Course Information

Target Audience: Course target audience includes Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), Special Operations Forces (SOF), SOF-enabling General Purpose Forces (GPF), and select interagency personnel, units, or agencies with a requirement for regional political-military, security, and cultural education as an enabler for analysis related to or operational missions in the Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) Area of Responsibility (AOR). Others are accepted on a space available basis. This course deliberately seeks to align its topic selections with applicable AFSOC, US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), Special Operations Command Southern (SOCSOUTH), U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), and relevant Headquarters United States Air Force (USAF) guidance, plans and operations. SOF quota requests are given priority.

Description: The SOUTHCOM Theater Course is a 4.5 day course that focuses on U.S. national security interests in South America, Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico with emphasis placed upon items of greatest interest to U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF). Content is tailored for Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) units that operate within the SOUTHCOM AOR as well as newly assigned staff at SOCSOUTH. The course addresses socio-economic, cultural, political, historical and military factors which influence SOF operations in support of SOUTHCOM's Theater Campaign Plan. Due to its SOF focus, topics include: Narcotics and Illicit Trafficking; Transnational Organized Crime; Transnational Gangs; Aviation Foreign Internal Defense, and Terrorist Organizations to include the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) and Shining Path of Peru. Course speakers are drawn from a diverse mix of SOF operators, academia, commercial industry, and interagency organizations.

Course Enrollment: STSOF is an Open Enrollment course. As such, it requires no prior approval from USAFSOS faculty. Students are required to obtain a training line number (TLN) from their unit training manager. For enrolling through unit training manager (Open Enrollment link above), supply the PDS code found in the above panel, along with desired course dates to your local training manager, who will in turn reserve a course quota for you in the training system. After obtaining a TLN, students need to access and complete registration for the course through Blackboard. Please see the link below and follow the instructions. All students should request a USAFSOS Blackboard account, which also enables access to specific course materials. To access Blackboard, copy and paste the following address into your browser's address bar: https://afsoc.blackboard.com. (We are currently unable to link directly to the USAFSOS Blackboard site per AFI 33-129, paragraph 6.91.)Note:

Note: On the first day of class, students should report NLT 07:30. This course is scheduled through NLT 14:00 on the last day class. Course credit will not be given for early departures. Travel arrangements should be made accordingly. 

 

 

 

 

! = Change || N/C = No Change || X = Cancelled

Course dates and locations are subject to change, Please verify schedule prior to departing duty location.

Updated 28 Aug 2018