Unit History
The ASWABde
SOCOM, PA traces its roots to the Army Special Warfare Brigade (ASWABde) that was organized in 1978. The ASWABde was a first attempt to reign in the specialties of the Special Forces and the Scout Rangers, two army units that have among the most highly trained personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and structure their collective efforts into a highly effective army unit.
Following the destabilization attempts of the late 1980s, ASWABde was deactivated and the Special Forces Regiment (Airborne) was placed directly under the control of Headquarters Philippine Army while the First Scout Ranger Regiment was unfilled.
Re-organization during the 1990s
Finding a new need to bring together the efforts of the two regiments, the reorganization of a command to control these elite units was brought up. Additionally, the re-organization and re-assignment of Operational Controls in various units of the AFP also affected the decision to re-establish a "Special Operations Command".
On 25 July 1995, SOCOM was created at Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija. The First Scout Ranger Regiment was stationed at Camp Tecson in San Miguel, Bulacan while the Special Forces Regiment (Airborne) was transferred to its traditional home at Fort Magsaysay.
Read more about this topic: Special Operations Command (Philippines)
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