The Special Forces Operational Detachment-A, or A-Team, is the fundamental building block for all Special Forces Groups. There are six A detachments in each Special Forces company.

     A captain leads the 12-man team. Second in command is a warrant officer. An Operations sergeant, also known as the Team Sergeant is responsible for all operational aspects of the team. An Intelligence sergeant, responsible for intelligence collection, processing and target analysis also serves as an assistant operations sergeant. Two noncommissioned officers, or NCOs, per functional area: weapons, engineer, medical, and communications, comprise the remainder of the team. All team members are SF qualified and cross-trained in different skills, as well as being multi-lingual.

     Capabilities of the highly-versatile A-team include: planning and conducting SF operations separately or as part of a larger force; infiltrating and exfiltrating specified operational areas by air, land, or sea; conducting operations in remote areas and hostile environments for extended periods of time with a minimum of external direction and support; developing, organizing, equipping, training and advising indigenous forces up to battalion size in special operations; training, advising and assisting other U.S. and allied forces and agencies; planning and conducting unilateral SF operations; performing other special operations as directed by higher authority.

     In the SF battalion, two of the 18 A-teams are trained in combat diving and three are trained in military free-fall parachuting. Both are used as methods of infiltration.

     The detachment can serve as a manpower pool from which SF commanders organize tailored SF teams to perform specific missions.

     In general, A-teams are equipped with communications, i.e. tactical satellite communications, high-frequency radios, and global positioning systems. Medical kits include laboratory and dental instruments and supplies, sterilizer, resuscitator-aspirator, water-testing kits and veterinary equipment. Other key equipment includes individual and perimeter defense weapons as well as electric and non-electric demolitions and night-vision devices. Equipment distribution may be geared to conform to specific missions.

     For underwater or waterborne infiltration, scuba teams are equipped with open-circuit twin 80s SCUBA tanks, closed-circuit Draeger (rebreather) Lar-V, Zodiac boat and Klepper kayaks. Military free-fall parachuting teams use MC4 ram air parachutes and oxygen systems.

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