Core Activities

  • 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.

  • Special Reconnaissance

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

  • Unconventional Warfare

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

  • 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.

  • Civil Affairs Operations

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

  • Counterterrorism

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

  • 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.

    United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) conducts internet-based MISO in partnership with United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) to expose, counter, and compete against adversary malign activity and disinformation throughout USSOUTHCOM’s area of responsibility. These on-going and enduring activities are coordinated with U.S. government agencies and implemented in accordance with U.S. law and DoD policies.

  • 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.

  • Security Force Assistance

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

  • Counterinsurgency

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

  • 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.

  • 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.