Number: RS22017
Title: Special Operations Forces (SOF) and CIA Paramilitary Operations: Issues for Congress
Authors: Richard A. Best, Jr., and Andrew Feickert, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division 
Abstract: The 9/11 Commission Report recommended that responsibility for directing and executing paramilitary operations should be shifted from the CIA to the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The President directed the Secretary of Defense and Director of Central Intelligence to review this recommendation and present their advice by mid-February 2005, but ultimately, they did not recommend a transfer of paramilitary responsibilities. This report describes special operations conducted by DOD and paramilitary operations conducted by the CIA and discusses the background of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations.
Pages: 6
Date: December 6, 2006