How do Special Forces Officers differ from their Enlisted counterparts job wise?

2020-06-24T13:10:57-04:00

I know for conventional forces, once you hit captain you're mainly sitting in an office. However for 18A's do the go on missions with their men or do more admin tasks considering theyre are at a minimum a CPT, and at what rank does it become more of an admin?

Response by MSG Dan Castaneda made Jun 24 at 2020 1:33 PM

2020-06-24T13:33:04-04:00

Captains get two years team time. After that it’s pretty much staff. While they are company commanders they can still go on mission with their men and plan missions as an AOB, but even that is limited to their task and purpose given.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 24 at 2020 2:35 PM

2020-06-24T14:35:46-04:00

Case in point (and for sure others).

https://www.cnn.com/2011/10/06/us/afghanistan-horse-soldiers-memorial/index.html

Monument honors U.S. 'horse soldiers' who invaded Afghanistan - CNN

The U.S. Special Operations team that led the 2001 Afghanistan invasion on horseback will be memorialized in a new monument at ground zero.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 24 at 2020 5:13 PM

2020-06-24T17:13:53-04:00

The deference is with-in the person, not the rank.

Response by 1SG Leroy Lucero made Jun 24 at 2020 6:35 PM

2020-06-24T18:35:58-04:00

Captains are not company commanders in an ODA. They are a team leader of an a-team . They have a 12 man team. Company commanders are Majors. Team captain will serve at least 2 years as team captain, than they are moved to a staff position.

Response by MSG Glen Miller made Jun 24 at 2020 6:43 PM

2020-06-24T18:43:22-04:00

Well Xavier let me tell you from my experience. It may be a bit outdated because I’ve been retired for 12 years and I’m sure many things have changed, so take my comment with a grain of salt.
Wen I was in SF for about 16 years we had two types of 18A. The ones that came out of some support units and thought they could run an SF team like the privets they had in their old unit. That definitely doesn’t work and sooner or later they found their gear in the hallway outside the team room and the door locked. Of course there were exceptions but few and far between.
The other type of office came from the enlisted ranks and is far superior to the previously mentioned officer. This officer has been a E-6 or E-7 and know what needs to be done. Many times we worked in split teams and having a CPT on your split that didn’t want to listen to his SR advisors is a failed mission.
Every O tries to stay on a team as long as possible but you can figure two years and you’ll become a desk jockey. The only long time team member is the 180A. Hope this helped and good luck in your endeavors.

Response by SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 25 at 2020 6:24 AM

2020-06-25T06:24:27-04:00

The movie 12 strong comes to mind

Response by CPT Nicholas D. made Jun 25 at 2020 8:57 AM

2020-06-25T08:57:26-04:00

Every Soldier on an ODA has a specific purpose and task. The enlisted Teammates will have their functional areas to focus on: 18B(Weapons and Training/Ops); 18C (Engineering and Logistics); 18D (Medical and Personnel); 18E (Commo and Commo); 18F (Intel); 18Z (Operations and Team Management).

The officers have the same purpose, to focus on their lanes: 180A (Command and Intel); 18A (Command).

An 18A is a unique position since they are typically the most inexperienced Special Forces Soldiers on the team, but SHOULD have leadership traits and other previous leadership experiences that make them effective decision makers and commanders. As others have mentioned, their time on an ODA will be limited. With that said, it is an important job. The overall direction of the team’s employment is the primary mission while being a representative for the external interactions for the ODA. Whether with the command, adjacent units, local nationals/host nation, or partner forces... the 18A is the Ambassador for the team. This requires a level of charisma and verve. You are your team’s salesman.

The 18A is absolutely responsible to be a commander, but it does require an unconventional style of leadership. A college degree and a source of commission are not license to assert yourself as the complete authority on all things to a team that has an exponential quantity of SOF experience. It is a position that many officers will need to earn their respect rather than demanding supreme allegiance. The balance that most 18As will need to achieve is mature decision-making while harnessing the experience of the TEAM to accomplish the ODA’s mission. The 18Z will “run” the team’s functions... The 18A steers that function on task.

If 18A didn’t make 11 of the best friends he ever imagined, he possibly went about his job wrong. The 18A needs to be a leader and a servant. There is little room for totalitarians on ODAs. That doesn’t mean the 18A should be a push-over or an empty uniform. The regiment needs good men willing to set the tone and provide guidance on the team’s direction. That takes courage, humility, loyalty, and team work. The 18A can enable a team to flourish or fail. And there have been more than one O3’s that have discovered their equipment stacked neatly in the hallway outside of the team room.

Being an ODA Commander is one of the best jobs on the team. But it comes with a lot of responsibility and added stress. Hopefully, you’re a “people person,” because paygrade only carries so much weight.

Good luck!