FM 3-18 SPECIAL FORCES OPERATIONS M DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTION: Distribution authorized to U.S. Government agencies and their contractors only to protect technical or operational information from automatic dissemination under the International Exchange Program or by other means. This determination was made on 13 May 2014. Other requests for this document must be referred to Commander, United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, ATTN: AOJK-CDI-SFD, 3004 Ardennes Street, Stop A, Fort Bragg, NC 28310-9610. DESTRUCTION NOTICE: DESTRUCTION NOTICE. Destroy by any method that will prevent disclosure of contents or reconstruction of the document. FOREIGN DISCLOSURE RESTRICTION (FD 6): This publication has been reviewed by the product developers in coordination with the United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School foreign disclosure authority. This product is releasable to students from foreign countries on a case-by-case basis only. HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY This publication is available at Army Knowledge Online (https://armypubs.us.army.mil/doctrine/index.html). *FM 3-18 Field Manual Headquarters No. 3-18 Department of the Army Washington, DC, 28 May 2014 Special Forces Operations Contents Page PREFACE ............................................................................................................. iv INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... v Chapter 1 THE HISTORY OF UNITED STATES ARMY SPECIAL FORCES ................... 1-1 World War II ........................................................................................................ 1-1 Cold War ............................................................................................................. 1-3 Modern Special Forces ...................................................................................... 1-8 Chapter 2 THE ROLE OF SPECIAL FORCES ................................................................... 2-1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 2-1 Strategic Context ................................................................................................ 2-2 Special Forces Operations Within the Range of Military Operations ................. 2-5 Army Unified Land Operations ........................................................................... 2-6 Special Forces–Conventional Force Coordination and Integration ................... 2-6 The Nature and Limitations of Special Forces ................................................... 2-8 Chapter 3 GUIDANCE AND PRINCIPAL TASKS .............................................................. 3-1 Guidance to Conduct Special Forces Operations .............................................. 3-1 Special Forces Principal Tasks .......................................................................... 3-3 Chapter 4 ORGANIZATION ................................................................................................ 4-1 United States Special Operations Command ..................................................... 4-1 DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTION. Distribution authorized to U.S. Government agencies and their contractors only to protect technical or operational information from automatic dissemination under the International Exchange Program or by other means. This determination was made on 13 May 2014. Other requests for this document must be referred to Commander, United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, ATTN: AOJK-CDI-SFD, 3004 Ardennes Street, Stop A, Fort Bragg, NC 28310-9610. DESTRUCTION NOTICE. Destroy by any method that will prevent disclosure of contents or reconstruction of the document. FOREIGN DISCLOSURE RESTRICTION (FD 6): This publication has been reviewed by the product developers in coordination with the United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School foreign disclosure authority. This product is releasable to students from foreign countries on a case-by-case basis only. *This publication supersedes FM 3-18, 5 March 2012. i Contents United States Army Special Operations Command ............................................ 4-1 United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School ....... 4-2 United States Army Special Forces Command .................................................. 4-2 Chapter 5 EMPLOYMENT ................................................................................................... 5-1 Country Team ..................................................................................................... 5-1 Theater of Operations Organization ................................................................... 5-3 Training Programs ............................................................................................ 5-23 Chapter 6 PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS FOR UNCONVENTIONAL WARFARE AND FOREIGN INTERNAL DEFENSE ............................................................. 6-1 Unconventional Warfare Considerations ............................................................ 6-1 Foreign Internal Defense Considerations ......................................................... 6-10 Chapter 7 SUSTAINMENT .................................................................................................. 7-1 Army Special Operations Forces Support to Special Forces Operations .......... 7-1 Host-Nation Support ........................................................................................... 7-2 Contractor Support .............................................................................................. 7-3 Statement of Requirements ................................................................................ 7-5 Planning and Executing Theater Operations Support ........................................ 7-6 Army Sustainment Principles .............................................................................. 7-6 SOURCE NOTES ......................................................................... Source Notes-1 GLOSSARY .......................................................................................... Glossary-1 REFERENCES .................................................................................. References-1 INDEX ......................................................................................................... Index-1 Figures Figure 2-1. Role of Army special operations forces ......................................................... 2-7 Figure 3-1. Special Forces principal tasks ....................................................................... 3-4 Figure 3-2. Role of Special Forces in unconventional warfare and foreign internal defense ............................................................................................ 3-8 Figure 4-1. United States Special Operations Command organization ........................... 4-1 Figure 4-2. United States Army Special Operations Command organization ................. 4-2 Figure 4-3. United States Army Special Forces Command (Airborne) organization ....... 4-3 Figure 4-4. Regional orientation of the Special Forces groups ....................................... 4-4 Figure 4-5. Special Forces group (airborne) organization ............................................... 4-5 Figure 4-6. Headquarters and headquarters company (airborne) organization .............. 4-7 Figure 4-7. Group support battalion (airborne) organization ........................................... 4-8 Figure 4-8. Special Forces battalion (airborne) organization ........................................ 4-11 Figure 4-9. Battalion headquarters and headquarters detachment (airborne) organization ............................................................................... 4-13 Figure 4-10. Battalion support company (airborne) organization .................................. 4-14 Figure 4-11. Special Forces company (airborne) organization ..................................... 4-16 Figure 4-12. Special Forces operational detachment—bravo organization .................. 4-18 ii FM 3-18 28 May 2014 Contents Figure 4-13. Special Forces operational detachment—alpha organization .................. 4-19 Figure 5-1. Country team concept ................................................................................... 5-2 Figure 5-2. Theater command structure .......................................................................... 5-3 Figure 5-3. Theater and Korean Peninsula special operations commands .................... 5-4 Figure 5-4. Example of distributive command and control .............................................. 5-6 Figure 5-5. Notional joint task force command and control ............................................. 5-8 Figure 5-6. Notional theater special operations joint task force .................................... 5-10 Figure 5-7. Notional joint special operations task force ................................................ 5-12 Figure 5-8. Example of Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command—Afghanistan organization ....................................................... 5-13 Figure 5-9. Notional special operations task force organization ................................... 5-15 Figure 5-10. Operations center organization ................................................................. 5-16 Figure 5-11. Notional operations center .......................................................................