NATO’s Special Operations Forces play a pivotal role in the collective defence of the NATO Alliance. Allied Special Operations Forces Command (SOFCOM) was established in 2007 to provide strategic advice to NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), promote SOF development across NATO and support the NATO mission in Afghanistan by building and enabling capable, interoperable NATO SOF units. A
s NATO rebalanced its focus from operations in Iraq and Afghanistan to the collective defence of the Euro-Atlantic, SOFCOM similarly pivoted its mission. Under SOFCOM’s leadership, the SOF of NATO offers the Alliance a strategic advantage which helps to deter adversaries and enables rapid defensive employment should deterrence fail. As NATO’s SOF Theatre Component Command, SOFCOM is an operational headquarters with the ability to command and control forces placed under NATO’s authority. Additionally, it serves as the focal point for cohering SOF effects in theater to support Alliance military objectives. SOFCOM enables the readiness, deployability, integration and interoperability of NATO SOF by writing policy and doctrine, providing education and training, and ensuring the verification and certification of forces. Through these activities, SOFCOM ensures Allies provide capable SOF units to deter in peacetime and defend in crisis. SOFCOM is co-located with Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium and is commanded by a United States three-star general officer with a British Army Brigadier serving as the deputy commander. It falls under the operational command of SACEUR. Twenty-seven NATO member countries and three partners (Austria, Ireland and NATO-invitee Sweden) are represented among the headquarters staff of more than 200 personnel. SOFCOM is also home to the NATO Special Operations University (NSOU), located at Chièvres Air Base, Belgium. NSOU provides training and education to build Allies’ SOF capabilities, capacity and interoperability. NSOU enhances the development of capable, credible and durable geographically oriented SOF relationships and structures to achieve NATO’s objectives.
