Special Operations Command (Philippines)

The Armed Forces of the Philippines Special Operations Command (abbrv. as AFPSOCOM) is the unified special operations command of the AFP. It is responsible for planning, conducting, and supporting special operations. Although the current command was established in April 2018, the date marked as the official anniversary of AFPSOCOM is January 16, 1978. The same date the Philippine Army Special Warfare Brigade (ASWABde) was organized, to which AFPSOCOM traces its origin.
History.
The AFPSOCOM traces its roots to the Philippine Army Special Warfare Brigade (ASWABde) that was organized in January 1978. The Army Special Warfare Brigade was the first attempt to unify the specialties of two army units with the most highly trained personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Special Forces and the Scout Rangers, and structure their collective efforts into a highly effective army unit. Disbanded in 1986, it was reactivated as the Philippine Army Special Operations Command (PA-SOCOM) in 1995. It has been headquartered in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija since its reactivation, and was expanded in 2004 to accommodate the newly activated Light Reaction Company.
In April 2018, the PA-SOCOM was elevated to an Armed Forces combatant command and became the AFPSOCOM. The AFP Joint Special Operations Group (AFP-JSOG) was also disbanded and its officers, enlisted personnel and units was transferred to form the core of the new command. The units transferred from the AFP-JSOG included not just the Light Reaction Regiment, but also the Naval Special Operations Group and the 710th Special Operations Wing. The AFP-JSOG K-9 Platoon was also included into the new command.
Unit mission.
The mission of the AFPSOCOM is to plan, conduct and support special operations in all operational environments in support of the fundamental missions of the entire Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Unit core capabilities.
SOCOM forces are employed based on the following core capabilities:
Units.
The current AFP Special Operations Command is organized into: