Special Operations Command: Difference between revisions

By 1983, there was a small but growing sense in the [[United States Congress|US Congress]] of the need for military reforms. In June, the [[United States Senate Committee on Armed Services|Senate Armed Services Committee]] (SASC) began a two-year-long study of the Defense Department,  which included an examination of SOF spearheaded by Senator [[Barry Goldwater]] (R-AZ). With concern mounting on [[Capitol Hill]], the Department of Defense created the Joint Special Operations Agency on 1 January 1984; this agency, however, had neither operational nor command authority over any SOF.{{r|BIT}}{{r|hr5109}} The Joint Special Operations Agency thus did little to improve SOF readiness, capabilities, or policies, and therefore was deemed insufficient. Within the Defense Department, there were a few staunch SOF supporters. [[Noel Koch]], Principal Deputy Assistant [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] for International Security Affairs, and his deputy, [[Lynn Rylander]], both advocated SOF reforms.{{r|socomch}}

On 3 October, TF Ranger launched its seventh mission, this time into Aidid's stronghold the [[Bakara Market]] to capture two of his key lieutenants. The mission was expected to take only one or two hours.{{r|BHD}} Helicopters carried an assault and a ground convoy of security teams launched in the late afternoon from the TF Ranger compound at Mogadishu airport. The TF came under increasingly heavy fire, more intense than during previous missions. The assault team captured 24 Somalis including Aidid's lieutenants and were loading them onto the convoy trucks when a [[UH-60 Black Hawk|MH-60 Blackhawk]] was hit by a [[rocket-propelled grenade]] (RPG).{{r|socomch}}{{r|BoG}} A small element from the security forces, as well as an [[MH-6]] assault helicopter and an MH-60 carrying a fifteen-man combat search and rescue (CSAR) team, rushed to the crash site.{{r|socomch}}{{r|BHD}}{{r|BoG}} The [[Battle of Mogadishu (1993)|battle]] became increasingly worse. An RPG struck another MH-60, crashing less than {{convert|1|mi|1}} to the south of the first downed helicopter. The task force faced overwhelming Somali mobs that overran the crash sites, causing a dire situation.{{r|BHD}} A Somali mob overran the second site and, despite a heroic defense, killed everyone except the pilot, whom they took prisoner. Two defenders of this crash site, [[Gary Gordon|Master Sergeant Gary Gordon]] and [[Randy Shughart|Sergeant First Class Randall Shughart]], were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.{{r|socomch}}{{r|BHD}}{{r|BoG}} About this time, the mission's quick reaction force (QRF) also tried to reach the second crash site. This force too was pinned by the Somali fire and required the fire support of two [[AH-6]] helicopters before it could break contact and make its way back to the base.{{r|socomch}}

Reinforcements, consisting of elements from the QRF, [[10th Mountain Division]] soldiers, Rangers, SEALs, [[Pakistan Army]] tanks and [[Malaysian Army|Malaysian]] [[armored personnel carriers]], finally arrived at 1:55 am on 4 October. The combined force worked until dawn to free the pilot's body, receiving RPG and small arms fire throughout the night.{{r|socomch}} All the casualties were loaded onto the armored personnel carriers, and the remainder of the force was left behind and had no choice but to move out on foot.{{r|BHD}} AH-6 gunships raked the streets with fire to support the movement. The main force of the convoy arrived at the [[Pakistan Army|Pakistani]] Stadium-compound for the QRF-at 6:30 am,{{r|BHD}} thus concluding one of the bloodiest and fiercest urban firefights since the Vietnam War. Task Force Ranger experienced a total of 17 killed in action and 106 wounded. Various estimates placed Somali casualties above 1,000.{{r|BHD}} Although Task Force Ranger's few missions were successes, the overall outcome of Operation Gothic Serpent was deemed a failure because of the Task Force's failure to complete their stated mission, capturing [[Mohamed Farrah Aidid]].{{r|BHD}} Most U.S. forces pulled out of Somalia by March 1994. The withdrawal from Somalia was completed in March 1995.{{r|socomch}} Even though Operation Gothic Serpent failed, USSOCOM still made significant contributions to operations in Somalia. SOF performed reconnaissance and surveillance missions, assisted with humanitarian relief, protected American forces, and conducted riverine patrols. Additionally, they ensured the safe landing of the Marines and safeguarded the arrival of merchant ships carrying food.{{r|socomch}}{{r|OEWDP}}

These units linked up several times during this war and engaged in several furious battles with the enemy. One such battle happened during [[Operation Anaconda]], the mission to squeeze the life out of a Taliban and Al-Qaeda stronghold dug deep into the [[Shah-i-Kot Valley]] and [[Arma Mountains]] of eastern Afghanistan. The operation was seen as one of the heaviest and bloodiest fights in the War in Afghanistan.{{r|Time Anaconda}} The battle on an Afghan mountaintop called [[Takur Ghar]] featured special operations forces from all 4 services and the CIA. Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, Air Force Combat Controllers, and Pararescuemen fought against entrenched Al-Qaeda fighters atop a {{convert|10000|ft|m|adj=on}} mountain. Subsequently, the entrenched Taliban became targets of every asset in the sky. According to an executive summary, the [[Battle of Takur Ghar]] was the most intense firefight American special operators have been involved in since 18 U.S. Army Rangers were killed in [[Battle of Mogadishu (1993)|Mogadishu]], Somalia, in 1993.{{r|Takur Ghar}}{{r|Takur Ghar summary}}{{r|Roberts Ridge}} During [[Operation Red Wings]] on 28 June 2005, four Navy SEALs, pinned down in a firefight, radioed for help. A Chinook helicopter, carrying 16 service members, responded but was shot down. All members of the rescue team and three of four SEALs on the ground died. It was the worst loss of life in Afghanistan since the invasion in 2001. The Navy SEAL [[Marcus Luttrell]] alone survived.{{r|Lone Survivor}}{{r|Sole Survivor}} Team leader [[Michael P. Murphy]] was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the battle.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://taskandpurpose.com/history/michael-murphy-operation-red-wings/|title=On June 28, 2005, Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy was killed in Afghanistan after demonstrating extreme heroism and leadership while he and his three SEAL teammates were under attack by the Taliban. Two years later, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.|date=28 June 2020}}</ref>