Special Operations Command (Philippines)

Special Operations Command, Philippine Army

Unit insignia of SOCOM, PA
Active January 16, 1978 - Present
Country Philippines Philippines
Branch Philippine Army
Type Special Operations Force
Role Airborne operations, Direct Action, Reconnaissance, Unconventional Warfare, Target Interdiction,
Size 3 Regiments, 1 Training Group (Provisional).
Part of Under the Philippine Army
Garrison/HQ Fort Ramon Magsaysay, Palayan City, Nueva Ecija
Engagements Anti-guerrilla operations against the NPA and Southern Philippines Seccesionist Groups (SPSGs) consisting of the Moro National Liberation Front, MNLF Lost Commands and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
Counter-terrorist operations against JI cells such as the Abu Sayyaf Group; and,
Participation in Operation Enduring Freedom - Philippines
Decorations
Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation Badge
Presidential Streamer Award
Commanders
Current
commander		 MGen Donato San Juan II AFP
Notable
commanders		 Col David R Abundo Jr INF (GSC) PA
Gen Hermogenes Esperon AFP
Gen Victor S Ibrado AFP
Lt Gen Arturo Ortiz AFP
Insignia
Unit Patch SOCOM Patch/Tab

The Special Operations Command (SOCOM)[1][2] of the Philippine Army is the Command that is responsible for planning conducting and supporting special operations for the Philippine Army. Currently, units under SOCOM are the Special Forces Regiment (Airborne),[3] Scout Ranger Regiment[4] and the Light Reaction Regiment.

Unit mission

The mission of SOCOM IS TO PLAN, CONDUCT AND SUPPORT SPECIAL OPERATIONS IN ALL OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS in support of the Philippine Army's mission.

Unit core capabilities

SOCOM forces are employed based on the following core capabilities:

Unit history

The ASWABde

SOCOM, PA traces its roots to the Army Special Warfare Brigade (ASWABde) that was organized in 1978. The ASWABde was a first attempt to rein in the specialties of the Special Forces and the Scout Rangers, two army units that have among the most highly trained personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and structure their collective efforts into a highly effective army unit.

Following the destabilization attempts of the late 1980s, ASWABde was deactivated and the Special Forces Regiment (Airborne) was placed directly under the control of Headquarters Philippine Army while the First Scout Ranger Regiment was unfilled.

Re-organization during the 1990s

Finding a new need to bring together the efforts of the two regiments, the reorganization of a command to control these elite units was brought up. Additionally, the re-organization and reassignment of Operational Controls in various units of the AFP also affected the decision to re-establish a "Special Operations Command".

On 25 July 1995, SOCOM was created at Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija.[9] The First Scout Ranger Regiment was stationed at Camp Tecson in San Miguel, Bulacan while the Special Forces Regiment (Airborne) was transferred to its traditional home at Fort Magsaysay.

Sub-commands

During its establishment as SOCOM in the mid-1990s it had three sub-commands, namely: the Special Forces Regiment (Airborne) that was tasked to plan for and conduct Unconventional Warfare Operations; the First Scout Ranger Regiment that was tasked to conduct special reconnaissance and direct action operations against high-value targets; and, the Psy-Ops Group that was tasked to plan for and conduct psychological operations in designated areas.[10]

The Psy-Ops Group[11] was later detached from SOCOM and was assigned to the Civil Military Operations Group, PA (CMOG, PA).[12]

Currently, SOCOM is composed of three combat units with distinct capabilities that perform various missions in the conduct of special operations, namely:

The Special Forces Regiment (Airborne)[13]

The mission of this regiment is to organize, train, equip and provide rapidly deployable forces and conduct unconventional warfare in all types of operational environment in support of SOCOM's mission.

The Special Forces specializes on the following: unconventional warfare, direct action; special reconnaissance; psychological warfare and mass base operations.

The First Scout Ranger Regiment[14]

The mission of this regiment is to organize, train, equip and provide rapidly deployable forces and conduct special operations in support of SOCOM's mission.

Its core capabilities are: direct action, jungle warfare, special reconnaissance, and sniping operations.

The Light Reaction Regiment

The mission of this regiment is to conduct counter-terrorist operations in support of SOCOM's mission.

LRR troops are skillfully trained on the following core capabilities: surgical close quarter battles and vertical insertion, hostage rescue and personnel recovery, elimination or capture of notorious terrorists, and target interdiction.

Training

The Special Operations Command conducts three primary qualification courses to provide its personnel with the foundation of knowledge and skills on special operations.

The Special Forces Operations Course is conducted to provide every Special Forces trooper the foundation on unconventional warfare and highly specialized combat skills.[15]

The Scout Ranger Course is heavy on direct action and jungle warfare operations that provides the ranger trooper knowledge and skills attuned to conducting jungle warfare operations.

The Counter-Terrorist Course is conducted to provide SOCOM counter-terrorist troopers the necessary special combat skills utilizing modern small-arms weapon systems.

All of the three courses mentioned will undergo actual combat test mission in priority conflict areas in the Philippines prior to the completion of the course. This serves as the Command’s performance evaluation of students prior to the confirmation of their qualification as a Special Forces paratrooper, Scout Ranger fighter or Counter-Terrorist operator.

Other types of specialized training conducted by the command are as follows:

Lineage of commanders

MGen Jet Joel B Velarmino AFP, the former Commanding General of the Army Special Operations Command.
Lt Gen John S Bonafos AFP, former Commander of SOCOM PA, predecessor of MGen Belarmino.

Unit seal and symbolism

The unit seal of the Special Operations Command is a shield with a tierced bend to the dexter side. The colors are brown, yellow gold and black that is tiered one on top of the other in that order. A white arrow occupies the center of the shield with its tip towards the shield head. A black border occupies the perimenter of the shield.

The symbolisms of the colors are as follows:

References

Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/philippines/socom.htm
  2. ↑ http://www.asianmilitaryreview.com/joint-special-operations/
  3. ↑ http://www.angelfire.com/ga/batwentyone/Spe.html
  4. ↑ http://www.angelfire.com/ga/batwentyone/Spe.html
  5. ↑ Unconventional warfare
  6. ↑ Direct action
  7. ↑ Long-range reconnaissance patrol
  8. ↑ Counter-terrorism
  9. ↑ Fort Magsaysay
  10. ↑ http://home.avvanta.com/~whitet/ph_ovrview.htm
  11. ↑ Civil-Military Operations Group (Philippines)#Units
  12. ↑ Civil-Military Operations Group (Philippines)
  13. ↑ The Special Forces School, Philippine Army Special Forces Operations Manual PAM 3-071, 2008, SFR(A).
  14. ↑ Dennis V. Eclarin, Scout Ranger Combat Guide (Third Edition), 2003, The Philippine Star.
  15. ↑ The Special Forces School, Philippine Army Special Forces Operations Manual PAM 3-071, 2008, SFR(A), Annex "B", p. B1-B3.
  16. ↑ Paratrooper
  17. ↑ Paratrooper
  18. ↑ High-altitude military parachuting
  19. ↑ Frogman
  20. ↑ Close quarters combat
  21. ↑ http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/131113/news/nation/medal-of-valor-awardee-is-new-chief-of-elite-army-unit
  22. ↑ http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/7073833.html
  23. ↑ http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/126443/general-who-led-army%e2%80%99s-elite-forces-vs-abu-sayyaf-kidnappers-in-2000-retires
  24. ↑ http://www.interaksyon.com/article/53140/search-is-on-for-new-socom-chief
  25. ↑ http://www.interaksyon.com/article/53140/search-is-on-for-new-socom-chief
  26. ↑ http://balita.ph/2013/01/21/socom-gets-new-commander/
  27. ↑ http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/357273/bonafos-replaces-velarmino-as-new-army-special-forces-commander
  28. ↑ http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/548473/army-installs-new-commanders
  29. ↑ Civil-Military Operations Group (Philippines)#Units

Bibliography

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