USSOCOM gets a new head: President Joe Biden has nominated Army Lt. Gen. Bryan Fenton to become the next commander of the United States Special Operations Command, or USSOCOM. Fenton is the current commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, or JSOC. SOCOM headquarters is located at McDill Air Force Base, in Florida.
Fenton’s replacement at JSOC has not yet been announced. Once confirmed by the Senate, Fenton would become the first Green Beret to head SOCOM in more than 20 years. The current commander, Army Gen. Richard Clarke, and his predecessor, Gen. Tony Thomas, were both from the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment.
According to his official Army bio, Fenton, who joined the Army in 1987 as an infantry officer, has served in major combat commands including SOUTHCOM, EUCOM, AFRICOM, CENTCOM, and INDOPACOM. He has participated in Operations Joint Forge, in Bosnia; Enduring Freedom, in Afghanistan and Africa; Iraqi Freedom; and Odyssey Dawn, in Libya.
Of particular interest is Fenton’s experience with the Indo-Pacific area of operations. He has served as the deputy commanding general for operations of the 25th Infantry Division, which is based at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. He also served as operations officer for U.S. Army Pacific at Fort Shafter, Hawaii; as commander of Special Operations Command Pacific; and as deputy commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. Those last two commands are located at Camp Smith, Hawaii.
USSOCOM – Bringing Priorities Into Focus
Fenton’s selection is perhaps a nod to the U.S. Department of Defense’s focus on great power competition, especially the growing rivalry with China, which is seen as the most serious long-term threat to U.S. interests.
In a keynote address to the annual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference back in April, Gen. Clarke emphasized that focus.
“In the coming years, China will become the most capable adversary, and they are rapidly modernizing,” Gen. Clarke said at the conference in Tampa. “Capabilities to prevail in the Indo-Pacific are our priorities. Every investment we make will support this strategy.”
JSOC’s official mission statement describes it as a sub-unified command of the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). It is charged to study special operations requirements and techniques, ensure interoperability and equipment standardization, plan and conduct special operations exercises and training, and develop joint special operations tactics. JSOC has the Tier 1 forces under its umbrella and conducts special operations in support of US interests. Included in it are the Army’s Delta Force, the Navy’s Naval Special Warfare Development Group, formerly known as SEAL Team 6, the Air Force’s 24th Special Tactics Squadron, the Army’s Intelligence Support Activity, and the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment.
Fenton came from the intelligence part of JSOC, and is the second commander to do so. Gen. William Garrison, who commanded troops during the Battle of Mogadishu (commonly known as Black Hawk Down), was JSOC chief from 1992-94 and also came from the intelligence section (J2) of JSOC.
A Role in Ukraine
SOCOM’s operators have worked closely with Ukraine’s special operations forces. They have been instrumental in transforming their Ukrainian counterparts into a very capable force with a professional NCO corps since the first Russian foray into Ukraine in 2014.
Ukraine’s special operations force has doubled in size in the last eight years, Gen. Clarke told members of Congress back in April.
“Our special-operations forces help develop and work with other allies to come into Ukraine and help build up the Ukrainian special-operations forces,” Clarke said.
“One aspect is that it was a lot of our civil affairs, our psychological operations, and our Special Forces that were also working side-by-side with Ukrainians,” Clarke added. “It wasn’t just combat forces, but it was also other parts of special operations that work very closely with their Ukrainian partners.”
Steve Balestrieri is a 1945 National Security Columnist. He has served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer before injuries forced his early separation. In addition to writing for 19fortyfive.com and other military news organizations, he has covered the NFL for PatsFans.com for over 10 years. His work was regularly featured in the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and Grafton News newspapers in Massachusetts.
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