THEATER SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND - SOCSOUTH
COMMANDER - U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Collin P. Green
SENIOR ENLISTED ADVISOR - Command Sgt. Maj. Amil Alvarez
Special Operations Command South (SOCSOUTH) located at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla., is a sub-unified command operationally assigned to U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM). It is a joint (military members from all four services) Special Operations headquarters that plans and executes special operations in Central & South America and the Caribbean, principally employing Special Operations Forces provided by U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and the Services’ Special Operations Forces (SOF) component commands. The headquarters staff of military, DoD civilian employees and contractors is comprised of more than 200 personnel.
SOCSOUTH has five assigned, or attached subordinate commands, including “Charlie” Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group; “Charlie” Company, 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment; Naval Special Warfare Unit FOUR; 112th Signal Detachment SOCSOUTH; and Joint Special Operations Air Component-South.
Special Operations encompass the use of small units in direct or indirect military actions that are focused on strategic or operational objectives. They require units with combinations of specialized personnel, equipment, training, and tactics that exceed the routine capabilities of conventional military forces. Special Operations Forces (SOF) are units that are formally designated by the Secretary of Defense to conduct special operations. SOCSOUTH is the focal point for SOF operating in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility.
MISSION
SOCSOUTH plans, directs and executes special operations missions throughout Central America, South America and the Caribbean to achieve operational and strategic objectives in support of the Commander, USSOUTHCOM. As directed, SOCSOUTH responds to crisis in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility to protect U.S. vital interests and to fight and win our nation's wars.
COMMAND VISION
SOCSOUTH's vision is a secure, stable and sovereign USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility. SOCSOUTH collaborates with interagency partners, conventional forces, Allies, and Partner Nations connected by in- depth network to detect, deter, disrupt and defeat threat to U.S. vital interests. SOCSOUTH's end state is to prevent conflict in the region.
AREA OF FOCUS
SOCSOUTH's area of focus includes 31 countries and 16 dependencies and areas of special sovereignty. The region represents about one-sixth of the landmass of the world assigned to regional unified commands. The Area of Responsibility consists of the land mass of Latin America south of Mexico, and the waters adjacent to Central and South America to include the Caribbean Sea. SOCSOUTH divides its area of focus into four regions:
Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos Islands.
Central America: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama
Andean Ridge: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Southern Cone: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
MAJOR ENGAGEMENTS
Fuerzas Comando: A Special Operations skills competition and senior leader seminar designed to promote military-to-military relationships, interoperability, and regional security.
Fused Response:
An annual exercise designed to improve time-sensitive crisis action planning and joint integration with partner nation and government agencies.
Panamax:
A multinational combined/joint task force exercise designed to respond to any request from the governments of Panama and Colombia to protect and guarantee safe passage of traffic through the Panama Canal and ensure its neutrality.
