The Rhode Island Army National Guard stood up Special Operations Detachment-Global in 2006. Since then, the little-known unit has been trekking around the world, visiting many of the major hot spots in America’s war on terrorists.

SOD-G is a strange outfit. The National Guard has eight Special Operations Detachments, but Rhode Island’s is the only one whose mission area encompasses the whole globe. SOD-G’s commandos have deployed to Afghanistan, Djibouti, Iraq, Kenya and Yemen, among other crises zones.

With such wide-ranging responsibilities, SOD-G is largest of Guard commando detachments. In 2006, the unit had 36 personnel instead of the standard 30.

According to the unit’s command sergeant major John Nolan, SOD-G’s currently has people in Afghanistan. Special Operations Forces play an increasingly central role the country as the U.S. withdraws the bulk of its regular forces.

Nolan said that detachment members were at Homestead Air Force Base in Florida between 2008 and 2009 in order to help out U.S. Southern Command, which oversees American ops in Latin America.