3rd SFG Africa Mission – When the 3rd Special Forces Group was reactivated at Fort Bragg in July 1990 it was assigned regional responsibility for the Caribbean area and Africa. Prior to that the Caribbean was a 7th Special Forces Group responsibility and Africa was a 10th Special Forces Group responsibility. When 9/11 occurred 3rd Special Forces Group found itself heavily engaged in Afghanistan while also providing elements to the Iraq conflict (OIF) and elsewhere.
The requirements for 3rd Special Forces Group in Afghanistan and Iraq have diminished so the group is now focused on the 3rd SFG Africa mission. The Fort Bragg-based Special Forces Group is heavily involved in many of the 54 countries in Africa.
The continent is plagued with insurgencies and terrorist groups. The Islamic State has made inroads in Libya, Joseph Kony’s Lords Resistance Army still exists in a remote border area in northern areas of Uganda and other neighboring countries, and Boko Haram is firmly entrenched in the border areas of Nigeria and neighboring countries. Kenya is troubled with incursions by terrorists from Somalia (along its northern border). Somalia itself is a mess and classified as a failed state with a major insurgent problem.
The 3rd SFG Africa mission requires the Special Forces Soldiers to work closely with other U.S. government agencies and with the military of host and allied nations. Africa is a large continent with great distances from the working location to good medical facilities – so medical evacuation for injuries or sickness is problematic. The Special Operations Command Africa (SOCAfrica) oversees much of the activity, coordination, and support for the special operations missions on the continent.
Drew Brooks, the military editor for The Fayetteville Observer, has provided us a detailed account of the 3rd SFG Africa mission. Read “3rd Special Forces Group ‘all in’ on Africa mission”, The Fayetteville Observer, July 8, 2017.
