In 1986, Congress called for the establishment of a joint service special operations capability under a single command. In April 1987, the Secretary of Defense established SOCOM with the mission to provide trained and combat-ready special operations forces to DOD’s geographic combatant commands. SOCOM is a unified combatant command that performs service-like functions and has military department-like responsibilities and authorities. Under U.S. Code Title 10, sections 164 and 167, SOCOM’s commander has the responsibility to organize, train, and equip SOF for current and future challenges. In this capacity, SOCOM develops special operations strategy and doctrine and is responsible for employment of forces, requirements validation, acquisition of special operations–peculiar equipment, and intelligence support. SOCOM is also responsible for providing resources in the form of funding and special operations–specific equipment for SOF. As a result, SOCOM is a unique organization within the department because it has both combatant command responsibilities and service-like functions of training and equipping its forces. Section 167 further directs that the commander of SOCOM be responsible for and have the authority to conduct the following special operations activities: (1) direct action, (2) strategic reconnaissance, (3) unconventional warfare, (4) foreign internal defense, (5) civil affairs, (6) military information support operations, (7) counterterrorism, (8) humanitarian assistance, (9) theater search and rescue, and (10) other activities such as may be specified by the President or the Secretary of Defense. Special operations missions are often conducted in hostile, denied, or politically sensitive environments, and can be generally characterized by time-sensitivity and a higher degree of risk, among other characteristics. To respond to these activities, DOD relies on special operations units assigned to SOCOM, such as Army Special Forces, SEAL units, and Air Force Special Tactics Squadrons. SOCOM comprises a headquarters organization; four service component commands, including the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, and U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command; and various subunified commands. The subunified commands include the Joint Special Operations Command, which is charged with studying special operations requirements and techniques, ensuring interoperability and equipment standardization, planning and conducting special operations exercises and training, and developing joint special operations tactics; and seven Theater Special Operations Commands, which are responsible for performing broad, continuous missions uniquely suited to SOF capabilities. Figure 1 illustrates the current command structure of SOCOM. SOCOM has authority, direction, and control over all forces and commands assigned to it, to include organizing and employing forces and assigning tasks, but the military services retain certain responsibilities as they pertain to SOF. As outlined in memorandums of agreement between SOCOM and the military departments, the military services retain responsibility for compensation, promotion, and professional development of SOF; recruiting of personnel to meet special operations needs; support for military construction projects; providing the baseline level of service-common installation services and facilities sustainment support required to support SOF; and programming and budgeting military personnel funds associated with military end strength for SOF, among other responsibilities. Specific to military personnel funding, each special operations position is part of the end strength of one of the four military services. As such, any changes in SOF end strength are included in the military services’ end strength. As outlined in section 167(e) of Title 10, U.S. Code, the commander of SOCOM is responsible for and has authority to (1) prepare and submit to the Secretary of Defense program recommendations and budget proposals for SOF assigned to SOCOM and (2) conduct development and acquisition of special operations–peculiar equipment. In this capacity, SOCOM has its own budgetary authority and responsibilities through a separate major force program category and executes funding in operation and maintenance; procurement; research, development, test, and evaluation; and military construction accounts. SOCOM receives these special operations–specific appropriations to provide fully capable SOF to conduct special operations activities and to acquire equipment or modify service common systems to meet special operations–specific requirements for which there is no broad conventional force need. The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low- Intensity Conflict is the principal staff assistant and civilian advisor on special operations matters. The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict is responsible for representing SOCOM and SOF by, among other things, developing, coordinating, and overseeing the implementation of policy for special operations activities and providing overall supervision of the preparation and justification of SOF programs and budget. According to SOCOM officials, SOCOM works with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict in the same manner as any other service would work with its service secretariat. In 2014, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict established a Special Operations Policy and Oversight Council to provide special operations policy guidance and oversight to SOCOM and coordinate special operations–related matters across the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The council is also intended to address key issues related to special operations policies and operational priorities, budget execution, force employment, legislative changes, and required capabilities. Specific tasks as outlined in the council’s charter include developing and improving policy, joint processes, and procedures that facilitate the development, integration, implementation, and sustainment of DOD’s special operations capability efforts. Authorized special operations military positions increased by about 47 percent between fiscal years 2001 and 2014, and they constitute just under 3 percent of military services’ total force levels. Our analysis of data provided by SOCOM and its service component commands shows that the number of authorized special operations positions for military personnel increased from approximately 42,800 in fiscal year 2001 to approximately 62,800 in fiscal year 2014. These military positions constitute about 91 percent of total special operations positions. Civilian personnel constitute the remaining estimated 9 percent of special operations positions. The number of authorized special operations civilian positions increased from about 2,800 in fiscal year 2001 to about 6,500 in fiscal year 2014. The increasingly prominent role of SOF as outlined in DOD’s strategic guidance has driven the increase in authorized military and civilian special operations positions. DOD’s past three Quadrennial Defense Review reports specifically addressed changes to the size and structure of SOF. For example, the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review recommended increasing active-duty Special Forces Battalions, expanding the Civil Affairs / Psychological Operations units, and establishing the Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command. The 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review subsequently proposed increasing certain capabilities that support SOF, as well as the number of special operations combat support and combat service support forces—for example, logisticians, communication assets, and intelligence experts— available to both Army and Navy SOF units. DOD relies on special operations personnel because they possess highly specialized skill sets, including cultural and regional awareness. Moreover, officials noted that increases in civilian positions were driven partly by DOD’s attempts to rebalance workload and become a cost-efficient workforce, namely by converting positions filled by military personnel or in-sourcing services performed by contractors to civilian positions. Figure 2 describes key events driving changes to the trends in special operations positions from fiscal years 2001 through 2014. More than half of the special operations military positions are Army positions, with the remainder allocated to the other services. Specifically, in fiscal year 2014, about 34,000 authorized special operations positions were Army positions (about 54 percent of the total authorized SOF positions). Figure 3 outlines the percentage of total authorized special operations military positions funded by each military service in fiscal year 2014. Authorized special operations military positions grew across the four service component commands—U.S. Army Special Operations Command, U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, and U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command—from fiscal years 2006 through 2014. Additional details on the number of positions at each of the service component commands can be found in appendixes II through V. SOCOM’s headquarters organizations grew even more substantially than growth in overall special operations military positons. As we reported in June 2014, SOCOM’s authorized military and civilian positions at the command’s headquarters organizations more than doubled—from 1,885 in fiscal year 2004 to 4,093 in fiscal year 2013 (a 117 percent increase). We reported that, according to SOCOM officials, this increase is partly attributable to increases in authorized positions at the Special Operations Research, Development, and Acquisition Center and increases in authorized positions to support recent and emerging missions. Military positions at the Theater Special Operations Commands, which plan and have responsibility for command and control of operations in support of the geographic combatant commands, also increased, from about 430 in fiscal year 2001 to just below 1,400 in fiscal year 2014 (a 226 percent increase). In May 2013, we reported that authorized positions grew at each of the geographic combatant commands’ Theater Special Operations Commands largely to fulfill increased mission requirements, such as operational requirements in the Middle East and increased demand for SOF in Africa. In addition, during this review officials noted that the establishment of two new Theater Special Operations Commands in support of the U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Northern Command areas of operation resulted in an increase in authorized military positions. In February 2013, the Secretary of Defense reassigned command of the Theater Special Operations Commands from the geographic combatant commands to SOCOM. This reassignment provides SOCOM with the authority to organize, train, and equip the Theater Special Operations Commands, while the geographic combatant commands retained operational control of the commands. SOCOM officials told us that they were in the process of reallocating positions from the headquarters to the Theater Special Operations Commands.