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Groups > 7th SFGA
The 7th Special Forces Group was formed up in May 1960. The
77th Special Forces Group was reorganized and renamed as the 7th
Special Forces Group. in May 1962, and element of 7th SFGA
departd Fort Bragg for Panama to form up the 8th Special Forces
Group. In the 1960s, responding to the increased demand of
Special Forces mobile training teams throughout the world, the
7th SFGA provided the nucleus for the 3rd and 6th Special Forces
Groups.
Basing. For many decades 7th SFGA was based
at Fort Bragg, North Carolina - the home of the U.S. Army's
Special Forces. When the 8th Special Forces Group in Panama was
disbanded - it formed the nucleous of the 3rd Battalion 7th
Special Forces Group. Later the 3rd Battalion would move to Fort
Bragg; its Charlie company going to Roosevelt Roads in Puerto
Rico. Eventually C/3/7 would move to Fort Bragg. In 2011 7th
Group would depart Fort Bragg for Eglin Air Force Base in
Florida.
Regional Focus. In the 1960s and early 1970s
the 7th SFGA had a worldwide focus - covering those parts of the
world not covered by the 10th Special Forces Group and other SF
units. In time, it would concentrate on Central and
South America. 7th Group
played key roles in the countries of El Salvador, Honduras,
Panama, Colombia. It became involved in the counter narcotics
fight in countries of the Andean Ridge region including
Venezula, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia.
Laos. The 7th SFGA was involved in the
Indochina War very early - deploying teams to Laos as part of
Operation White Star.
Vietnam. Shortly after its involvement with
sending training teams to Laos 7th SFGA sent teams to work in
South Vietnam and Thailand.
Grenada. 7th SFGA participated in the
invasion of Grenada in 1983 - Operation Urgent Fury.
El Salvador. 7th SFGA played a crucial role
in adising the El Salvadorian military in its fight against
insurgents in the 1980s. Read
"7th SFG Stemmed the Tide, Guaranteed the Peace in El Salvador",
Special Operations.com, January 21, 2019.
Panama. 7th SFGA was a key player in the
invasion of Panama and overthrow of the Noriega regime.
Operation Just Cause took place in December 1989 to January
1990. Operation Promote Liberty immediately followed Just Cause.
Read more about Operation Just Cause and Operation Promote
Liberty
here.
Operation Safe Border. In early 1995, a
long-standing border dispute between Peru and Ecuador resulted
in armed conflict. A Military Observer Mission Ecuador / Peru
(MOMEP) element was formed to provide a multinational
peacekeeping force. 7th SFGA, along with
SOCSOUTH, played a leading role in the resolution of this
conflict.
Afghanistan. After 9/11 the 7th Special
Forces Group became heavily engaged in the
Afghan
conflict. It's first unit to deploy was 2nd Battalion based
in Kandahar in 2002 with some 7th Group staff officers and NCOs
augmenting 20th Special Forces Group which had taken over
command of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force -
Afghanistan (CJSOTF-A) located at Bagram Air Field (BAF). Within
a year the 7th SFGA would be rotating its battalions and group
hqs with the 3rd Special Forces Group. Many of the officers and
NCOs of 7th SFGA would also participate in the advisory effort
with specialized advisory teams working with the Afghan National
Army Special Operations Command and also fill out staff
positions with the
Special Operations Joint Task Force - Afghanistan (SOJTF-A)
based in Kabul. During the later part of the Afghan conflict the
teams of 7th SFGA were advising the
ANA Commandos,
ANA Special Forces, and the
Afghan Local Police (ALP). The ALP were an integral part of
the USSF
Village Stability Operations (VSO) program.
Operation Willing Spirit (2003-2008). 7th
SFGA was a key player in the long operation to recover three
U.S. Department of Defense contractors who were shot down in a
reconnaissance aircraft over Colombia. They were captured by the
FARC until rescued five years later.
Iraq War (2003-2011). A small number of 7th
SFGA personnel also participated in selected advisory operations in the
Iraq War - deploying with units of South American countries that
provided troops to that conflict. For instance, SFODA 741
conducted a SFLE with the El Salvador Cuscatlan Battalion in Al
Hillah, Babylon Province, Iraq circa 2004.
Other Facts and Trivia
Nickname. At some point in the 2000s the
group started referring to itself as "The Red Empire".
Websites with Info about 7th Special Forces Group
7th Special Forces Group Facebook
www.facebook.com/7thspecialforcesgroup
7th Special Forces Group by Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7th_Special_Forces_Group_(United_States)
U.S. Special Operations Command South
www.socso.southcom.mil/default_new.aspx
7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Eglin Air Force Base
www.eglin.af.mil/units/7specialforcesgroup/
The Red 7 Newspaper. An online newspaper serving the 7th
Special Forces Community.
www.thered7.net
Fact Sheet - 7th Special Forces Group, Eglin Air Force Base
www.eglin.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=19911
Profile: 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) by Military.com
www.military.com/special-operations/profile-7th-special-forces-group-airborne.html
7th Special Forces Group by Special Forces Search Engine.
www.groups.sfahq.com/7th/
Chapter 7 Special Forces Association, Eglin Air Force Base,
Florida
www.sfa7.com
Special Forces Association Chapter 7 Facebook
www.facebook.com/SFA07
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