U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress

Special Operations Forces SOF are small, elite military units with special training and equipment that can infiltrate into hostile territory through land, sea, or air to conduct a variety of operations, many of them classified. SOF personnel undergo rigorous selection and lengthy specialized training. The U.S. Special Operations Command USSOCOM oversees the training, doctrine, and equipping of all U.S. SOF units. Special Operations Forces play a significant role in U.S. military operations and the Administration has given U.S. SOF greater responsibility for planning and conducting worldwide counterterrorism operations. U.S. SOFs growing need for enabling forces that are largely drawn from conventional forces is a potential policy issue for congressional consideration.