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Groups > 3rd SFGA
The 3rd Special Forces Group was based at Fort Bragg, North
Carolina in the 1960s. It had the African continent as its area
of responsibility (AOR).
Activation. The group was activated on
December 5, 1963 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It would later be inactivated
in 1969. It was then reactivated on July 1, 1990 to provide
regional engagement in the Caribbean and Africa.
Basing. Currently it is based at Fort Bragg,
North Carolina.
Regional Focus. Over the course of history
3rd Group has had Africa as its prime area of responsbility.
Upon its reactivation in the 1990s 1st Battalion, 3rd Special
Forces Group was responsible for the Caribbean area. It provided
a major effort during deployments to Haiti in the 1990s. During the
long Global War on Terror (GWOT) the 3rd Special Forces Group
deployed its headquarters and sub-units to Afghanistan. It also
saw duty in other areas of CENTCOM as well - to include Iraq and
Djibouti.
3rd SFGA in the Middle East
Operation Desert Storm. Elements of the 3rd Special Forces
Group participated in the invasion of Iraq in early 1991.
Operation Iraqi Freedom. Elements of the 3rd Special Forces
Group participated in the initial invasion of Iraq in the spring
of 2003. It would later deploy its CIF to Iraq to work with the
Iraqi Counter Terrorism Force (ICTF) and other Iraqi SOF units.
3rd SFGA in Africa
The group has a long history of service in Africa beginning
in the 1960s. It would once again, after being
reactivated, serve in numerous countries on the African
continent. The activities of 3rd SFGA and Special Forces in
general became quite public in the aftermath of an ambush in
October 2017 that
killed four members of the group in Niger. The group has
also been involved in lesser known operations such as
Operation Noble Obelisk - the non-combatant evacuation
operation of American citizens from Sierra Leone in 1997.
3rd SFGA in Afghanistan
In the initial invasion of Afghanistan 5th Special Forces
teams based in Pakistan and southern Uzbekistan (K2) were
launched into Afghanistan to link up with the Northern Alliance
and other anti-Taliban groups. After the fall of the Taliban
regime the 5th Group returned to its base at Fort Campbell,
Kentucky to refit and prepare for the invasion of Iraq. The 3rd
Special Forces Group replaced the 5th Special Forces Group in
Afghanistan. The CJSOTF-A, formed around the nucleus of 3rd SFGA
HQs and augmented by members of the 20th Special Forces Group,
was based at Bagram Air Field. The 20th Special Forces Group
replaced the 3rd Special Forces Group in the summer of 2002.
Eventually, 3rd Group and 7th Group would rotate their units in
and out of Afghanistan for the next two decades.
Facts and Trivia
Nicknames. Currently the 3rd SFGA is
referred to as "The Bushmen". Past nicknames include "The
Third Herd" - dating back to the 1960s when it had Africa
as its AOR.
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