embassies in 15 nations to advise and assist in thedevelopment of partner-nation SOF capacity, according toSOCOM. Similarly, liaison officers from more than a dozenpartner nations currently work at SOCOM headquartersin Tampa, Florida.

Likewise, SOCOM’s Special Operations Support Teams(SOSTs) coordinate and collaborate with other govern-ment agencies, from the departments of Justice and theTreasury to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) andthe Department of Homeland Security (DHS). SOCOMhas also expanded its support to the Theater Special


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Operations Commands (TSOCs), realigning 800 SOCOMbillets to aid TSOCs in planning, intelligence analysis,and communications, as well as building out commu-nications infrastructure and adding operations supportcapacity, Votel said to Congress.

And while SOCOM continues to expand and enhanceglobal partnerships, traditional partnerships, and inter-national relationships through SOF missions such asForeign Internal Defense (FID) continue to pay dividends.

“Foreign Internal Defense remains one of our mostcost-effective tools, and the potential return on investmentis almost incalculable due to the unpredictable nature offuture conflicts,” Votel told The Year in Special Operations.“Despite that unpredictability, we know SOF conducts FIDmissions at a minimal cost because SOF generally conductsthese missions with a small number of seasoned operators,very few enablers, and at the length of time and trainingto the level that is needed to support both partner-nationand U.S. national objectives.

“There are several examples I can point to thatwould show the importance and effectiveness of FID,”he continued. “First to come to mind is our efforts tosupport the Republic of the Philippines, which begannot long after 9/11. Our partnerships and engagementswith the Phi lippine security agencies, along with otherU.S. governmental agencies and NGOs [nongovernmental

U.S. Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel,

commander of U.S. Special

Operations Command, speaks

with Staff Sgt. Dustin Gorski, a

Pararescueman from the 320th

Special Tactics Squadron, during

a visit to the Human Performance

Center at Kadena Air Base, Japan,

Dec. 15, 2014. Gen. and Mrs. Votel

toured the facilities and met with

staff members to see the program’s

efforts in support of the Preservation

of the Force and Family init iative.

“Over the past decade, USSOFhas transitioned from focusing ontactical-level, episodic training,

and is now conducting persistent-presence engagements withprofessional soldiers at all levels ofcommand. From the tactical to thestrategic, including key leadershipengagements up to the ministeriallevel, we are developing ahigh level of trust, credibility,and rapport over the long haulwith our nation’s partners.”


27/17223

organizations], have achieved increased securitycapabilities and capacity for the Armed Forces of thePhilippines [AFP], Philippine National Police [PNP],and other Philippine Security Forces [PSF], which havethwarted domestic and transitional terrorist threats tothe Philippines. Some of the training provided includedtraining in basic human rights, which has positioned thePSF to extend the rule of law for Fil ipino citizens to haveaccess to an improved legal system and better govern-

mental institutions. These successes are at the heartof the FID mission and are examples of the hard workof the Philippines government with support from theU.S. country team, USAID [U.S. Agency for InternationalDevelopment], DOJ [Department of Justice], and

International Criminal Investigation, Training and Assistance Program [ICITAP]. Hav ing achieved al lthis, Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines[JSOTF-P] will transition May 1, 2015, and U.S. support toPhilippine counterterrorism efforts will transfer to rota-tional U.S. military units. JSOTF-P’s transition reflectsthe maturity of the Philippine Security Forces, boththe Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Phi lippineNational Police, and is a testament to the current capaci-

ties and continued growth of the Philippine SecurityForces’ capability to handle internal security threats.

“Successes like this have led to a shift in FID strategy.Over the past decade, USSOF has transitioned fromfocusing on tactical-level, episodic training, and is

A U.S. Air Force

Tactical Air Control

Party member

observes as an

A-10 ThunderboltII aircraft ies

overhead during

a close air support

mission while

participating in

Emerald Warrior 14

at Hurlburt Field,

Florida, May 1,

2014.

U . S .

A I R

F O R C E P H O T O

B Y

S E N I O R

A I R M A N

C O L V I L L E M C F E E


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now conducting persistent-presence engagements withprofessional soldiers at all levels of command. Fromthe tactical to the strategic, including key leadershipengagements up to the ministerial level, we are devel-oping a high level of trust, credibility, and rapport overthe long haul with our nation’s partners. The JSOTF-Ptransition exemplifies the latest shi ft in our strategy aswe look to our operational support team construct thatempowers small numbers of SOF embedded with our

partners to provide operational planning support toenhance partner-nation operational capability.

“All this means that our national return on invest-ment can be seen in important and measureable ways.Specifically, this is evident when our partners demonstratehow they’ve developed into a capable force that can goagainst an adversary or even when they become a regionalexporter of security. Either way, our partner nation’sincreased capability alleviates the strain on U.S. forcesand our fiscal resources. The FID mission supports andenhances the idea that local and regional issues are bestanswered by a local or regional response,” Votel added.

“Fourth, preparing for the future means we must invest

in SOF that will be able to win in an increasingly complexworld,” he continued. “Key to this is the ability to adaptand being an innovator of strategic options. This meanswe will focus on developing concepts, training, doctrine,education, and research that are future oriented and chal-lenge current operational thinking.”

Along with an open mind toward new ideas, Votel hasdescribed a strong experimentation, capability analysis,and development process that will help American SOFprepare for an uncertain and changeable future. Arobust schedule of war games and experiments wil l alsocontinue to build the interoperability, integration, andinterdependence between conventional forces and specialoperations forces, as well as interagency and interna-

tional partners, that will be vital in order to effectivelydeal with gray zone challenges.

Technology is also a part of preparing for the future.SOCOM conducted combat evaluations that led to develop-ment of advanced weapons and state-of-the-art sensorsfor MQ-9 unmanned air systems. Working alongside the

Army and Navy, SOCOM also developed lightweight armorprotection for AFSOC’s CV-22 Osprey fleet in less than sixmonths in response to an urgent operational require-ment, according to congressional testimony. Whilespecial operations has always been about equippingthe man rather than manning the equipment, SOCOM’sTactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS) programhas captured the imagination of the press and the public.

And while the press calls it an “Iron Man suit,” for specialoperators, near-term technologies are spinning off of theinnovative acquisit ion program now.

”The TALOS task force has identified a number of tech-nologies that are along the path to the combat suit whichare candidates for transition to SOF, conventional forces,and potentially other government agencies in the nearterm,” Votel reported for The Year In Special Operations.

“Last year, we developed an increased tactical datastorage capability, which is currently transitioning to ourforces to fulfill an immediate operational requirement.This new capability will allow for 10 times the capacity ofcurrent-day data storage with an added weight of only 6

ounces. The team also discovered a novel armor solution,and shared it with USASOC, who now uses it on theirnon-standard commercial vehicles.

“This year the team is working on transitioning asmall, individual soldier SATCOM antenna, an unpow-ered, loadbearing exoskeleton for reduced soldier fatigue,and a powered cooling vest to sustain body temperatureand improve individual performance.

“Next year, we anticipate transitioning five tech-

nologies, including a next-generation antenna thatincludes dynamic tuning, the Future InteroperableRadio Enclosure (FIRE) with current and future radiomodules, a tactical radio sleeve for cell phones, light-weight multi-hit ceramic-metallic hybrid armor, and abiosensor-equipped combat shirt that can monitor asoldier’s physiological status.”

Taking care of all of those in America’s special opera-tions forces as well as their families remains of paramountimportance, Votel emphasized. “The fifth priority is thefoundation, the essential underpinning, of the otherpriorities and everything else,” Votel continued. “We mustpreserve our force and their families. We must ensure

their short- and long-term well-being. People – military,civilian, and families – are our most important asset. Wehave always prided ourselves in the way we have takencare of our people, but after more than a decade of war,their well-being and resiliency is our primary concern andfocus. In order to preserve our special operations force andfamilies, we are taking a holistic approach that focuseson human performance, psychological performance, andsocial performance of not just our service members buttheir families as well.”

Over the past 14 years, the typical service member inspecial operations has deployed four to 10 times, andfrequently had less than a year at home between deploy-ments, Votel told Congress. More than 50 percent of the

force is married with children, so repeated deploymentshave put a particular strain on families. More than 2,500SOF service members have been wounded or killed inaction, and more than 7,500 are in the SOF Wounded

Warrior program, many suffering from traumatic stress. While the demand for SOF appears to be a fact of lifeinto the near future, Votel stressed that SOCOM has beenstriving to ease the strain on its troops as best it can withthe resources it has.

“It’s important to note that we’ve always anticipatedthat the demand signal for SOF would remain high andplanned accordingly,” he stated for this publication.“When you talk about issues like optempo and dwelltime, you’re really talking about the people – military,

civilian, and families. They are hands down our mostimportant asset, and we remain committed to our effortsto take care of them, build resil ience, and ensure readi-ness. Among those efforts, our perstempo policy is a keytool; it helps to increase predictability by establishingthresholds for dwell time – a minimum 250 days at homestation [head on pillow] or a maximum of 480 days awayin a 24-month period (730 days), with a 12 months backand 12 months forward window. With this information attheir fingertips, SOF leaders can make informed decisionsthat balance training, career progression, readiness,retention, and operational demands with the long-termhealth of the individual, the family, and the force.” n


30/17226

AFSOC: New Commanderwith New Missions AdjustsModernization Plans

By Maj. Gen. Richard Comer, USAF (Ret.)


31/17227

• Transform training to optimize humanperformance; and

• Modernize and sustain the force. At nearly the same time, major events in the world were

conspiring to have another major impact on AFSOC, prob-ably the second-most signicant event for the command in2014. This was the emergence of the Islamic State terroristgroup, usually referred to by its competing acronyms,ISIS or ISIL, which gained control of much of Syria andIraq. Orders came quickly thereafter to provide increaseddeployments of combat-ready aircraft and Air Commandosto the Middle East. Until then, the command had been in theprocess of drawing down its forces involved in Afghanistanand had already withdrawn from Iraq. Now, in the middleof 2014, it was time to send some of them back.

WHEN REVIEWING THE YEAR’S HAPPENINGS, Lt. Gen.Bradley A. Heithold related that about three weeks after

taking command of U.S. Air Force Special OperationsCommand (AFSOC), he led an off-site meeting with the staffdirectors and subordinate commanders of the wings andgroups. After three days, they emerged with a revised setof command priorities. He said these are the things AFSOCexists to do and they are the guides to all his decisions,including those decisions made each day concerning howto prioritize time and money. He asserted also that theyguide his staff directors and all subordinate commands of

AFSOC in just the same way. They are:• Provide combat ready forces;• Create an environment for airmen and

families to thrive;

The MC-130J Commando II leads

the heritage formation of three

MC-130 variants off the coast of

Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 26, 2015.

The 353rd Special OperationsGroup performed the unique

formation to commemorate

the arrival of the MC-130J

Commando II, the retirement of

the MC-130P Combat Shadow,

and the continuing mission of

the MC-130H Combat Talon II.

AFSOC

YEAR in

REVIEW


32/172

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The change from drawdown to buildup in forward-deployed combat locations coincided with the yearof planned retirement of the first three AC-130Us, orU-model gunships, and several of the MC-130P aircraftused for mobility and to air refuel helicopters andCV-22s. The first aircraft that was to replace the U-modelgunships, an AC-130J, had just arrived at AFSOC formodification but was years from combat-ready status.The MC-130Js will replace all the other MC-130 vari-ants, a total of 57 aircraft including 14 Combat TalonIs, 24 Combat Talon IIs, and 23 Combat Shadows. TheMC-130Js have been informally named the CommandoII, and Heithold emphasized that “the requirement is for94 total J-model aircraft, and it will not change,” even

though the current program falls 15 MC-130J aircraftshort. Adjustments made to comply with the BudgetControl Act (known as sequestration) will fund only79 J-models total, of which 37 will become AC-130Jgunships and 42 will become MC-130Js.

The AFSOC change of command therefore occurredwhen the command found itself in a bit of a straddle,retiring legacy aircraft while bringing on new ones. Thenew commander reviewed those schedules of aircraftcoming and going in light of his newly minted list ofpriorities. He found the schedules to be incompatiblewith his four priorities, and he’s ordered his staff to fixthe incongruities.

He ordered a pause in the retirement scheduleof the U-model gunships, stopping the retirement ofthose aircraft until the modification and testing of thereplacement AC-130Js, which will include more workthan original ly planned. Instead of only trans-deckingthe Precision Strike Package (PSP) of the AC-130W,the new aircraft will have the PSP with full cockpitintegration, vice federated installs, including into the

pilot heads-up displays. It will also include a favoriteof AC-130 ground customers – the 105 mm howitzer,which was previously being studied as a possibleincluded capability. These adjustments will prevent,in the words of AFSOC Director of Operations (A3) Maj.Gen. Mark Hicks, “Deploying to combat with replace-ment aircraft that have less capability than those whichwe’re retiring.” Heithold explained that the adjustedprogram, involving three to four years of developmenttime and corresponding delays in U-model retirements,will a llow AFSOC to “get it right, not fast,” to maintaincurrent capability whi le ensuring improvements to thatcapability in the replacement aircraft. U .

S .

A I R F O R C E P H O T O / S E N I O R A I R M A N C H R I S T O P H E R C A L L A W A Y

Flight control specialist journeymen from the 4th

Aircraft Maintenance Unit (AMU) work on an AC-130U

Spooky gunship at Hurlbur t Field, Florida, May 16,2014. The 4th AMU maintains the aircraft 24 hours a

day to ensure that training missions go as planned.


34/172

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35/17231

A F S O C I M A G E

The Combat Talon II retirement plans were alsoaffected by the commander’s intention to get it right. Itis Heithold’s belief that “AFSOC exists to have the abilityto penetrate enemy defenses for combat mobility – thatmeans providing ful ly capable Commando IIs and CV-22s.”Therefore, it is the commander’s intention to keep thefully capable MC-130H Combat Talon IIs available untilthe Commando II reaches operational equivalency.

Additionally, similar delays will occur in the moderniza-tion and acquisition of the MC-130J Commando II aircraft.These aircraft are being delivered to AFSOC from theLockheed-Martin production facility in Georgia and are

equipped very similarly to those being delivered to AirCombat Command as helicopter tankers. The defensivesystems and navigation capabilities are far less than thoserequired for a threat area-penetrating special operationsmission aircraft. AFSOC will therefore slow retirements ofits best capability Combat Talon IIs until the Commando IIachieves equal or better capabilities. This will also take upto three to five years, but will provide Commando IIs withan integrated and fully tested terrain-following/terrain-avoidance (TF/TA) radar and sufficient defensive systems.

Also, only 42 J-model aircraft are funded and plannedto be in Commando II configuration in the currentbudgets, short of the number required in the Program

of Record. Heithold has decided that AFSOC will retain15 of the Combat Talon IIs until they are replaced byaircraft of equal or greater capability.

These changes to accommodate both the newly ordered AFSOC priorities and the changing geopolitical landscapecaused by ISIS do look like a difficult set of adjustments. Infact, they’re significantly harder than they look. The finalheadache to account for in these changes is the fundingrequired for additional people to populate the aircrew andmaintenance needs of the AC-130U, AC-130J gunships,and the Combat Talon IIs and Commando IIs. Previousdecisions made by AFSOC, Special Operations Command

(SOCOM), and the U.S. Air Force (USAF), in adjusting torecent Department of Defense (DOD) budgetary pressures,scheduled retirements to coincide with deliveries. Nowsome of the aircraft being retired will continue to operatefor years after the new aircraft are delivered. Paying forpeople to populate both at once will require significantadjustments in SOCOM funding of AFSOC personnel.

As AFSOC’s director of Strategic Plans, Programs andRequirements, Brig. Gen. Kirk Smith has the job of recon-ciling the schedule and the budgets with possible trades tomake on programs and delivery dates. He said, “It won’t beeasy, but getting the money to pay for slowing retirementsof legacy aircraft is just something we have to do.”

This chart summarizes the adjustments to AFSOC’s plans for its aircraft.


36/17232

are waiting for people and aircraft to become available.Reductions in Afghanistan on the combat mobility frontsee increases in support of missions to train Afghanairmen and to provide additional support. The numbersof any of these missions in way of aircraft and peoplecannot be provided, but celebrations of groups of peoplereturning from forward-deployed areas at HurlburtField, Florida; Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico;and locations where AFSOC’s Special Tactics airmen

are stationed continue at pretty much the same rateas always. Heithold has remarked that the “demandsignal” on sending people and aircraft to forward areasis increasing. Additionally, he said that the maintenancepeople of the AC-130s prefer the aircraft return fromtheir missions with little or no ammunition to unloadand care for. “They’re coming back every night empty.”

Apparent ly, there’s been no drawdown in peoplewho need to be shot. There has also been no noticeddecrease in AFSOC’s warriors deserving decoration.The Special Tactics career field of Combat Controllers,Pararescuemen, Tactical Air Control Party, and SpecialOperations Weathermen continue to be the most deco-

rated in AFSOC and in the USAF as a whole. In 2014,they amassed an impressive set of statistics in combat.

Another big change has occurred in the plans for AFSOC’s fleet of aircraft involved in manned aircraft ISR,(intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance). Lastyear’s plan to accept up to 38 MC-12 Project Liberty (two-engine) aircraft from Air Combat Command and to retire AFSOC’s 28 (single-engine) U-28s is no longer current.SOCOM completed a congressionally mandated cost/benefitanalysis of the plan and discovered that the $1 billiondollar cost would result in only a marginal increase in

capability. Deeming the swap not worth the cost, Heitholddirected that AFSOC will keep its U-28s and asked onlyto fund modification of three of its lift-providing PC-12sto the U-28 configuration. Thirteen MC-12s will go to theOklahoma Air National Guard in support of special opera-tions missions. SOCOM and DOD haven’t yet funded thosethree aircraft, according to Smith, but it would be a wayto increase the availability of much needed ISR.

Missions: Resting Is Not on the List

AFSOC continues to adjust to missions that requirefewer people and aircraft by finding that other missions

Staff Sgt. Zachary Asmus, a Combat Controller

from the 320th Special Tactics Squadron (STS),

demonstrates how to conduct urban close air

support as a member of the Royal Thai Air Force

3rd Special Tactics Battalion observes Feb. 4,

2014, in a town near Udon Thani, Thailand. A

team of Combat Controllers from the 320th STS

worked with its Thai counterparts during the

training exchange, focused on building skills in

Joint Terminal Air Control.


37/17233

U . S .

A I R

F O R C E P H O T O

B Y S E N I O R

A I R M A N

C O L V I L L E M C F E E

Mission Data f rom 2014

Special Tactics airmen were involved in:- More than 3,000 combat missions- More than 450 troops in contact (skirmishes/fights)

- More than 7,000 drop zone/landing zone (LZ)/heli-copter LZ controls (coordinating aircraft to land ordrop supplies)

- More than 10,900 close air support controls (callingin close air support)

- More than 100,000 pounds of precision ordnancedropped

They also merited a visit to Hurlburt Field by Secretaryof the Air Force Deborah Lee James in December toaward the Air Force Cross to Pararescueman MasterSgt. Ivan Ruiz.

When requested to provide some representative missionnarratives from AFSOC units, Hicks remarked that few

could be provided due to classification. Still, he provided acouple of things outside the usual and expected missionsof gunships shooting, CV-22 and MC-130 combat mobility,or ISR – manned and unmanned – tracking targets forcapture or destruction.

Two mission areas of training were spotlighted. Oneinvolves improving the knowledge and skills of AFSOCairmen and their abilities to integrate air capabilitiesfrom the larger Theater Air Component with the smallerSpecial Operations Air Component. The second is one inwhich AFSOC airmen provide training to allies who areoften growing and developing initial and embryonic aircapabilities for their own nations.

Since just before 9/11, AFSOC joined the regular Air

Force in training “patch wearers,” or U.S. Air Force Weapons School graduates – experts in air combat andintegrating all air capabilities on the battlefield. Knownthroughout the Air Force as the authorities on all thingsabout air and space capabilities, the patch wearers fromthe USAF Weapons School take the lead in planning ofthe use of air capabilities in campaign planning. AFSOCneeded its own patch wearers badly in order to be fullycapable of integrating theater air capabilities in supportof SOF missions. The 14th Weapons Squadron providedthe following summary of its very eventful year in 2014:

A part of the USAF Weapons School, the 14th Weapons Squadron’s mission is to teach graduate-level instructor

U.S. Air Force Combat Controllers point to an incoming

aircraft while standing on the back of a truck during Emerald

Warrior 2014 at Stennis International Airport, Mississ ippi, May2, 2014. Emerald Warrior is an annual joint exercise to train

special operations, conventional, and partner-nation forces

in combat scenarios designed to hone special operations

air and ground combat skills, and is the Department of

Defense's only irregular warfare exercise.


38/17234

courses, which provide advanced training in weaponsand tactics employment. The 14th graduated the largestnumber of Weapons Officers in squadron history (14)in 2014. These graduates are taking their expertise in SOF tactics and integration with the CAF (Combat Air Forces) and MAF (Mobility Air Forces) and providing theircommanders with leaders and decision-makers who willbetter the command in the short term and long term.

To ensure AFSOC Weapons Officers are tactical and

integration experts, the 14th Weapons Squadron securednearly $1 million in funds to renovate their building at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. Coinciding with this, the14th Weapons Squadron has moved its capstone trainingexercise, SOFEX, to Nellis. This exercise integrates SOF from all services as well as the CAF and MAF, givingstudents opportunities to integrate with other platformsand weapons systems while providing unparalleled lead-ership opportunities. In 2014, this exercise integrated14 Weapons Instructor Courses, 50 aircraft, and 500 personnel.

Not only has the 14th Weapons Squadron graduatedWeapons Officers for AFSOC in 2014, the squadron has also

been at the forefront of tactics development and training for the command. SOFEX and Advanced Integration at Nellis has produced valuable lessons learned and after-action reports that will shape tactics and training devel-opment in AFSOC in the short term and long term. Theunique training opportunities provided by the 14th at Nellis during these large force exercises have createddiscussion about how to better integrate AFSOC aircraftwith the CAF and MAF in order to be successful during future military operations. Furthermore, these exerciseshave laid the groundwork for upgrades to legacy weaponssystems as well as changes in tactics and training in orderto better integrate in future conflicts.

Overall, 2014 was a banner year in the history of the

14th Weapons Squadron and AFSOCas a whole. The groundwork laid bythe cadre and support staff at the14th have shaped AFSOC priorities,tactics development, and trainingand will continue to do so in the future. More importantly, the 14thwill continue to transform and inspirestudents, ultimately developingleaders for AFSOC who are tacticaland integration experts, adhering tothe SOF truth that “Humans are moreimportant than hardware.”

A Pararescueman’s (PJ) primary func-

tion is to perform personnel recovery

operations and provide battlefield

emergency medical care. A PJ’s unique

technical rescue skill sets are utilized

during humanitarian and combat opera-

tions; they deploy anywhere, anytime,

with air-sea-land tactics into restricted

environments to authenticate, extract,

treat, stabilize, and evacuate injured or

isolated personnel.

Their motto, “That Others May Live,”

reafrms the Pararescueman’s commit-ment to saving lives. Without PJs, thou-

sands of service members and civilians

would have been unnecessarily lost in

past conicts and natural disasters. On

Dec. 10, 2013, Master Sgt. Ivan M. Ruiz,

a Pararescueman, was attached as the

lone rescue specialist to an Army Special

Forces team assaulting a Taliban strong-

hold. The team inserted into the Mushan

village area in no-visibility conditions due

to the CH-47 Chinooks creating a dust

MASTER SGT. IVANRUIZ, AIR FORCECROSS RECIPIENTSpecial Tactics Pararescueman, 23rd

Special Tactics Squadron

Special Tactics airmen from the 24th

Special Operations Wing (SOW) jump out

of an MC-130H Talon II at Hurlburt Field,

Florida, Jan. 7, 2014. The airmen were

from various Special Tactics career elds,

including Special Operations Weathermen,

Combat Controllers, Pararescuemen, and

Tactical Air Control Parties. The 24th SOW’s

mission is to p rovide Special Tactics forces

for rapid global employment to enable

airpower success.


39/17235

U . S .

A I R F O R C E P H O T O / S E N I O R A I R M A N C H R I S T O P H E R C A L L A W A Y

Consider also a mission that is becoming the focus andmain effort in many parts of the world, that of BuildingPartner Capacity and Aviation Foreign Internal Defense(AvFID) performed by Combat Aviation Advisors (CAAs).This mission is one of providing training and adviceto partner air forces, enabling them to take over theDirect-Action missions needed to fight the worldwidespread of violent extremist networks using terroristtactics to achieve political results. Col. Dave Tabor,commander of the Air Force Special Operations Air

Warfare Center, provided the following summary of themissions of the CAAs:

Calendar year 2014 panned out to be an active andtransformative year for AFSOC’s CAA community.

Active-duty and Reserve CAAs from the Air Force SpecialOperations Air Warfare Center (AFSOAWC) were engagedin partnered SOF operations in the CENTCOM, AFRICOM,

PACOM, and SOUTHCOM areas of responsibility. In Afghanistan, CAAs alongside joint and combined

SOF counterparts introduced and integrated fixed-wingcapabilities that continue to revolutionize how Afghanspecial operations forces fight. Armed with the rightauthorities, CAAs accompanied and integrated their

Afghan counterparts on more than 80 combat operationstotaling in excess of 2,000 flight hours. Due to the benefitsof a persistent presence, CAAs saw Afghan skill and buy-in

grow to the eventual ends of legitimate integrated SOFcapabilities for Afghanistan. As a result of their combateffectiveness, partnered U.S./Afghan crews have beendecorated on numerous occasions by the U.S. and Afghan

governments. AFSOAWC experiences in Afghanistan pointto the critical role that persistence, authorities, and joint/interagency approaches play in determining the success

of Aviation Foreign Internal Defense efforts.Overall, AFSOC in 2014 received new leadership

and direction as well as a new war against a new anddeveloping enemy, and worked to provide itself withextremely capable aircraft with new capabilities. It’sengaged around the world with people who are ableto place the most advanced air power in the service ofmissions at the highest level of the combat spectrum,while also helping to grow the air power capabilitiesof our allies. Truly, the air component of U.S. SpecialOperations Command is ready now, fighting the nation’swars, building its future in equipment and people, andcontinually improving itself all along the way. n

and sand cloud at the insertion point.

Despite this, Ruiz quickly gathered his

element of Afghan commandos and

moved rapidly to the objective. While

they moved, an orbiting ight of AH-64

Apache helicopters observed armed

insurgents maneuvering into attack posi-

tions, and began engaging with 30 mm

cannon re.

With the element of surprise lost, Ruiz

followed his Afghan clearing element

into the courtyard of a target compound

and breached the main building. Four

inhabitants emerged, appearing to

surrender. Without warning, the surren-

dering insurgents drew weapons and

began ring. Four U.S. service members

and 10 Afghan commandos engaged

in a point-blank reght, which ended

with the elimination of all four insurgents.

Gathering in the courtyard, Ruiz and

two U.S. team members faced two small

mud huts. Ruiz focused on one hut, while

his teammates oriented on the other.

Instantly, an armed insurgent lled the

doorway of one hut 20 meters away.

Ruiz instinctively red his rie, neutral-

izing the enemy ghter. Simultaneously,

a barrage of machine gun re eruptedfrom the second hut, wounding the two

team members near Ruiz. Ruiz laid down

cover re in an attempt to move closer to

his fallen comrades, but he was unable

to advance against the high volume

of enemy re. He shouted for reinforce-

ment, but the Afghan commandos were

trapped behind cover. Disregarding

his own safety, Ruiz crossed the open

courtyard toward his wounded team

members.

Without assistance, he engaged

enemy forces who blasted machine

gun re at him across the compound.

Ruiz continued to suppress the enemy

ghters with his own re until nally joined

by a U.S. team member. When his team

member threw a grenade into the hut,

he seized the advantage and closed

the distance to his wounded comrades.

Seconds later, insurgents in the hut

responded with two grenades of their

own. Prone and unable to maneuver,

Ruiz was saved by an unpulled pin as

the rst grenade landed within feet of

him while the other grenade detonated

a few meters away.

Ruiz pressed through intense fire to

reach the two wounded soldiers and

drag them to relative safety. Ruiz then

treated his wounded team members

and packaged them for transport

on an incoming helicopter. Rejoining

his assault team, Ruiz treated threecommandos wounded by grenade

shrapnel, and continued to clear

enemy compounds until the opera -

tion ended.

Ruiz’s actions saved the lives of two

U.S. team members and contributed

to the death of 11 enemy ghters. Ruiz

received the Air Force Cross medal for his

heroic actions against an armed enemy

of the United States.

– U.S. Air Force U . S .

A I R F O R C E P H O T O


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U . S .

N A V Y P H O T O

B Y M A S S

C O M M U N I C A T I O N

S P E C I A L I S T S E A

M A N

E V E R E T T A L L E N

Today WillBe Different

THE MOTTO OF MARINE CORPS FORCES Special OperationsCommand (MARSOC) – “Today will be different” – couldnot have been more accurate during the command’sninth year as the Marine Corps component of U.S. Special

Operations Command (SOCOM). From a change of namefor the members to Marine Raiders to the worst singleday loss of life in its history to trying to balance thewithdrawal from Afghanistan with new demands in Iraq,

Africa, Europe, and elsewhere around the globe – allwhile in the midst of an ever-tightening Department ofDefense (DOD) budget that has placed some needed newequipment programs in jeopardy – it has been a tumul-tuous period for the Raiders and their new commander.

Maj. Gen. Joseph L. Osterman took over as MARSOC’sfifth commanding general on Aug. 6, 2014, and immedi-ately faced the problems of an increasing level of commandresponsibilities within SOCOM and increasing demandsfor the use of his smaller-than-originally envisioned force

of 2,742 Marines and sailors – what his predecessor, Maj.Gen. Mark A. Clark, USMC (Ret.), called “right-sizing” inlight of budget restrictions.

At the same time, MARSOC was expanding its rela-tionship with the big Corps, SOCOM, and the joint forceGeographic Combatant Commands (GCCs).

“Until 2015, MARSOC’s primary focus was support ofoperations in Afghanistan. MARSOC has now operationallyre-oriented in order to better support the GCCs in the post-OEF environment. MARSOC’s forces are now regionallyfocused in order to provide persistently forward deployed,reinforced Marine Special Operations Companies [MSOC(Rein)] to U.S. Central Command [CENTCOM], U.S.Pacific Command [PACOM], and U.S. Africa Command

[AFRICOM],” Osterman said.“The MARSOC training continuum produces task-

organized MSOCs capable of full spectrum specialoperations with particular emphasis on skills relatedto partner-nation capacity building. The three battal-ions of the MSOR [Marine Special Operations Regiment]and MSOSG [Marine Special Operations Support Group]have regionally oriented to effectively produce this capa-bility in support of these commands. In addition, eachforward-deployed MSOC (Rein) is also attuned to theunique regional requirements of their deployment area,including language capability and any specific regionaltactical capabilities.”

MARSOC

YEAR in

REVIEW

By J.R. Wilson

Marine special operations forces prepare for a

mission during a training exercise aboard the Nimitz-

class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN

73). SEALs and Mar ine Special Operations (MARSOC)

forces from Special Operations Command Pacic

conducted maritime interoperability training aboard

USS George Washington. George Washington and its

embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, provide

a combat-ready force that protects and defends the

collective maritime interests of the United States and

its allies and par tners in the Indo-Asia-Pacic region.


41/17237

MARSOC’s role within SOCOM includes providingoperational forces trained in:• Direct Action (DA);• Special Reconnaissance (SR);• Security Force Assistance (SFA);• Counterinsurgency (COIN);• Foreign Internal Defense (FID); and• Counterterrorism (CT).The command also is tasked to provide support to

civil affairs operations, military information support

operations, foreign humanitarian assistance, uncon-ventional warfare, and countering of weapons of massdestruction operations, as well as training, equipping,planning for, and providing forces to execute specialoperations forces (SOF) command and control.

“Finally, MARSOC is tasked to explore the interde-pendence, interoperability, and integration of specialoperations forces and conventional forces, both duringplanning and on the battlefield and specifically as itrelates to crisis response,” Osterman added.


42/172


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Whi le details of unit deployments are not made public,

the Raiders will be spread across the three GCC regions,with a focus on training and coordination with friendlygovernments dealing with insurgents and terrorists. Inthis new alignment, one MARSOC battalion is assignedto support each related geographic SOCOM element –SOCPAC (SOCOM-Pacific), SOCAF (SOCOM-Africa), andSOCCENT (SOCOM-Central).

Osterman described the deployments as more proac-tive, to help develop host-nation forces’ capability toprevent conflict, rather than reactive crisis management.

Whether that wi ll include working with Iraqi forcescombating Islamic State militants who have seized alarge part of Iraq in recent months remains unknown.

The new areas of operation (AOs) into which Raiders

are being deployed also are creating new and expandedtraining and capabilities to deal with environments,cultures, and threats far removed from the landlockeddeserts and mountains of Afghanistan.

One of those was creation of a SOF Liaison Element(SOFLE) – a six-man team headed by a lieutenant colonel– as an at-sea component working with the East and

West Coast Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) afloat.The SOFLEs wil l only deploy “as needed” for exercises

or crisis response, giving the MEU commander a directtie into the SOF network without actually returning tothe original concept of placing full MARSOC teams onships as part of the pivot to Asia.

“MARSOC participates in the SOCOM ARG [Amphibious

Ready Group]/MEU SOFLE program in conjunction withthe other SOCOM components. This SOCOM program hasbeen very successful to date and we expect that success tocontinue,” Osterman said. “There are no plans to assignoperational MARSOC capabilities/units to MEUs.”

Another MARSOC component undergoing expansion isthe Multi-Purpose Canine (MPC) unit.

“Now that MARSOC has broken down into different AOs,we’re ensuring all the handlers know what AO they’regoing into and what mission set the teams could be taskedwith,” according to MPC’s program manager. “All of ourguys have all the same capabilities, but each handler willbe dealing with a different mission set in respect to his

AO, so we’re constantly training and re-certifying our

guys to create a great product for the teams.”Core MPC capabilities include traditional military canine

duties, such as explosives detection and intruder alert,but those are being constantly upgraded with feedbackfrom handlers returning from deployment. That leads toadditional training to provide both handlers and canineswith special skills required to meet the needs of theMarine Special Operations Teams (MSOTs) to which theyare assigned.

It also includes a new emphasis on maritime operations.“That’s what we bring to MARSOC with our multi-purpose

canines – a dog with several different capabilities to be ableto conduct whatever mission the team has for us,” the MPC U .

S .

M A R I N E

C O R P S P H O T O

I L L U S T R A T I O N

B Y S G T .

S C O T T

A .

A C H T E M E I E R

/ U . S .

M A R I N E C O R P S F O R C E S

LEFT: A Multi-Purpose Canine (MPC) handler with MARSOC

carries his canine up a grated ladderwell during training

aboard Stone Bay Rie Range, Marine Corps Base Camp

Lejeune, North Carolina, Sept. 16, 2014. As MARSOC continues

to demonstrate its capabilities and versatilities, MPC handlerswith the command are preparing themselves and thei r

canines for operations in new areas of responsibility.

ABOVE: Marines build their s trength in the water during a

water physical training session of Phase I of the U.S. Marine

Corps Forces Special Operations Command’s Assessment

and Selection course aboard Marine Corps Base Camp

Lejeune, North Carolina, Jan. 30, 2015. Marines must

successfully complete several qualications with varying

criteria during the course.


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program manager explained. “They’re getting a multi-purpose canine that’s off leash, sniffing out explosives; theycan track, patrol, chase down fleeing suspects, and providean extra layer of protection to the team.”

Despite the low cap on authorized force size, MARSOC

continues to look across the big Corps for future new Raiders.“Our recruiting goals and priorities in the next year

or two include informing and educating the force andpreparing those Marines selected to attend assessmentand selection [A&S]. We continue to build the force byusing the best practices in recruiting and screening inwhich to assign qualified Marines for the Critical SkillsOperator [CSO/Special Operations Officer [SOO] pipelineprogram. Our community does not strive for minimums.

We continue to look for those individuals who want tocontinue serving their Corps and nation beyond the tipof the spear,” Osterman said.

“We will inform the force with the assistance ofHeadquarters Marine Corps and the support of the Fleet

Marine Force units to ensure all available information iscommunicated to those qualified and interested Marines.

We will strive to inform those Marines of every opportu-nity to take the challenge to enter the CSO/SOO and theSpecial Operations Capabilities Specialist [SOCS] arena.”

Despite being sent into some of the most dangerouscombat situations facing the U.S. military, MARSOCexperienced its worst single-day loss of life in a trainingaccident on March 10, 2015, when an Army UH-60Black Hawk helicopter carry ing seven Raiders and fourLouisiana National Guardsmen crashed in heavy fogduring a water insertion exercise off the coast of theFlorida Panhandle. All aboard perished.

“Any loss of a Marine is a tragedy and so [the accident]is really not one I could put in context or scope,” Ostermanstated during a press conference at the time. “In this case,to have such a tremendous group of Marines, obviouslythe experience they had and the cohesion and teamwork

and everything else that they exhibited, it definitely hitus all hard – and by having that many all at one time.”

All seven Marines were members of the 2nd RaidersSpecial Operations Battalion at Camp Lejeune, NorthCarolina.

SOCOM and its four service components were amongthe least directly affected by recent budget cuts, althoughthe across-the-board impact of sequestration was felt.That reflects the growing view of SOF as one of the mostimportant military capabilities to combat unexpectedhostile events anywhere in the world.

“To date, unlike the conventional forces, budgetconstraints have had marginal impacts on MARSOC’sequipment acquisitions, maintenance, and training. In

FY 16, expectations are that the impacts will becomesignificant if the spending caps established in the 2011Budget Control Act for FY 16 are enforced (not adjustedor repealed). From a G-3 perspective, there has beenno impact. We are successfully accomplishing all ourassigned tasks effectively and efficiently,” Osterman said.

Nonetheless, all of the service chiefs, DOD civilian lead-ership, and SOCOM’s commander, Army Gen. Joseph L.

Votel, in testimony before the House and Senate ArmedServices Committees’ DOD budget hearings in March,voiced strong concerns a

USAFSOC- The Year in Spec Ops

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