| 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne) | |
|---|---|
 20th SFG(A)beret flash | |
| Active | 1 May 1961 – present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army Army National Guard |
| Type | Special Forces |
| Role | Primary tasks:
|
| Part of | United States Special Operations Command United States Army Special Forces Command 1st Special Forces Command Alabama Army National Guard |
| Garrison/HQ | Birmingham, Alabama |
| Engagements | Vietnam War,Gulf War,War on Terrorism,War on ISIS |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel Ronald Guernsey |
| Insignia | |
| Former 20th SFG(A) recognition bar, worn by non-special operations qualified soldiers—in lieu of a beret flash—from the 1960s to 1984[1] |  |
| 20th SFG(A)background trimming | _Flash.png) |
| 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne)distinctive unit insignia, worn by all SFG(A)s and the 1st SFC(A) |  |
| 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne)shoulder sleeve insignia, worn by all 1st SFC(A) units | .png) |
| U.S. Special Forces Groups | ||||
|
The20th Special Forces Group (Airborne) (20th SFG) (A) is one of twoArmy National Guard groups for theUnited States Army Special Forces. 20th Group—as it is sometimes called—is designed to deploy and execute nine doctrinal missions:unconventional warfare,foreign internal defense,direct action,counter-insurgency,special reconnaissance,counter-terrorism,information operations,counterproliferation ofweapon of mass destruction, andsecurity force assistance.[2]
It is headquartered inBirmingham, Alabama (and is thus part of theAlabama Army National Guard) and as part of theUnited States Southern Command has an area of responsibility covering 32 countries, including Latin America south ofMexico, theCaribbean, theGulf of Mexico, and the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. The area is shared with theEglin Air Force Base–based7th Special Forces Group, which is theactiveRegular Army Special Forces group responsible for the same region.
Following the start of the globalwar on terror the 20th has been actively deployed toIraq,Afghanistan and other places around the world.
The first large scale activation of the 20th Special Forces Group took place during the firstGulf War. The unit was mobilized and based atFort Bragg, North Carolina for training. The7th Special Forces Group supported and validated the training. The war ended quickly and the 20th Group was soon deactivated. Some individual members did participate in the conflict as augmentees to other Special Forces groups or organizations.[3]
As many as 50 individuals served as augmentees to the10th Special Forces Group and deployed to Turkey and northern Iraq duringOperation Provide Comfort.[3]
The 20th Special Forces Group also provided several rotations of companies to the operation in Haiti during 1995 duringOperation Uphold Democracy.[3]
The 3rd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group deployed a significant number of its battalion headquarters to augment the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - Afghanistan (CJSOTF-A). At the time the CJSOTF-A was led and manned by the3rd Special Forces Group. The 3rd Battalion also provided companies to the fight in the early states ofOperation Enduring Freedom. The 20th Special Forces Group headquarters and support staff was activated in the spring of 2002, trained up at Fort McClellan, Alabama, and then deployed to Afghanistan to lead and man the CJSOTF-A. It was augmented by several officers and NCOs of7th Special Forces Group. In addition, the 1st Battalion deployed toKarshi-Khanabad Air Base, "K2," in Uzbekistan and basing AOBs and teams throughout northern and eastern Afghanistan. At the same time a battalion of the19th Special Forces Group was based atKabul Military Training Center just north of Kabul to train up the initial battalions of the Afghan National Army. The 2nd Battalion, 7th Group was based at Kandahar. 2nd Battalion 20th Special Forces Group would replace 1st Battalion at K2 in 2003. At this point, the entire unit had deployed to Afghanistan. The 20th Special Forces Group would continue to deploy its companies and battalions to Afghanistan for almost two decades. In addition, numerous individuals would serve as augmentees to several different organizations in Afghanistan over the years. The 20th Special Forces Group headquarters and support company was activated in 2011 and deployed to Afghanistan to augment the CJSOTF-A, and CFSOCC-A.[3]
Several individual augmentees from the 20th Special Forces Group served with various units in Iraq in the early stages (2003–2004) of the conflict - to include theCJSOTF-AP. Eventually almost all of the 20th Special Forces Group battalions and companies would rotate at least one time through Iraq from 2006 to 2011.[3]
Several companies and numerous individual augmentees would deploy in support ofOperation Inherent Resolve toIraq.[3]
For several years the 20th Special Forces Group manned the Special Operations Command and Control Element (SOCCE)Horn of Africa (HOA) located at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti.[3]
In March 2024, anInstagram post from 20th SFG featured a soldier photographed wearing a helmetpatch containing theNaziSSTotenkopf "Death's Head" skull and a partialAfrika Korps seal.[4] Initially, a public affairs officer from 20th SFG denied the association, defending and downplayed the post, claiming the patch was a "3rd group team patch taken out of context,"[5] (referencing a prior incident in which a 3rd SFG operator was similarly featured on social media wearing a team patch featuring Nazi insignia;[6] the patch was subsequently banned.) The Army initially made "conflicting statements" about the patch,[4] before quickly deleting the post after receiving "hundreds of comments" of criticism, prompting an investigation.[7] According to aUSASOC spokesperson, "The use of symbols and patches depicting historic images of hate are not tolerated and a clear violation of our values," and that "We are aware of the situation and looking into the matter further."[4]
The 20th Special Forces Group is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, with companies and battalions in the following locations:[8]
