Modest Proposal. Its time for the USAF to setup its own Direct Action Special Ops Teams.

The USAF is part of SOCOM but its participation is a bit off.  It deploys its units as a whole but then sends out detachments with other units to perform missions.

That should stop and the USAF needs to make the final leap into setting up Direct Action Units.

Why?

Quite simply because operations will dictate it.  Most especially the way that Para-Rescue will be used in the future.  Between Para-Rescue, Combat Controllers and Combat Weathermen the beginnings of a direct action unit are already in place.  Using properly motivated members of the Security Forces would round things out.

But back to Para-Rescue.  The more I read about the future concept of operations...dropping a vehicle out the back of a helo or driving it off at one landing zone....traveling 50 miles or more to pick up the survivor and then continuing on another 50 miles or more to a pick up zone dictates the need for a force of more than 4 para-rescue men.  Quite honestly I could see a need for at least a platoon of men.  At the very least and armed to the teeth at that.

Inter-service cooperation is great.  Inter-service cooperation is awesome.  But getting it in house is great too and the Air Force has the capability.  Its just a matter of getting the will to make it happen.  Besides.  Ask any Security Forces person and they'll tell you that they're more than capable.  Time to prove it.