Special Warfare Journal

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Stability by Design: How ARSOF Culture Empowers the Operator and Anchors the Household

Military service is built on a shared cultural identity. Conversations across the force often default to the concept that every Soldier is part of one Army. All Soldiers, from Stryker infantrymen to Special Forces weapons sergeants, share the foundational identity represented by the U.S. Army nametape worn above their heart. Likewise, every Soldier is bound by the same oath and serves the same Constitution. However, this shared foundation overshadows the profound organizational and cultural differences between the conventional force and Army special operations forces (ARSOF).

Tag: SORB

Special Operations Surgical Team (SOST) members assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing perform a field cricothyrotomy on a simulated patient at Northeast Alabama Regional Airport, Alabama, Mar. 17, 2022. The SOST team is an extremely lightweight, mobile, and rapidly deployable element that is medically and tactically trained to provide trauma resuscitation and life-saving surgical care on or near the battlefield. (U.S. Air Force photo by SrA Christopher H. Stolze)

May 15, 2025

Austere Resuscitative and Surgical Care Teams: Supporting Far-Forward Trauma Care on the Future Battlefield

FORT BRAGG, North Carolina — Over two decades of conflict in the Middle East, deployed military medical capabilities have made significant advancements in tactical combat casualty care, damage control resuscitation, and damage control surgery. Among these improvements include the austere resuscitative and surgical care (ARSC, pronounced ärsk) teams, whose history extends back to Operation Eagle Claw in 1980 when special operations forces (SOF) identified a need for far-forward surgical teams. The concept of ARSC teams expanded to conventional forces in the 1990s, later proving crucial during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The ARSC can be defined as an “advanced medical capability delivered by small teams with limited resources, often beyond traditional timelines of care, and bridges gaps in roles of care to enable forward military operations and mitigate risk to the force.”01 The recent deployment of these highly skilled teams closer to the front lines has made combat surgical capabilities readily accessible in the most restricted operational environments.

March 20, 2025

Operators Wanted: SORB Navigating the Recruiting Challenges Facing the Army

FORT BRAGG, NC — The Army is working to overcome recruitment and retention issues at a time when the nation is facing new geopolitical challenges. Those recruitment issues are many and come with consequences, including how the Army’s special operations forces recruit, select, train, and man units with important ongoing overseas missions and commitments. The Special Operations Recruiting Battalion (SORB) is currently assisting the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) with navigating this recruiting challenge. This article discusses the obstacles to recruiting, the SORB mission, and a growing initiative that will benefit the special operations community and the wider Army as we train and fight together to stay ready to protect the nation.