Special forces

"Special Operations Forces" redirects here. For other uses, see Special Operations Force (Singapore), Special Operations Forces (Russia), and Special Operations Forces (Ukraine).
"Crack-troops" redirects here. For the military formation, see Shock troops.
For other uses, see Special forces (disambiguation) and Elite Force (disambiguation).
An American special forces team moves together out of an U.S. Air Force CV-22 Osprey aircraft on February 26, 2018

Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations.[1][2][3] NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment".[1][4][5]

Special forces emerged in the early 20th century, with a significant growth in the field during World War II, when "every major army involved in the fighting" created formations devoted to special operations behind enemy lines.[6] Depending on the country, special forces may perform functions including airborne operations, counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, foreign internal defense, covert ops, direct action, hostage rescue, high-value targets/manhunt, intelligence operations, mobility operations, and unconventional warfare.[7]

In Russian-speaking countries, special forces of any country are typically called spetsnaz, an acronym for "special purpose". In the United States, the term special forces often refers specifically to the U.S. Army Special Forces, while the term special operations forces is used more broadly for these types of units.

  1. ^ a b North Atlantic Treaty Organization (13 December 2013). "Allied Joint Doctrine for Special Operations". NATO Standard Allied Joint Publication. AJP-3.5 (Edition A, Version 1). Brussels: NATO Standardization Agency: 1.
  2. ^ Richard Bowyer, Dictionary of Military Terms, Bloomsbury Reference (2005–08), ISBN 190497015X / ISBN 9781904970156.
  3. ^ Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) (16 July 2014). "Special Operations" (PDF). Joint Publication. 3–05. Washington, DC: Department of Defense: GL-11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  4. ^ North Atlantic Treaty Organization (2013). "NATO Glossary of Terms and Definitions (English and French)" (PDF). Brussels: NATO Standardization Agency. p. 2-S-8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  5. ^ "Special Operations Forces". North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). March 7, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  6. ^ Thomas 1983, p. 690.
  7. ^ Headquarters, Department of the Army (July 2019). "ADRP 3-05 SPECIAL OPERATIONS" (PDF). Army Publishing Directorate. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.