OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM and the fight against terrorism since 11 September 2001, has validated the training and operational doctrine of United States Special Operations and assured them an important role in any future US military operations, both conventional and unconventional.

Having taken on board the mistakes of Operation Eagle Claw in 1980 during the abortive attempt to rescue US hostages in Tehran and mistakes made in Somalia during Operation UNSOM11 in 1993, United States Special Operations Command (USSOC) proved its worth in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. This mission confirmed the value of deploying a small highly motivated, well-trained force with a good command-and-control structure against a much larger enemy and showed the effectiveness of using all US intelligence communities including the National Security Agency (NSA), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and several overseas agencies to work together for a common goal.

Afghanistan also validated the use of strategic and tactical reconnaissance in the form of USAF Global Hawk and Predator unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) combined with satellite imagery and intelligence from the various agencies to make a direct impact on the tactics undertaken by US Special Forces operating on the ground. US and coalition conventional forces operating in Afghanistan also benefited directly from USSOC's command-and-control (C4I) strategic/tactical reconnaissance assets.

CIA working in Afghanistan questioning prisoners, visiting local villages and gaining the trust of the Northern Alliance warlords, also helped turn the tide of battle against the al-Qaida/ Taliban. USSOC showed it could integrate and work with coalition Special Forces units such as Task Force 7 attached to Coalition Joint Task Force 180 (CJTF180) based at Bagram, Afghanistan, with US Special Operations Forces working alongside CIA units, British and Australian Special Forces.

US Special Operations Command

Headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base Florida, US Special Operations Command (USSOC) was activated in April 1987 with around 40,000 active, reserve and National Guard forces of the US Army, navy and air force. This put special operations-capable units from all US services under a unified command with their own dedicated special operations aircraft and helicopters. The three major subordinate commands within USSOC, Army Special Operations Command (Airborne) based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Naval Special Warfare Command at Coronado, California and US Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field, Florida, could now train and operate with a standard operational procedure (SOP).

Within this command is the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) also at Fort Bragg that is responsible for overseeing joint special operations missions including the study of joint special operations requirements, techniques, ensuring interoperability and equipment standardisation and the planning and development of joint special-operations tactics.

USSOC also provides personnel to establish Theater Special Operations Commands (TSOC). Each theatre has a separate command to meet specific operational requirements and TSOCs are deployed to plan, prepare and provide command and control of army, navy, air force and marine corps special operations forces on behalf of regional commanders to ensure their missions are fully synchronised with conventional military. This is important to ensure special operations forces participate in theatre planning missions, that conventional force commanders are familiar with all special operations missions and to understand what they might contribute to the overall success of in-theatre operations.

This was clearly demonstrated in Afghanistan when USSOC undertook a range of conventional and unconventional warfare techniques using all their assets to conduct special operations missions and to provide strategic and tactical reconnaissance for conventional forces including the Northern Alliance. These included Air Force Special Operations AC130U/AC130H Spectre gunships and army AH-60L Direct Action Penetrator (DAP) Black Hawks to provide close air support (CAS) to ground units.

The training and operational doctrine of USSOC was illustrated by the success of having US Special Forces Groups split into regional areas of responsibility and trained for potential operations within that region. In Afghanistan the US Army's 5th Special Forces Group was responsible for supporting Northern Alliance forces. Their early work in building relations with Uzbekistan involved a series of training and exchange programmes with Uzbek armed forces over a number of years and helped pave the way for US Special Operations forces to use Karshi Kanabad, close to the Afghan Border in Uzbekistan, as a stepping stone into Afghanistan.

USSOC's unconventional warfare techniques were used early in the campaign. Special Forces Alpha Teams established contact with various anti-Taliban forces that they organised and supported. These forces, working in conjunction with lethal air force strikes, proved to be a force multiplier. They called in air strikes on enemy targets, engaged in direct combat, provided medical care to wounded Afghan soldiers and provided and organised combat supplies for battle.

As well as conducting large-scale unconventional warfare throughout Afghanistan, USSOC also undertook conventional warfare, deploying elements of the 75th Ranger Regiment. This was the first time that the 75th Ranger Regiment (Airborne) had conducted a night-combat parachute jump since Operation Just Cause in Panama more than a decade earlier. Their mission was to seize and secure an airfield called Camp Rhino to allow USMC Special Operations capable-aviation units a forward operating base (FOB) for future missions.

As USSOC assets were deployed within Afghanistan, they were supported by signals and support units and dedicated aviation units, including USAF Special Operations Command (SOC) fixed-wing aircraft and Army 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) helicopters. These highly trained aviators often operated in zero visibility, air-refuelled two or three times during a single mission while covering distances of 600 to 800 miles, and Air Force MC-130 Combat Talons conducted heavy re-supply missions. USAF SOC AC-130 Spectre gun ships provided close air support while RQ-1 Predators provided tactical reconnaissance and, when armed with Hellfire air-to-ground missiles, an attack capability. Other units supporting USSOC included CIA and army SFOD-Delta units, and Special Operations Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations (PSYOP) soldiers who worked to develop hearts and minds with local people by rebuilding roads, bridges and schools and training the new Afghan army.

As USSOC was prosecuting the war against terrorism successfully in Afghanistan, its assets also were operating around the globe undertaking day-to-day missions to defeat global terrorism. This included deployment of a large force to the Philippines to work alongside and train Philippine military units in their fight against the terrorist groups operating in that country. USSOC has received an increase in its annual funding to buy new equipment and there is continual assessment of new special-forces equipment including lighter and stronger combat equipment, smaller and safer parachutes, improved communications equipment and more reliable weapons.

The US Army's 160th SOAR has begun a modernisation and improvement programme of its AH-6/MH-6 Little Birds known as the Mission Enhanced Little Bird Programme (MELB). The fleet will be refitted with the uprated Allison 250-C30R3 engine with FADEC, a six-bladed main rotor and four-bladed tail rotor that will increases its maximum gross weight to 4,700lbs. Strengthened landing gear, crashworthy seats, larger rear door, external long-range fuel tanks are included in the upgrade package as are improved avionics, navigation equipment and weapons systems. The MELB is provided in kit form, rebuilds taking place at Fort Campbell.

The 160th SOAR also operates the MH-47E and MH-47D, variants of the Special Operations Chinook that will be updated to the new MH-47G variant. Based on the Boeing Chinook CH-47F Improved Cargo Helicopter (ICH), this features a common cockpit architecture that improves overall operational capability of the airframe. The loss of MH-47Es in Afghanistan and the Philippines has led to reports that the RAF will hand back its newly delivered fleet of 12 Special Operations Chinook HC. Mk 3s for rebuild into US Army MH-47E/Gs as attrition replacements for the 160th SOAR.

After a long delay the Bell/Boeing CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor is back in the air undergoing evaluation at Edwards Air Force Base. Fifty CV-22s, the Special Operations variant of the Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey, will replace many of the USAF SOC fleet of MH-53J Pave-Low helicopters, MC-130 Combat Talons and MC-130P Combat Shadows. The versatile tiltrotor will provide the increased speed, range and low-level adverse-weather capability required by future Special Operations forces. The air force also is looking for a small, fast and more manoeuvrable replacement for its AC130U/ AC-130H Spectre gunships. An improved version of the EC-130E Commando Solo aircraft based on the Boeing 767 is being evaluated along with a more stealthy equivalent of the MC-130H Combat Talon 11 and various URAVs and UCAVs now under development.

The US will invest heavily in its Special Forces, and USSOC units will provide the sharp-end in the battle against international terrorism, ready to deploy anywhere in the world at short notice.