The potential for non-Special Forces officers to command the CJSOTFs has spread ripples of unease among some SF soldiers. But Kearney dismissed as “conspiracy theories” speculation in the SF community that SOCom commander Adm. Eric Olson, a Navy SEAL, had set the system up to enable Navy SEALs to command CJSOTFs.
“I don’t think we’ve said that we’re going to put a SEAL in command,” Kearney said, but he added that limiting the field to just SF officers would amount to “narrowing” the options unnecessarily. “Ideally, don’t we want to find the best guy?” he said.
Up until now the CJSOTFs in Afghanistan and Iraq have always been led by SF group commanders, who are products of the Army’s command selection process. Kearney acknowledged that appointing non-SF group commanders to head up the CJSOTFs would require SOCom to establish “a command screening” system that would be viewed as fair across all the service special operations components.
While the “framework groups” will provide about 40 percent of the personnel for their respective CJSOTFs, no decisions have been made as to whether these personnel will be organized as a “cohort” and deployed together, or whether troops will be identified and deployed individually from the group headquarters. U.S. Army Special Operations Command head Lt. Gen. John Mulholland “will work this out with his staff and commanders and brief SOCom on their plan,” Kearney said.
The SOCom plan does not include any attempt to grow the size of the SF group headquarters, but SOCom is studying whether to change the structure and composition of the CJSOTF, he said.
Each CJSOTF will command at least three battalion-level special operations task forces, including one from the “framework group” and one from another SF group. (There are five active-duty and two reserve SF groups.) The third battalion will be provided by Marine special operations forces in Afghanistan and the Navy SEALs in Iraq.
The new plan will allow Marine Corps Forces – Special Operations Command (MarSOC) to focus its training on Afghanistan, Kearney said. “The key was to focus them,” he added, explaining that MarSOC and its commander Maj. Gen. Mastin Robeson have been working with SOCom “to determine areas to focus their language and cultural depth.”
The MarSOC deployment to Afghanistan next year will be the first battalion-level deployment to a combat theater for the Marines’ fledgling special operations component. There have been complaints within the Special Forces community that SF units are being forced to give up communications gear and training slots in order to help the Marines reach full readiness. Kearney’s response to this criticism was matter-of-fact.
“I assume everyone understands that when SOCom decides to send forces, in this case a MarSOC SOTF, into harm’s way, we are going to equip them to be successful and since they are a unit still reaching full operational capability, it was a requirement to outfit them for success,” he said. “This is not unusual, we have done this with any unit preparing to deploy. What commander would not do this?”
The History of the SF Decade Club
I have had the good fortune to be able to sit down with Sully De Fontaine and with Herb Brucker prior to his death. Both members of the OSS and early members of Special Forces.
I am looking for other stories by members about the SFA to aid in developing a complete picture of our Association heritage. Copies of early prints of "Letters from Mother Goose" and other documents that could become a permanent part of our archives.
Special Forces Decade Club (Association)
The following is a snapshot of the events that led up to the formation of the Decade Club as told by COL(R) Sully De Fontaine (D-7). This scenario played out circa 1964 in Fort Bragg NC, home of the 5th Special Forces (Abn).
In May 1964, I came back from RVN with my A Team and was then assigned to the Group S-2 shop. About a week later, the Group commander, Colonel Roye, old OSS and a friend called me, he assigned me as the Commander of Detachment C. Delta, on a temporary status, until a Field Grader could be made available.
As a Captain, I then took Command of team Delta. My SGM was Gregory Mateo. I had old SF types in the team, i.e. Montgomery, Seyer, Yosich and many others. With those NCOs around, I had no trouble running the C Unit.
At the end of May, SGM Mateo and a group of NCOs came into my office and presented me with the idea to form an organization for Special Forces members. I agreed with them; after all, organizations were in place for Airborne, OSS etc. I showed them the monthly newsletter that I had just received from the British, French and Belgian SAS.
SGM Mateo and MSGT Montgomery took the lead and I joined them in presenting the idea to Colonel Roye. The Colonel was all for it and told us to go to the 18th ABN Corps for final approval.
When we got together to discuss how to run the organization many ideas surfaced. They were all NCOs; they insisted that 10 years in SF assignment should be the base for membership. Other qualifications were presented and accepted: OSS; 8240; White Star. Discussion about how we would call each other. I proposed that we call each other by rank, (British influence!) I never forget the reaction to that! Mateo just said “NO WAY!” We were about 20 of us at that meeting.
