Source: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/167
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 20:09:47+00:00

Document:
With the advice and assistance of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the President, through the Secretary of Defense, shall establish under section 161 of this title a unified combatant command for special operations forces (hereinafter in this section referred to as the “special operations command”). The principal function of the command is to prepare special operations forces to carry out assigned missions.
Unless otherwise directed by the Secretary of Defense, all active and reserve special operations forces of the armed forces stationed in the United States shall be assigned to the special operations command.
The commander of the special operations command shall hold the grade of general or, in the case of an officer of the Navy, admiral while serving in that position, without vacating his permanent grade. The commander of such command shall be appointed to that grade by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, for service in that position.
Unless otherwise directed by the President or the Secretary of Defense, a special operations activity or mission shall be conducted under the command of the commander of the unified combatant command in whose geographic area the activity or mission is to be conducted.
The commander of the special operations command shall exercise command of a selected special operations mission if directed to do so by the President or the Secretary of Defense.
In addition to the authority prescribed in section 164(c) of this title, the commander of the special operations command shall be responsible for, and shall have the authority to conduct, all affairs of such command relating to special operations activities.
Developing strategy, doctrine, and tactics.
for special operations forces assigned to unified combatant commands other than the special operations command, with respect to all matters covered by paragraph (4) and, with respect to a matter not covered by paragraph (4), to the extent directed by the Secretary of Defense.
Formulating and submitting requirements for intelligence support.
Monitoring the promotions of special operations forces and coordinating with the military departments regarding the assignment, retention, training, professional military education, and special and incentive pays of special operations forces.
Acquisition of special operations-peculiar material, supplies, and services.
Subject to the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary of Defense, the commander of the command, in carrying out his functions under subparagraph (A), shall have authority to exercise the functions of the head of an agency under chapter 137 of this title.
The command acquisition executive of the special operations command shall be responsible to the commander for rapidly delivering acquisition solutions to meet validated special operations-peculiar requirements, subordinate to the Defense Acquisition Executive in matters of acquisition, subject to the same oversight as the service acquisition executives, and included on the distribution list for acquisition directives and instructions of the Department of Defense.
The staff of the commander shall include an inspector general who shall conduct internal audits and inspections of purchasing and contracting actions through the special operations command and such other inspector general functions as may be assigned.
from the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict to the commander of the special operations command.
For purposes of this subsection, administrative chain of command refers to the exercise of authority, direction and control with respect to the special operations-peculiar administration and support of the special operations command, including the readiness and organization of special operations forces, resources and equipment, and civilian personnel. It does not refer to the exercise of authority, direction, and control of operational matters that are subject to the operational chain of command of the commanders of combatant commands or the exercise of authority, direction, and control of personnel, resources, equipment, and other matters that are not special operations-peculiar that are the purview of the armed forces.
acquisition of other material, supplies, or services that are peculiar to special operations activities.
This section does not constitute authority to conduct any activity which, if carried out as an intelligence activity by the Department of Defense, would require a notice to the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives under title V of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.).
The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations for the activities of the special operations command. Such regulations shall include authorization for the commander of such command to provide for operational security of special operations forces and activities.
are designated as special operations forces by the Secretary of Defense.
The Secretary of Defense, after consulting with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the commander of the special operations command, may direct that any force included within the description in paragraph (1)(A) or (1)(B) shall not be considered as a special operations force for the purposes of this section.
Such other activities as may be specified by the President or the Secretary of Defense.
Before the budgetproposal for the special operations command for any fiscal year is submitted to the Secretary of Defense, the commander of the command shall consult with the Secretaries of the military departments concerning funding for reserve component special operations units. If the Secretary of a military department does not concur in the recommended level of funding with respect to any such unit that is under the jurisdiction of the Secretary, the commander shall include with the budget proposal submitted to the Secretary of Defense the views of the Secretary of the military department concerning such funding.
Before the budgetproposal for a military department for any fiscal year is submitted to the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of that military department shall consult with the commander of the special operations command concerning funding for special operations forces in the military personnel budget for a reserve component in that military department. If the commander of that command does not concur in the recommended level of funding with respect to reserve component special operations units, the Secretary shall include with the budget proposal submitted to the Secretary of Defense the views of the commander of that command.
The National Security Act of 1947, referred to in subsec. (h), is act July 26, 1947, ch. 343, 61 Stat. 495. Title V of the Act is classified generally to subchapter III (§ 3091 et seq.) of chapter 44 of Title 50. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables.
Pub. L. 99–661 and Pub. L. 99–500 added identical sections.
2016—Subsec. (e)(2). Pub. L. 114–328, § 922(c)(1)(A), substituted “Subject to the authority, direction, and control of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict, the commander” for “The commander” in introductory provisions.
Subsecs. (f) to (l). Pub. L. 114–328, § 922(c)(2), added subsec. (f) and redesignated former subsecs. (f) to (k) as (g) to (l), respectively.
2014—Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 113–291 substituted “(50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.)” for “(50 U.S.C. 413 et seq.)”.
2013—Subsec. (e)(4)(C)(ii). Pub. L. 113–66 inserted “responsible to the commander for rapidly delivering acquisition solutions to meet validated special operations-peculiar requirements, subordinate to the Defense Acquisition Executive in matters of acquisition, subject to the same oversight as the service acquisition executives, and” after “shall be”.
2008—Subsec. (e)(4)(C), (D). Pub. L. 110–181 added subpar. (C) and redesignated former subpar. (C) as (D).
1994—Subsec. (k). Pub. L. 103–337 added subsec. (k).
“(2) a notice” and “title V of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 413 et seq.)” for “section 501(a)(1) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 413)”.
“(A) Developing strategy, doctrine, and tactics.
“(C) Conducting specialized courses of instruction for commissioned and noncommissioned officers.
“(E) Establishing priorities for requirements.
“(G) Developing and acquiring special operations-peculiar equipment and acquiring special operations-peculiar material, supplies, and services.
“(H) Ensuring the interoperability of equipment and forces.
“(I) Formulating and submitting requirements for intelligence support.
“(J) Monitoring the promotions, assignments, retention, training, and professional military education of special operations forces officers.
“(2) The commander of such command shall be responsible for monitoring the preparedness of special operations forces assigned to other unified combatant commands to carry out assigned missions.
1987—Subsec. (e)(3). Pub. L. 100–180 added par. (3).
By not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 31, 2011] and annually thereafter, each Secretary of a military department shall enter into a memorandum of agreement with the Commander of the United States Special Operations Command that identifies or establishes processes and associated milestones by which numbers and types of enabling capabilities of the general purpose forces of the Armed Forces under the jurisdiction of such Secretary can be identified and dedicated to fulfill the training and operational requirements of special operations forces under the United States Special Operations Command.
Pub. L. 112–81, div. A, title X, § 1031, Dec. 31, 2011, 125 Stat. 1570, required the Secretary of Defense, beginning not later than March 1, 2012, to provide to the Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives quarterly briefings outlining Department of Defense counterterrorism operations and related activities involving special operations forces, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 113–66, div. A, title X, § 1042(b), Dec. 26, 2013, 127 Stat. 857.
Not later than 30 days after the end of each fiscal year, the commander of the United States Special Operations Command shall submit to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] a report on the use of Combat Mission Requirements funds during the preceding fiscal year.
For purposes of this section, Combat Mission Requirements funds are amounts available to the Department of Defense for Defense-wide procurement in the Combat Mission Requirements subaccount of the Defense-wide Procurement account.
The balance of the Combat Mission Requirements subaccount at the beginning of such year.
The balance of the Combat Mission Requirements subaccount at the end of such year.
Any transfer of funds into or out of the Combat Mission Requirements subaccount during such year, including the source of any funds transferred into the subaccount, and the objective of any transfer of funds out of the subaccount.
procured using such funds during such year.
With respect to each description of a requirement under paragraph (4), the amount of Combat Mission Requirements funds committed to the procurement or approved procurement of such requirement.
the amount of funding approved for such Requirement, and the source of such approved funds.
A statement of the amount of any unspent Combat Mission Requirements funds from the fiscal year in which such report is submitted and the two preceding fiscal years.
Developing and acquiring special operations-peculiar equipment and acquiring special operations-peculiar material, supplies, and services.
Providing advice and assistance to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict in the Assistant Secretary’s overall supervision of the preparation and justification of the program recommendations and budget proposals for special operations forces.
Pub. L. 102–484, div. A, title IX, § 936(a), (b), Oct. 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 2479, provided that, during the period beginning on Feb. 1, 1993, and ending on Feb. 1, 1995, the provisions of Pub. L. 99–661, § 1311(e), set out below, would apply as if the Secretary of Defense had designated the United States Southern Command and the United States Central Command for the purposes of that section, and required the Secretary of Defense to submit to Congress a report setting forth the Secretary’s recommendations for the grade structure for the special operations forces component commander for each unified command not later than Mar. 1, 1994.
Pub. L. 100–180, div. A, title XII, § 1211(e), Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1156, directed that the major force program category for special operations forces of the Five-Year Defense Plan of the Department of Defense created pursuant to Pub. L. 99–661, § 1311(c), set out below, was to be created not later than 30 days after Dec. 4, 1987, and required the Secretary of Defense to submit to committees of Congress on such date a report explaining the program recommendations and budget proposals included in such category and a certification that all program recommendations and budget proposals for special operations forces had been included.
The Secretary of Defense shall create for the special operations forces a major force program category for the Five-Year Defense Plan of the Department of Defense. The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict, with the advice and assistance of the commander of the special operations command, shall provide overall supervision of the preparation and justification of program recommendations and budget proposals to be included in such major force program category.
To the extent that there is authority to revise programs and budgets approved by Congress for special operations forces, such authority may be exercised only by the Secretary of Defense, after consulting with the commander of the special operations command.
Pub. L. 99–500, § 101(c) [title IX, § 9115(h)(2)], Oct. 18, 1986, 100 Stat. 1783–82, 1783–125, Pub. L. 99–591, § 101(c) [title IX, § 9115(h)(2)], Oct. 30, 1986, 100 Stat. 3341–82, 3341–125, and Pub. L. 99–661, div. A, title XIII, § 1311(h)(2), Nov. 14, 1986, 100 Stat. 3986, required President, not later than one year after the date of enactment, to transmit to Congress a report on capabilities of United States to conduct special operations and engage in low intensity conflicts, the report to include a description of deficiencies in such capabilities, actions being taken throughout executive branch to correct such deficiencies, the principal low intensity conflict threats to interests of United States, and the actions taken and to be taken to implement this section.

References: § 922
 § 922
 § 1031
 § 1042
 § 936
 § 1311
 § 1211
 § 1311
 § 101
 § 9115
 § 101
 § 9115
 § 1311