The U.S. Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR, pronounced "Sock-Yer") is a subordinate unified command of

United States Special Operations Command The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or SOCOM) is the unified combatant command charged with overseeing the various special operations component commands of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force of the United States A ...

(SOCOM, pronounced So-Comm).

Function

Based at Patch Barracks near

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

, Germany, SOCEUR's function is to plan for use of

Special Operations Special operations or special ops are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment." Special operations ma ...

forces within EUCOM's area of responsibility, employ the forces, and assess whether they are achieving the desired results. SOCEUR conducts these activities as part of the US effort to strengthen the military capabilities and security of partner nations in Europe and counter threats to the US and its European partners.

Components

Forces of the

for which SOCEUR is responsible include: 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne); Naval Special Warfare Unit 2; 352d Special Operations Wing; and the SOCEUR Signal Detachment.

Geographic focus

SOCEUR's area of responsibility is based on EUCOM's. It consists of 51 countries, and extends from

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

to the European continent. It includes all of

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

, and the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

region.

History

In 1955, the US European Command established Support Operations Command Europe to provide planning and operational control for Special Operations forces in the EUCOM area of responsibility. Later that year, EUCOM re-designated the new unit as Support Operations Task Force Europe (SOTFE). When France withdrew from the

North Atlantic Treaty Organization The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental transnational military alliance of 32 member states—30 European and 2 North American. Established in the aftermat ...

(NATO) in 1967, SOTFE moved from its headquarters in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

to Panzer Kaserne near Stuttgart,

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

. In 1968, SOTFE moved to Patch Barracks. As part of the Goldwater-Nichols Act reforms, on May 30, 1986, SOCEUR was confirmed by the

Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, which advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and ...

as a subordinate unified command of EUCOM and the EUCOM Special Operations Director took on the added role of SOCEUR commander Originally focused on containment of the

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until it dissolved in 1991. During its existence, it was the largest country by are ...

during the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

, after the

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...

ended in 1991 SOCEUR's focus shifted to other European countries,

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

and the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. Since then, SOCEUR and its components have taken part in special operations during Operations

Desert Storm , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

, Provide Comfort and Provide Comfort II. In addition, prior to the creation of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) and Special Operations Command Africa, SOCEUR took part in activities in Africa to include Silver Anvil (

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

) and Atlas Response (

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

). SOCEUR also participated in operations in the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

, including Joint Endeavor, Joint Guard, Allied Force,

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...

, and

Operation Iraqi Freedom The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...

Commanders

Commanders of Special Operations Command Europe since its establishment as a EUCOM subordinate unified command include: *James T. “Terry” Scott, July 1987 – September 1989 *Richard W. Potter Jr., September 1989 – July 1992 *

Keith Kellogg Joseph Keith Kellogg Jr. (born May 12, 1944) is an American diplomat and retired Lieutenant general (United States), lieutenant general in the United States Army. He previously served as the national security advisor to Vice President Mike Penc ...

, July 1992 – July 1994 * Michael A. Canavan, July 1994 – July 1996 *Geoffrey C. Lambert, August 1996 – July 1998 * Eldon A. Bargewell, August 1998 - June 2000 *Leslie L. Fuller, July 2000 – July 2002 *Gary M. Jones, July 2002 – August 2003 *Thomas R. Csrnko, August 2003 – June 2006 * William H. McRaven, June 2006 – March 2008 *Michael S. Repass (acting), March 2008 – May 2008 *Frank J. Kisner, May 2008 – July 2010 *Michael S. Repass, July 2010 – July 2013 * Marshall B. Webb, July 2013 – August 2014 *Gregory Lengyel, August 2014 – June 2016 * Mark C. Schwartz, June 2016 – June 2018 * Kirk W. Smith, June 2018 – August 2020 * David H. Tabor, August 2020 – June 2022 *Steven G. Edwards, June 28, 2022 – July 2024 *Joseph G. Lock, July 2024 – October 2024 * Richard E. Angle, October 2024 – present

References

Sources

Internet

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News

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Magazines

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Books

* * {{US Special Operations Forces +Europe Organisations based in Stuttgart Military units and formations established in 1986 1986 establishments in West Germany United States military in Stuttgart