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The Imperial Special Operations Force (commonly known as ISOF or simply SOF) is the special forces command of the Imperial Belhavian armed forces that is responsible for overseeing the special-operations mission needs for the Belhavian military. It is nominally headquartered in the Ministry of War Headquarters, the centralized command for the Ministry of War, but is rumored to have its actual command headquarters outside of Provisa.
Role
ISOF executes special-operations missions across the world, operating advanced special operations, including direct action, unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, psychological operations, counter-terrorist and counter-insurgency, and special reconnaissance missions on behalf of the Imperial armed forces or independently on presidential decree for intelligence-gathering purposes.
Doctrine
Unlike most world powers, Belhavia as part of its 1946 military and intelligence reforms, abolished individual special-forces within various branches of the military, including the Army, Navy, and Air Force, among others, and created a unified special-forces command that had a more generalist command that would sacrifice extreme competence in specific areas through a multiple-command special forces structure, such as the United Republic Special Operations Command, and create greater cohesion and efficiency through a unified command.
Nonetheless, ISOF is split into an Army, Naval, Air, Marine, and General subcommand branches that specialize in special warfare in each branch's unique conditions and needs.
Allied military analysts have long criticized Belhavia's approach in this manner, arguing it decreases competence and mission achievability, but clandestine field studies have suggested the Belhavian approach's results differ little from other allied special-forces command structures.
Relationship with IBI
Owing to its separate intelligence-gathering and reconnaissance-gathering mandates, ISOF is often paired with Imperial Belhavian Intelligence (IBI) on missions of the highest secrecy, including clandestine operations, assassinations, and black book operations.
Relationship with DISE
Similar to the IBI, ISOF will on a more rare occasion work alongside the Department of Internal Security and Enforcement (DISE), usually on interagency cooperation and special joint task forces that involve the IBI and other relevant military and security organizations on a specific threat or national security concern.
Organization
Army Warfare
The SOF-AW branch, the Army-centric special operations force, is nicknamed the Maccabees, of the Chanukah story. The Maccabees are tasked with five primary missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, and counter-terrorism.
Other duties include: combat search and rescue (CSAR), counter-narcotics, counter-proliferation, hostage rescue, humanitarian assistance, humanitarian demining, information operations, peacekeeping, psychological operations, security assistance, and manhunts.
As special operations units, the Maccabees are usually not under the command authority of Army ground commanders in active deployment zones. Instead, while in theater, SOF-AW units mostly report directly to a senior-level geographic Army command or authorities.
The SOF-NW branch, the Navy-centric special operations force, is nicknamed the Bluecaps for their distinctive off-duty service headwear. The Bluecaps' duty is to conduct small-unit maritime military operations which originate from, and return to a river, ocean, swamp, delta, or coastline. They are trained and prepared to operate in all environments in a variety of climates, such as desert, arctic, and jungle, however, they rarely are used in this manner.
Several Bluecap teams are deployed and rotated on warships abroad, and have special helicopter and military air transportation earmarked for their use for deployment on a rapid basis from a Navy warship to a target zone anywhere in the world in an hour's notice.
Air Warfare
(Not to be confused with the Belfrasian airborne special forces command of the same name or the Arcevian military police)
The SOF-AW branch, the Air Force-centric special operations forces, is nicknamed the Red Berets for their service headwear. Their duties include combat search and rescue missions, collect intelligence, as well as call in close air support or airstrikes against enemy combatants. They are often partnered with other branch-centric ISOF teams overseas when air power is needed or advantageous.
They are organized, trained and equipped specifically for various special operations missions facilitating air operations on the battlefield.
Marine Warfare
The SOF-MW branch, the Marine Corps-centric special operations forces, is nicknamed the Diskauts, Yiddish for literally the Scouts, for their standard tactical mission use. Their duties include are direct action, special reconnaissance, and foreign internal defense. Since the 1990s, they have been authorized to conduct counter-terrorism and information operations as well.
General Special Warfare
The SOF-GSW branch, unlike its peers, has no specific colloquial nickname or mission mandate. It is a "catch-all" division for unorthodox special operations forces that are non-branch-specific. Among its mandates include cyberwarfare, information security, and other IT-related functions as well as a rumored litany of so-called "black projects, technologies, and personnel".
Gallery
- NB spec forces army pic.jpg
Allegedly a picture of a Maccabee operator team in Westonaria in 2006, claimed by critics to be aiding WDF units against black anti-apartheid insurgents.
- NB spec forces navy pic.png
A SOF-NW operator during Operation Fire & Ice military war games in 2012 in the Far South.
- NB spec forces air pic.jpg
SOF-AW operators firing during a mock drill in New Shelvoy, c. 2013.
- NB spec forces marine pic.jpg
Allegedly a picture of a SOF-MW operator team during a clandestine operation in Akkadiya, c. 2014.