Special Operations Medicine

Organization

Army Rangers

Army Green Berets

Air Force Special Operations

This support might take the form of:

• Humanitarian assistance missions
• Casualty care in isolated settings
• Preventive medicine in garrison
• Civilian and public health care in developing nations
• Medical care of strenuously-trained individuals, working with extreme stresses in hostile physical environments.

The basic principles of Special Operations Medicine are the same as in conventional military medical settings.

The way in which those principles are applied may be quite different, because of unique mission requirements, extremes of environment, and availability (or non-availability) of resources.

Organization

All active and reserve Army, Navy, and Air Force Special Operations Forces based in the United States are assigned to the US Special Operations Command. USSOCOM is located at MacDill AFB in Tampa, Florida.

USSOCOM's service component commands are:

1. U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC, at Fort Bragg, NC)
   • Special Forces (SF)
   • Rangers
   • Special Operations Aviation
   • CA
   • PSYOP
2. Naval Special Warfare Command (NAVSPECWARCOM, at the Naval Amphibious Base, Coronado, California)
   • NSW Group One and Special Boat Squadron One in Coronado
   • NSW Group Two and Special Boat Squadron Two in Little Creek, VA
3. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC, at Hurlburt Field, Florida).
   • Three Special Operations Wings
   • Two Special Operations Groups
   • One Special Tactics Group

In addition, the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC, at Fort Bragg, NC) studies special operations requirements and techniques, ensures interoperability and equipment standardizations, plans and conducts joint exercises/training, and develops tactics.

Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
Department of the Navy
2300 E Street NW
Washington, D.C
20372-5300

Operational Medicine
 Health Care in Military Settings
CAPT Michael John Hughey, MC, USNR
NAVMED P-5139
  January 1, 2001