Strategic Plan

About USSOCOM

Analysis

Direction

Vision

Empowered SOF Professionals, globally networked, partnered and integrated, relentlessly seeking advantage in every domain to compete and win for the Joint Force and the Nation.

Mission

To provide fully capable Special Operations Forces to defend the United States and its interests

Values

Humanity

Humans are more important than hardware

Partnership

Most special operations require non-SOF support

Selectivity

Special Operations Forces cannot be mass produced

Truths

SOF Truths

Quality

Quality is better than quantity

Preparation

Competent Special Operations Forces cannot be created after emergencies occur

Goals

Civil Affairs

Goal Statement: Enhance the relationship between military forces and civilian authorities in localities where military forces are present

Civil Affairs Operations ~ CAO enhance the relationship between military forces and civilian authorities in localities where military forces are present.

Objectives:

• unnamed objective

Hostages

Goal Statement: Prevent, deter, preempt, and respond to terrorist threats and incidents

Hostage Rescue and Recovery ~ Offensive measures taken to prevent, deter, preempt, and respond to terrorist threats and incidents, including recapture of U.S. facilities, installations, and sensitive material in overseas areas.

Objectives:

• unnamed objective

Counterinsurgency

Goal Statement: End insurgent violence and facilitate a return to peaceful political processes

Counterinsurgency ~ The blend of civilian and military efforts designed to end insurgent violence and facilitate a return to peaceful political processes.

Objectives:

• unnamed objective

Information

Goal Statement: Convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences

Military Information Support Operations ~ MISO are planned to convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals in a manner favorable to the originator's objectives.

Objectives:

• unnamed objective

Security

Goal Statement: Organize, train, equip, rebuild, and advise components of Foreign Security Forces

Security Force Assistance ~ Activities based on organizing, training, equipping, rebuilding, and advising various components of Foreign Security Forces.

Objectives:

• unnamed objective

Counterterrorism

Goal Statement: Act directly against terrorist networks and indirectly to influence and render global and regional environments inhospitable to terrorist networks

Counterterrorism ~ Actions taken directly against terrorist networks and indirectly to influence and render global and regional environments inhospitable to terrorist networks.

Objectives:

• unnamed objective

WMD

Goal Statement: Counter weapons of mass destruction

Counter-proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction ~ Activities to support USG efforts to curtail the conceptualization, development, possession, proliferation, use, and effects of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), related expertise, materials, technologies, and means of delivery by state and non-state actors.

Objectives:

• unnamed objective

Reconnaissance

Goal Statement: Collect or verify information of strategic or operational significance

Special Reconnaissance ~ Actions conducted in sensitive environments to collect or verify information of strategic or operational significance.

Objectives:

• unnamed objective

Action

Goal Statement: Engage in short-duration strikes and other small-scale offensive actions

Direct Action ~ Short-duration strikes and other small-scale offensive actions employing specialized military capabilities to seize, destroy, capture, exploit, recover, or damage designated targets.

Objectives:

• unnamed objective

Unconventional Warfare

Goal Statement: Enable a resistance movement or insurgency to coerce, disrupt, or overthrow a government or occupying power

Unconventional Warfare ~ Actions to enable a resistance movement or insurgency to coerce, disrupt, or overthrow a government or occupying power.

Objectives:

• unnamed objective

Humanitarian Assistance

Goal Statement: Relieve or reduce human suffering, disease, hunger, or privation

Foreign Humanitarian Assistance ~ The range of DOD humanitarian activities conducted outside the US and its territories to relieve or reduce human suffering, disease, hunger, or privation.

Objectives:

• unnamed objective

Environment

Goal Statement: Prepare the environment [for special operations]

Preparation of the Environment

Objectives:

• unnamed objective

Foreign Defense

Goal Statement: Protect against subversion, lawlessness, insurgency, terrorism, and other threats to their internal security, and stability, and legitimacy

Foreign Internal Defense ~ Activities that support an HN's internal defense and development (IDAD) strategy and program designed to protect against subversion, lawlessness, insurgency, terrorism, and other threats to their internal security, and stability, and legitimacy.

Objectives:

• unnamed objective