DAWIE here.


i have been going over a lot of my old scenarios for 20th and 21st century conflicts lately, when i suddenly experienced a brain movement of some magnitude:


i realized that i did know what the TO/E (including rank structure) of a 21st century SPECIAL FORCES "A" TEAM is . . . HELL for all i know these teams are called HOSTILE INTERPERSONAL DISCUSSION AND SITUATION RESOLUTION TEAMS now days.



soooo, will some one please spell out in small, AMERICAN ENGLISH wordage, exactly what these guys are called now, what their rank structure is and what the basic TO/E allows them, and what the new and improved flexible mission oriented TO/E allows them?



DAWGIE, dropped on his head once as a private and able to see through BS most of the time ever since . . .

_________________
"WHISKY TANGO FOXTROT OSCAR ?"

Operational Detachment Alpha:

18A: ODA Commander - Captain
180A: Warrant Officer (Technician)
18Z: Operations Sergeant - Master Sergeant E8
18F: Asst. Operations and Intelligence Sergeant - Sergeant First Class E7
18B: Senior Weapons Sergeant - Sergeant First Class E7
18B: Junior Weapons Sergeant - Staff Sergeant E6
18C: Senior Engineer Sergeant - E7
18C: Junior Engineer Sergeant E6
18D: Senior Medical Sergeant E7
18D: Junior Medical Sergeant E6
18E: Senior Communications Sergeant E7
18E: Junior Communications Sergeant E6

Attachments will likely include:

1-2 Air Force Combat Controllers to serve as JTAC
1-2 Translators
Any mission specific personnel


A certain number of A teams will be supported by a single B team. A certain number of B teams will be supported by a single C team.

As for equipment, things have come along way since the GWOT first started. SF was severly underequipped when they first went into Afghanistan in 2001, but this has changed over time. It is basically expected that SF gets what they need, but maybe not always exactly when they need it.

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Sine Pari

I think the basic organization of the Special Forces Group has changed very little since the 1960s. Its missions and equipment have expanded, but the TOE structure for the Special Forces Detachment is essentially identical. Units have been added to the TOEs for larger units over the years, however.

The Special Forces Detachment has been 12 men since its creation and is specifically designed to be broken down into 2 6-man half-detachments. The term "Operational Detachment Alpha" or "A-Team" appears to be an unofficial, but condoned term, which refers to the designation scheme for these detachments (an A followed by a number). The TOE for the Special Forces Company has them listed as "Special Forces Detachment."

The Group's Companies are lettered as normal in US Army units, but the Company Headquarters, the "Operational Detachment Bravo" or "B-Team" is also designated using a special system (a B followed by a number). The designation of the Battalion Headquarters Detachment, the "Operational Detachment Charlie" or "C-Team" follows the same system. Basically, while organized along a TOE as a coherent unit, the various levels of command are designed to control levels of a task organized special forces element that suit the situation.

In the 1960s the organization of the TOE unit should have been the following:

Airborne Special Forces Group (31-105E/G)
- 1x Headquarters and Headquarters Company (31-106E/G)
- 3x (or more) Special Forces Company (31-106E/G)
- 1x Signal Company, Airborne Special Forces Group (11-247E/G)
- 1x Aviation Company, Airborne Special Forces Group (1-307E/G)

The company at this time had 4 Special Forces Detachments.

The H series TOE, approved in June of 1970, formed special forces battalions within the groups, and added a Special Forces Support Battalion to each group.

Airborne Special Forces Group (31-101H)
- 1x Headquarters and Headquarters Company (31-102H)
- 3x Special Forces Battalion (31-105H)
- 1x Special Forces Support Battalion (31-125H)

The Special Forces Battalion was broken into Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment (31-106H) and 3 Special Forces Companies (31-107H). I'm not sure how many Special Forces Detachments were in each Company, but I would imagine that likely increased to the current number, which should be 6 still.

The Special Forces Support Battalion was broken into a Headquarters and Service Company (31-126H) and I would imagine 3 Special Forces Service Companies (31-127H; one for each battalion). A Signal Company (11-247H) was also part of the battalion, but it appears that the Aviation Company was removed, no doubt coinciding with a decision to form specialized special forces aviation units.

I'm not sure whether there was a J-series TOE, but by the L series TOE (by which time the numbering scheme had also changed), which came in 1986, a support element had been made organic to each of the battalions, leading to the following organization:

Airborne special Forces Group (31800L000)
- 1x Headquarters and Headquarters Company (31802L000)
- 3x Special Forces Battalion (31805L000)
- 1x Support Company, Special Forces Group Airborne (31803L000)

Each Special Forces Battalion had a Headquarters Detachment (31806L000), 3 Special Forces Companies (31807L000), and a Battalion Support Company (31808L000). The making of the support company organic to the battalion gave the battalion the ability to operate more independently of the Group.

I believe this organization continued more or less until the beginning of the Global War on Terror and the need for more special forces assets led to a decision to increase all the active Groups by one battalion. I believe each battalion is supposed to get a fourth line special forces company too. As it stands now, 3rd, 5th, and 10th Special Forces Groups have activated their respective 4th Battalions.

THANKS to both y'all for the info.


now what i am looking for is how such a team would more or less be armed for an "in country raid" in say AFGHANISTAN , where it might be expected to deal with an unknown number of insurgents operating out of secured building and possessing soft skinned vehicles, some armed aas guntrucks.


this raid is to be launched after a short distance overnight foot march from the LZ to the target.


NOW, all of that said, BEFORE the raiders can even get off the ground at base camp, the raid is scratched and a hostage rescue mission is assigned to them instead. said hostage rescue is inside the borders of a neighboring "ally" that is not willing to attend to the terrorist/hostage situation for "policitical reasons" at this time. the SF team members are given a hasty briefing, allowed to re-arm/equip from resources available to them, then sent off on a covert hostage rescue mission by chopper.


WHAT i want is a more or less break down on how y'all think such a team would be armed and equipped for this last minute mission.



DAWGIE

_________________
"WHISKY TANGO FOXTROT OSCAR ?"

Well, the A-Team would most likely be assisted by Afghan commandos for the raid. Equipment would be pretty standard stuff. Doctrine stresses the use of Spectre, Spooky, and Predator/Reaper so I imagine that would be coordinated to deal with the vehicle threat once the assault element is in their initial position.

Hostage rescue would probably be the same, but probably minus the Afghans and adding a Ranger platoon or, if they are not available, a line infantry platoon.

Really not given much to judge, but METT-TC is going to dictate most of this.

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Sine Pari

dawgie good info here and on the yahoo group too ..

_________________
owner of the yahoo group for WW1 ,WW2 and Modern TO&Es
(Tables of organisation & equipment or Unit of action )

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/TOandEs/

http://falkirkwargamesclub.org.uk/