Former United States special operations units
Encyclopedia
Former United States special operations units are disbanded or otherwise inactive unconventional warfare
units of the United States military. Most units were created to fulfill specific duties within a particular conflict, and were disbanded once that conflict ended. All branches of the United States armed forces
– the Army
, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force have fielded special operations units. For existing special operations units, see United States Special Operations Forces
.
Unconventional warfare
Unconventional warfare is the opposite of conventional warfare. Where conventional warfare is used to reduce an opponent's military capability, unconventional warfare is an attempt to achieve military victory through acquiescence, capitulation, or clandestine support for one side of an existing...
units of the United States military. Most units were created to fulfill specific duties within a particular conflict, and were disbanded once that conflict ended. All branches of the United States armed forces
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
– the Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force have fielded special operations units. For existing special operations units, see United States Special Operations Forces
United States Special Operations Forces
United States Special Operations Forces under United States Special Operations Command are active and reserve component forces of U.S. Military...
.
The Civil War
- Jessie ScoutsJessie ScoutsJessie Scouts were irregular soldiers during the American Civil War on the side of the Union who operated in territory of the Confederate States of America in the southern United States in insurgency missions. The unit was created by John C. Frémont and named in honour of his wife, rather than of a...
, Union ArmyUnion ArmyThe Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
scout unit that operated disguised as Confederate States ArmyConfederate States ArmyThe Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
soldiers
World War II
- 1st Special Service Force – "Devil's BrigadeDevil's BrigadeThe Devil's Brigade , was a joint World War II American-Canadian commando unit organized in 1942 and trained at Fort William Henry Harrison near Helena, Montana in the United States...
", a joint U.S.-Canadian unit - 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) – "Merrill's MaraudersMerrill's MaraudersMerrill’s Marauders or Unit Galahad, officially named the 5307th Composite Unit , was a United States Army long range penetration special operations unit in the South-East Asian Theater of World War II which fought in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations, or CBI...
" – "Charles N. HunterCharles N. HunterCharles N. Hunter was the author of the book Galahad a first person account of the Burma Campaign in World War II. Galahad was the code-name for the U.S. Army's 5307th Composite Unit , better known as Merrill's Marauders. "Colonel Charles N...
" - Ranger Battalions
- Alamo ScoutsAlamo scoutsThe Alamo Scouts was a reconnaissance unit of the Sixth United States Army in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II...
- Alaskan Scouts
- Marine RaidersMarine RaidersThe Marine Raiders were elite units established by the United States Marine Corps during World War II to conduct amphibious light infantry warfare, particularly in landing in rubber boats and operating behind the lines...
- Marine Parachute Battalions – the "ParamarinesParamarinesThe Paramarines was a short-lived specialized unit of the United States Marine Corps, trained to be dropped by parachute. The first Paramarines were trained in October 1940, but the unit was disbanded in 1944...
" - United States Marine Corps Amphibious Reconnaissance BattalionUnited States Marine Corps Amphibious Reconnaissance BattalionThe United States Marine Corps's Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion, formerly Company, was a specialized team of Marines and Navy Corpsmen that performed clandestine preliminary pre-D-Day amphibious reconnaissance of planned beachheads and their littoral area within uncharted enemy territory for...
, "VAC Amphib Recon Company" or "FMFPAC Amphib Recon Battalion" - United States Marine Corps Scout (Tank) and Sniper CompanyUnited States Marine Corps Scout (Tank) and Sniper CompanyThe United States Marine Corps Scout and Sniper companies and the Scouts companies of the tank battalions were the first amongst the division's reconnaissance assets. They existed around the same exact moment when 1st and 2nd Marine Division were created. In 1941, each regiment had a scout and...
– originated Scout SniperScout SniperScout Sniper is a secondary MOS designator of U.S. Marine Corps infantrymen and reconnaissance Marines that have successfully graduated from a USMC Scout Sniper School. Scout Snipers provide close reconnaissance and surveillance to the infantry battalion...
s and Division ReconUnited States Marine Corps Reconnaissance BattalionsThe United States Marine Corps Reconnaissance Battalions are the reconnaissance assets of Marine Air-Ground Task Force that provide division-level ground and amphibious reconnaissance to the Ground Combat Element within the United States Marine Corps... - Naval Scouts and Raiders
- Navy Combat Demolition Units (NCDU)
- US Navy Beach JumpersBeach JumpersBeach Jumpers were U.S. Navy special warfare units, specializing in deception and psychological warfare.Beach Jumper volunteers were recruited for "prolonged, hazardous, distant duty for a secret project." Their identities and activities were very highly classified, since the slightest leak of...
- Underwater Demolitions Teams (UDT) Precursor to the Navy SEALs
- 1st Air Commando Group1st Air Commando GroupThe 1st Air Commando Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Army Service Forces, based at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. It was inactivated on 3 November 1945....
- Office of Strategic ServicesOffice of Strategic ServicesThe Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
, whose functions included the arming, training and supplying of resistance movements; the use of propagandaPropagandaPropaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
, espionage, and subversionSubversion (politics)Subversion refers to an attempt to transform the established social order, its structures of power, authority, and hierarchy; examples of such structures include the State. In this context, a "subversive" is sometimes called a "traitor" with respect to the government in-power. A subversive is...
; and conducting post-war planning. Precursor to the CIA.
Korean War
- Airborne Ranger Companies (Korean WarKorean WarThe Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
) - Air Resupply And Communications ServiceAir Resupply And Communications ServiceThe Air Resupply And Communications Service is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was assigned to Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.- Mission :The mission of ARCS was:...
(ARCS) - Combined Command Reconnaissance Activities, Korea (CCRAK)
- Joint Advisory Commission, Korea (JACK)Joint Advisory Commission, KoreaThe Joint Advisory Commission, Korea was a U.S. covert operations unit that participated in the Korean War.Operating under the direction of the Central Intelligence Agency, JACK was responsible for inserting and extracting U.S.-trained Korean agents into North Korea, conducting covert maritime...
(Korean War), CIA-affiliated covert special operations unit - United Nations Partisan Infantry KoreaUnited Nations Partisan Infantry KoreaUnited Nations Partisan Infantry Korea , also known as the White Tigers, was a unit during the Korean War that was consolidated under the control of Eighth United States Army, Korea's 8th Army G-3 Miscellaneous Group, 8086th and 8240th Army Unit. The details about the undercover operation was made...
(UNPIK)
Vietnam War
- Fast Patrol CraftFast Patrol CraftPatrol Craft Fast , also known as Swift Boats, were all-aluminum, long, shallow-draft vessels operated by the U.S. Navy, initially to patrol the coastal areas and later for work in the interior waterways as part of the Brown Water Navy to interdict Vietcong movement of arms and munitions,...
Patrol Craft Fast (PCF), also known as Swift BoatSwift BoatSwift Boat may refer to:*a Patrol Craft Fast*Swift Vets and POWs for Truth, originally named Swift Boat Veterans For Truth*Swiftboating, political jargon for a particular form of character assassination as a smear tactic...
s, were all-aluminum, 50-foot (15 m) long, shallow-draft vessels operated by the United States NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
for counterinsurgency (COIN) operations during the Vietnam WarVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. - Long Range Reconnaissance PatrolLong Range Reconnaissance PatrolLong Range Reconnaissance Patrols, or LRRPs , were special small four to six-man teams in the Vietnam War on highly dangerous special reconnaissance missions deep into enemy territory....
s (LRRPs or "Lurps"); Vietnam WarVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
-era deep reconnaissance and raider units - MIKE ForceMIKE ForceThe Mobile Strike Force Command, or MIKE Force, was a key component of United States Army Special Forces in the Vietnam War. They served with indigenous soldiers selected and trained through the Civilian Irregular Defense Group and were led by American SF and Australian SAS...
Mobile Strike Force Command; Corps I, II, III, IV - Tiger Force (Vietnam War); reconnaissance commando (recondo) platoon in the 1/327th Infantry
- Project "Leaping Lena" (Vietnam War); RecondoRecondoRecondo is an American military term for a combination of RECONnaissance and DOughboy special training or a graduate of a Recondo school.-History:...
course for South Vietnamese teams, trained by U.S. Special Forces, became Project DELTA. - Project DELTAProject DELTAProject DELTA was one of three Greek letter special forces reconnaissance projects formed by the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, MACV during the Vietnam War to collect operational intelligence in remote areas of South Vietnam....
(Vietnam War); 5th Special Forces group long-range reconnaissance unit; precursor to MACV-SOG - Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations GroupMilitary Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations GroupMilitary Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group was a highly classified, multi-service United States special operations unit which conducted covert unconventional warfare operations prior to and during the Vietnam War....
(MACV-SOG), a joint covert Vietnam War-era task force composed of 2,000 American soldiers and over 8,000 indigenous mercenaries - Project Sigma and Project Omega (Vietnam War), MACV-SOG recon units that operated in Cambodia
- Phoenix ProgramPhoenix ProgramThe Phoenix Program |phoenix]]) was a controversial counterinsurgency program designed, coordinated, and executed by the United States Central Intelligence Agency , United States special operations forces, and the Republic of Vietnam's security apparatus during the Vietnam War that operated...
; joint CIA and US military project based around the identification and elimination of the civilian supporters of the Viet Cong. - Project 404/Palace dog was a USAF program that supplied support personnel in civilian clothing to the Royal Laotian Air Force. Long range goal was production of a self-sufficient RLAF.
- Raven FACsRaven FACsThe Raven Forward Air Controllers, also known as The Ravens, were fighter pilots used in a covert operation in conjunction with the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States in Laos during America's Vietnam War...
were USAF pilots in civilian clothing assigned to support the Royal Laotian Air Force by directing air strikes from small aircraft.
Other
- 6th Special Forces Group (1963–1971), 8th Special Forces Group8th Special Forces GroupThe 8th Special Forces Group of the United States Army was established in 1963 at Fort Gulick, Panama Canal Zone. The primary mission of the 8th SFG was counter-insurgency training for the armies of Latin America...
(1963–1972), 11th Special Forces Group (1961–1994) and 12th Special Forces Group (1961–1994) (disbanded Army Special Forces GroupsUnited States Army Special ForcesThe United States Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets because of their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force tasked with six primary missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, hostage rescue, and...
) - "Blue light"Blue LightBlue Light was a unit of the 5th Special Forces Group that existed into the early 1980s.According to Col. Charles Beckwith's memoirs, this counter-terrorist group was formed by U.S. Army Special Forces leadership who disagreed with or felt politically threatened by Beckwith's Delta Force, which...
, a counter-terrorist unit created among the 5th Special Forces Group in the late 1970s - Task Force BayonetTask Force BayonetTask Force Bayonet serves as a name for several military task forces throughout history:United States* The deactivated 193rd Infantry Brigade, last stationed in the Panama Canal Zone....
, a Joint Task Force specialised in Foreign Internal Defense (FID) duties for Latin American countries; mainly composed of Special Forces, but also included United States Navy SEALsUnited States Navy SEALsThe United States Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command as well as the maritime component of the United States Special Operations Command.The acronym is derived from their...
, Delta ForceDelta Force1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
and Intelligence Support ActivityIntelligence Support ActivityThe United States Army Intelligence Support Activity , frequently shortened to Intelligence Support Activity or ISA, and nicknamed The Activity is a United States Army Special Operations unit originally subordinated to the US Army Intelligence and Security Command...
operators - US Army Special Operations Division
- SEASPRAYSEASPRAYSEASPRAY was a clandestine U.S. Army special operations unit. Its existence within the U.S. Department of Defense was held secret insofar as it testifies to the close links between the United States Army and the Central Intelligence Agency....
, an aviation unit for military covert operations during the 1980s - Red CellRed CellRed Teams or Red Cells are U.S. government parlance for teams or units designed to test the effectiveness of U.S. tactics or personnel. "Red Cell" was purported to be a U.S. Navy SEAL team which had been organized to attempt to infiltrate and otherwise test the security of U.S...
, U.S. "Tiger teamTiger teamA tiger team is a group of experts assigned to investigate and/or solve technical or systemic problems. The term may have originated in aerospace design but is also used in other settings, including information technology and emergency management...
" active in the 1980s - Task Force Ranger (Operation Gothic SerpentOperation Gothic SerpentOperation Gothic Serpent was a military operation conducted by special operations forces of the United States with the primary mission of capturing warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid...
), joint Army/Navy task force deployed to SomaliaSomaliaSomalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
between August and October 1993 - Task Force 11Task Force 11-World War II:During World War II, Task Force 11 was a United States Navy aircraft carrier task force in the Pacific theater.TF 11 was originally formed around , then her sister ship until she was disabled by a Japanese torpedo in January 1942, then Lexington again for the Battle of the Coral...
(Operation Enduring Freedom), joint Army/Navy task force created to capture or kill senior al-QaedaAl-QaedaAl-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
and Taliban leaders in AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world... - Task Force 20Task Force 20Task Force 20 is a designation that has been used by at least two United States Department of Defense units.-United States Navy:Task Force 20 is one of the task force designators assigned to the United States Fleet Forces Command in the Atlantic, and was previously one of the task force designators...
, Task Force 121Task Force 121Task Force 121 is an example of the United States' 'Joint Task Force' concept of conducting special operations. TF121 is a multi-service force commanded by U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Gregory L. Trebon. The spearhead of the force is a forty-man team made up of operators from the U.S. Army's...
(Operation Iraqi Freedom), multinational joint task forces created to capture or kill senior leadership of the former Baathist regime in IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, including Saddam HusseinSaddam HusseinSaddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
; also tasked with capturing or killing the leadership of the Iraqi insurgencyIraqi insurgencyThe Iraqi Resistance is composed of a diverse mix of militias, foreign fighters, all-Iraqi units or mixtures opposing the United States-led multinational force in Iraq and the post-2003 Iraqi government...
as well as senior al-Qaeda operatives in Iraq; Task Force 20 later merged with Task Force 121, and is now believed to be active under the designation Task Force 77. - Marine Corps Special Operations Command Detachment One (MCSOCOM-Det 1)MCSOCOM Detachment OneMarine Corps Special Operations Command Detachment One , was a pilot program to assess the value of Marine special operations forces permanently detached to the United States Special Operations Command. It was commanded by Col. Robert J. Coates, former commanding officer of 1st Force Reconnaissance...
(Operation Iraqi Freedom), pilot project active from 19 June 2003 to 10 March 2006 to assess the establishment of a permanent U.S. Marine Corps unit under Special Operations Command (SOCOM)United States Special Operations CommandThe United States Special Operations Command is the Unified Combatant Command charged with overseeing the various Special Operations Commands of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps of the United States Armed Forces. The command is part of the Department of Defense...
; replaced by the United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) - Observer GroupObserver GroupThe Observer Group was a joint-United States Army/Marine Corps unit that was the first in the United States and Fleet Marine Force to be organized and trained specifically for amphibious reconnaissance...
- Marine Corps Test Unit#1
- Operation White Knight
- Gray Wolves
- Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) – precursor to the Navy SEALs