U.S. Special Forces Operate in More Than 80 Countries!

• U.S. Special Forces Operate in More Than 80 Countries!
  by ALL GOV., http://www.blacklistednews.com/  
  The reach of the U.S. military is virtually endless, with nearly every nation on earth having some kind of American armed forces presence. The commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has said that in 80 of those countries there are now Special Forces troops.
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  The U.S. Special Forces are a kind of army within an army. There are about 69,000 sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines in the Special Operations Forces (SOF), which operate as part of USSOCOM under Army General Joseph Votel.
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  Votel testified (pdf) to the House Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities last month, outlining the mission and capabilities of USSOCOM. Votel described the reach of SOF troops, pointing out that in 80 countries around the world, about 3,500 are stationed in “forward” positions and 7,000 in support of Geographic Combatant Commandoperations. Missions, he said, include working with governments to improve local security to “high-risk counterterrorism operations.”
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  U.S. Special Forces are stretched thin, Votel said, with most having done between four and 10 deployments, and often less than a year off between overseas tours. “SOF and their families have been under unprecedented levels of stress; it is imperative to address the effects of more than 13 years of combat operations,” Votel testified.
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