Although the Army officially established United States Army Africa (USARAF) as the Army component of Joint Combatant Command USAFRICOM back in 2009, it honored the unit’s 50-plus-year heritage by retaining the initialism SETAF, for Southern European Task Force, as the tab identifier worn above the shoulder sleeve insignia or CSIB.
SETAF was activated formally on 25 October 1955 and a temporary headquarters was erected at Camp Darby in southern Italy, bolstered by units stationed in Vincenza and Verona. Over the decades, SETAF assisted its Italian hosts by helping provide disaster response and relief on numerous occasions in addition to carrying out scores of missions in Europe and Africa.
Prior to the 2009 reorganization, SETAF units wore the maroon berets and AIRBORNE tabs associated with Airborne units, and took part in many operations in the region. Notable examples include a 2003 humanitarian mission in Liberia, a 2005 deployment to Afghanistan as part of the Combined Joint Task force 76, and a 2007 mission in Bulgaria and Romania as part of Joint Task Force East. Since the creation of USARAF, the number of missions in Africa has grown almost exponentially.