Who We Serve

Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) is committed to providing scholarship grants to more than 980 children. These are children of over 1,199 Special Operations Personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty. At the conclusion of 2021, 39 of these children have a Special Operations Forces parent who received the Congressional Medal of Honor.

To date, 444 have graduated college with support from SOWF. Entering 2022, 168 students are currently enrolled in post-secondary schools, and 81% of our current students are attending post-secondary education. 

USSOCOM Facts

The following information has been taken from the  United States Special Operations Command Fact Book 2022

U.S. Army Special Operations Command  

Employing approximately 35,000,  USACOM is home to:

  • Special Forces (Green Berets)
  • Rangers
  • Special Operations Aviators
  • Civil Affairs Soldiers
  • Military Information Support Operators
  • Sustainment Soldiers

Naval Special Warfare Command

Employing approximately 10,500, NAVSPECWARCOM is home to:

  • Sea, Air, Land (SEALs)
  • Special Warfare Combatant Craft (SWCC) Crew
  • Enablers such as mobile communications teams, tactical cryptological support, and explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) specialists

Air Force Special Operations Command 

Employing approximately 16,800, AFSOC is home to:

  • Special Tactics Airmen
  • Combat Controllers
  • Pararescuemen or PJs
  • Special Operations Weather Team
  • Tactical Air Control Party
  • Special Operations Surgical Team
  • Special Operations Aviators
  • Support Air Commandos

Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command

Employing approximately 3,500, MARSOC is home to:

  • Critical Skills Operators/Special Operations Officers
  • Special Operations Independent Duty Corpsmen
  • Special Operations Capabilities Specialists
  • Combat Service Support Specialists

U.S. Army Special Operations Command

USSOCCOM

Established in 1989. It mans, trains, equips, educates, organizes, sustains, and supports forces to conduct special operations across the full range of military operations and spectrum of conflict in support of joint force commanders and interagency partners, to meet theater and national objectives.
Visit USSOCOM website

Naval Special Warfare Command

NAVSPECWARCOM

Established in 1987. It mans, trains, equips, educates, deploys, resources, and sustains forces to conduct direct action and special reconnaissance, support advise-and-assist programs, and build partner capability, in or out of the maritime environment, by employing tailored capabilities in support of military commanders, chiefs of mission, interagency, and foreign partners and allies.
Visit NAVSPECWARCOM website

Air Force Special Operations Command

AFSOC

Established in 1990, its mission is to provide our nation's specialized airpower capability across the spectrum of conflict. Any place, any time, anywhere.
Visit AFSOC website

Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command

MARSOC

Established in 2006, Marine Raiders leverage their robust mission command and fused operations and intelligence down to the team level to succeed in distributed environments, and enable partners at the tactical and operational levels of war. MARSOC provides supported commanders with full-spectrum special operations capabilities to combat complex transregional problems.
Visit MARSOC website

SOF Truths

  • Humans are more important than hardware
  • Quality is better than quantity
  • Special Operations Forces cannot be mass produced
  • Competent Special Operations Forces cannot be created after emergencies occur
  • Most special operations require non-SOF support

Introduction to SOF Operators

  • Is married, with at least two children 
  • Average age is 29 years-old for enlisted; 34 years-old for officers 
  • Has 8 years experience in the general purpose forces 
  • Receives cultural and language training 
  • Has attended multiple advanced tactical schools 
  • Enjoys games which require problem solving (like chess) 
  • Is well educated and likely to have a college degree
  • Is a “thinking athlete” and has participated in sports such as  water polo, track, wrestling or football

Meet a Quiet Professional on SOFSpoken Podcast

A retired Navy SEAL, Severely Wounded Warrior, NY Times Best Selling author, Veteran Advocate, Business Leader, & Acclaimed leadership & Resilience Speaker, Jason Redman has overcome extreme adversity and defied the odds multiple times. Shot twice in the arm and once in the face, as well as receiving multiple rounds to his helmet and body armor during a fierce gunfight and battle in Iraq, Jason walks the talk in his Overcome Mindset approach. Jason motivates and inspires audiences across the country with his remarkable journey of leadership, redemption, and building a relentless Overcome Mindset