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Special Forces:
U.S. Army Special Forces Command (Airborne) has evolved through a spirited heritage - spanning three centuries
and threading itself through numerous organizations. Its soldiers trace their lineage to the 1st Special Service Force
(Devil 's Brigade) and derive their heritage from elements of the Office of Strategic Services (Jedburghs, Operational Groups
and Detachment IO 1).
Special Forces soldiers have earned the title of "Quiet Professional." They have been involved
in peacetime operations and armed conflicts around the world over the past five decades.
In addition to service in Vietnam, Special Forces were recently employed in Panama during Operation Just Cause
and during Operations Desert Shield and Storm. Desert Storm Commander, Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, described Special
Forces as the "eyes and ears" of conventional forces and as the "glue that held coalition forces together."
Special Forces soldiers continue to serve at home and abroad providing humanitarian assistance and assisting
with foreign internal defense in friendly foreign nations. Recent humanitarian assistance missions include Promote Liberty,
Provide Comfort, Sea Angel, Guantanamo, Cuba, Hurricane Andrew, and Restore Hope. They continue to willingly undertake difficult
missions in order to help those who are less fortunate. They are quiet professionals, living by their motto "De Oppresso
Liber" - To Free the Oppressed.
On November 27, 1990, the U.S. Army 1st Special Operations Command was redesignated the U.S. Army Special
Forces Command (Airborne). Its mission: to train, validate, and prepare Special Forces units to deploy and execute operational
requirements for the war-fighting commanders-in-chief. Special Forces Command exercises command and control over five
active component groups. Additionally, it exercises training oversight of two Army National Guards groups. Each
Special Forces Group is regionally oriented to support one of the war fighting commanders-in-chief (CINCs). Special
Forces soldiers routinely deploy in support of the CINCs of U.S. European Command, U.S. Atlantic Command, U.S. Pacific Command,
U.S. Southern Command and the U.S. Central Command.
US Army Special Forces Command
Ranger:
The history of U.S. Rangers dates back to pre-revolutionary times when units specifically designated as
Rangers and using Ranger tactics were employed on the American frontier; this as early as 1670. Among these were the Rangers
of Captain Benjamin Church who brought the Indian Conflict known as "King Phillip's War" to a successful conclusion in 1675.
Rangers were organized in 1756 by Major Robert Rogers, a native of New Hampshire, who recruited nine companies
of American colonists to fight for the British during the French and Indian War. Ranger techniques and methods of operation
were an inherent characteristic of the American frontiersmen; however, Major Rogers was the first to capitalize on them and
incorporate them into the fighting doctrine of a permanently organized fighting force.
In the French and Indian War (1754-1763), Robert Rogers developed the Ranger concept to an extent never known
before. A soldier from boyhood, Rogers published a list of 28 common sense rules, and a set of standing orders stressing operational
readiness, security, and tactics.
Rogers established a training program in which he personally supervised the application of his rules. In June
1758, Robert Rogers was conducting live-fire training exercises. His operations were characterized by solid preparation and
bold movements. When other units were bivouacked in winter quarters, Rangers moved against the French and Indians by the use
of snowshoes, sleds, and even ice skates. In a time when the English colonists were struggling, Roger's Rangers carried the
war to the enemy by scouting parties and raids. His most famous expedition was a daring raid against the fierce Abenaki Indians.
With a force of 200 Rangers, traveling by boat and over land, Rogers covered 400 miles in about 60 days. Penetrating deep
into enemy territory, and despite losses en route, the Rangers attacked and destroyed the Indian settlement and killed several
hundred Indians; the Abenaki were no longer a threat. Rangers continued to patrol the border and defend the colonists against
sporadic Indian attacks for the next decade.
On June 14, 1775, with war on the horizon, the Continental Congress resolved that "six companies of expert
riflemen be immediately raised in Pennsylvania, two in Maryland, and two in Virginia." In 1777, this force of hardy frontiersmen
provided the leadership and experiences necessary to form, under Dan Morgan, the organization George Washington called "The
Corps of Rangers". Also active during the Revolutionary War were Thomas Knowlton's Connecticut Rangers. This force of less
than 150 hand-picked men was used primarily for reconnaissance. Knowlton was killed leading his men in action at Harlem Heights.
75th Ranger Regiment
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The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) provides aviation support to Army special operations
forces. The Regiment consists of MH-6 and AH-6 light helicopters, MH-60 helicopters and MH-47 heavy assault helicopters. The
capabilities of the 160th SOAR (A) have been evolving since the early 1980s.
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Shortly after a failed hostage rescue mission, Desert One, in Iran, the Army formed a special aviation unit.
The unit drew on the best aviators in the Army and immediately began an intensive training program in low-level, night operations.
The unit became a battalion of its own on Oct. 16, 1981. Designated the 160th Aviation Battalion, the unit was popularly known
as Task Force 160 because of the constant attachment and detachment of units to prepare for a wide variety of missions. Its
focus on night operations resulted in the nickname, the "Night Stalkers." On May 16, 1990, the unit was reorganized, designated
the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), and assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.
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The Regiment currently consists of three battalions, a headquarters company, the Special Operations Aviation
Training Company, and two forward-deployed companies located in the U.S. Southern Command and U.S. Pacific Command areas of
responsibility. The 1st and 2nd battalions are located at Fort Campbell, Ky., while the 3rd Battalion is located at
Hunter Army Airfield, Ga. The organizational structure of the 160th SOAR (A) allows the Regiment to quickly tailor its
unique assets to meet the mission requirements of special operations forces.
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The 160th SOAR (A) actively seeks and assigns the best-qualified aviators and support soldiers available in
the Army. The unique mission of the unit requires that all members be three time volunteers, i.e. Army, Airborne, 160th SOAR
(A). Once assigned, incoming officers and enlisted soldiers go through Basic Mission Qualification. The Officer Qualification
Course lasts 20-28 weeks while the Enlisted Qualification Course is three weeks in duration. Two other qualification levels
exist, Fully Mission Qualified and Flight Lead. Associated progression through these levels are 12-24 months and 36-60
months respectively.
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The professionalism and capabilities of Army Special Operations Aviation, developed through a "train as you’re
going to fight" mentality, were demonstrated in every combat operation since Vietnam to include Urgent Fury in Grenada, Prime
Chance in the Persian Gulf, Just Cause in Panama, Desert Shield/Desert Storm in Kuwait, and Task Force Ranger in Somalia.
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