Socom?

[Hook_N_Bullet]

Hi all, What does SOCOM stand for?

Thanks!

 

[Legionnaire]

I believe it is "Special Operations Command."

 

[legalhack]

It is Special Operations Command. Headquartered out of Tampa, Florida.

 

[jawper]

The acronym SOCOM is usually a reference to the United States Special Operations Command headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. USSOCOM is one of the nine Unified Combatant Commands which exercise operational control U.S. combat forces. Four of the commands are geographically concentrated in their missions (five if you count the small geographic area of responsibility left to United States Joint Forces Command in the wake of its transformation from United States Atlantic Command). The others are "functionally" concentrated for lack of a better term. Of these non-geographic commands, USSOCOM is a bit of an oddity. This is primarily due to its independent purchasing authority. Under U.S. law, it falls to the four services to "organize, train, and equip" forces for war. When it comes time to actually conduct military operations, the Joint community runs the operations through the Unified Combatant Commands. Thus the services usually buy stuff and the Unified Combatant Commands carry out operations with the stuff and people provided by the services. However, since USSOCOM controls forces with such different equipment requirements, it has the authority to purchase stuff. It's an odd beast created out of the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act. To some, it's a fifth service running around with scant oversight and little integration with the rest of DoD. To others, it's an example of what "jointness" can achieve in terms of increased operational capabilities.

More, I'm sure, than you care to know.

Hope this helps.

 

[Bud Helms]

SOCOM is Southern Command. Special Operations is USSOCOM.

 

[DW Altom]

Beg your pardon, but Southern Command (based in Miami) is SOUTHCOM.

SOCOM is Special Operations Command.

 

[DOCSpanky]

Sorry Sensop, you have fired a squib load. SOCOM is Special Ops!

Some scarry and whacky people to say the least. But I sleep LOTS better at night knowing they are there

 

[Bud Helms]

Well, of course, I made one other mistake before. That was the time I thought I had made an error when in fact I was correct. You guys are right. The USSOCOM vs SOCOM difference was explained to me by an intel type stationed at Tampa (USSOCOM Hq) in '95. Is that a good excuse? I didn't research it for this thread. I can accept the correction. 'Not my first squib load.