Delta Force

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1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Airborne)

1st SFOD-D (A) Insignia
Active 1978
Country United States
Branch United States Army
Type United States Special Operations Forces
Role Versatile Special Operations Force, mainly trained for Counter-Terrorism.
Part of United States Joint Special Operations Command
Garrison/HQ Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Nickname "Delta Force"
Battles/wars Operation Eagle Claw
Operation Urgent Fury
Operation Just Cause
Operation Desert Storm
Operation Restore Hope
Operation Gothic Serpent
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Iraqi Freedom

The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D), commonly referred to as Delta within the U.S. Army or as Delta Force by the general public and officially recognized by the Department of Defense as the Combat Applications Group, is a Special Operations Force (SOF) and an integral element of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).

The unit's primary tasks center around counter-terrorism, although it is an extremely versatile group and is fully capable of taking on any number of mission profiles. Delta Force is believed to conduct missions similar to those regularly attributed to the British Special Air Service (SAS), after which it was modeled.

Contents

[edit] Background

The Pentagon tightly controls information about Delta Force and publicly refuses to comment on the secretive unit and its activities. The unit was started by Charles Beckwith with starting participation by General William Westmoreland shortly after Vietnam. The unit took part in Operation Eagle Claw, the failed attempt to rescue American hostages from the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1980. The mission is widely thought to have failed due to an overly complex plan, inadequate Special Operations Aviation training for the accompanying aircrews, a collision between a rescue helicopter and a refuelling tanker aircraft, and mechanical problems with the helicopters transporting the rescuers, caused by a severe sandstorm which clogged the engine intakes and reduced the pilots' visibility to nearly nothing. After that debacle, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), also known as the "Nightstalkers", was founded and made responsible for the transporting of special forces personnel to and from Areas of Operation.

Since the 1990s, the Army has posted recruitment notices for the 1st SFOD-D [1] [2], which many believe refers to Delta Force. The Army, however, has never released an official fact sheet for the force.

In 1999, writer Mark Bowden published the book Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War, which chronicles the events that surrounded the October 3, 1993 Battle of Mogadishu. The book, in a short brief, relates Delta Force's involvement in the operations that occurred before the events leading to the battle. The book was later turned into a film by director Ridley Scott in 2001.

[edit] Operations

According to the book Inside Delta Force by Command Sergeant Major Eric L. Haney (ret.), the smallest unit is a team, consisting of four to five members. Each team specializes in HALO/HAHO, SCUBA, or other skill groups. The next tier is the troop level, consisting of four to five teams. Finally, squadron level (there are four squadrons) consists of two troops (Assault and Sniper). Squadrons are broken down into troops and teams as needed to fit mission requirements.

Each individual member of Delta is known as an operator, such as in the SAS. This was done to avoid confusion with the CIA's term operative. It is also theorized that Delta Force is involved in the assassinations of political enemies of the United States.

In Not A Good Day To Die: The Untold Story Of Operation Anaconda, Army Times staff writer Sean Naylor describes Delta as having nearly 1,000 operators. Naylor wrote that only approximately 250 of those are operators trained to conduct direct action and reconnaissance missions. Those soldiers are divided into three squadrons—A, B, and C—with each squadron subdivided into three troops. Two are assault troops while a third troop specializes in reconnaissance and surveillance and is known as the "recce" troop. The remaining soldiers in Delta are highly trained specialists in mechanics, communications, intelligence, and other support activities, on top of a headquarters staff. Naylor also wrote that Delta maintains an aviation squadron based somewhere else on the East Coast.

[edit] Recruitment and training

Most recruits come from the United States Army Special Forces (the Green Berets) and the 75th Ranger Regiment. However, recruits are also drawn from other branches of the military. Such recruits are usually men with skills such as proficiency in a foreign language or other desirable traits. The selection course begins with standard tests including: push-ups, swimming proficiency, sit-ups, and a three mile run. The recruits are then put through eighteen mile, all night marches while carrying a thirty-five pound rucksack. The rucksack's weight and the distance are increased and the time to complete the task is decreased with every march. The recruits must also be able to pass a test of navigation skills. The physical testing ends with a forty mile march with a forty-five pound rucksack over very rough terrain which must be completed in less than twenty hours. The mental portion of the testing begins with numerous psychological exams. The men then speak to the commander of Delta and others within the unit. If an individual is selected for Delta, training then begins, starting with firearms accuracy and training with other types of munitions. On many occasions, Delta Force will cross train with similar units from other coutries such as the British SAS, Polish Special Forces, and will even help train other U.S. units, such as the FBI's HRT.

[edit] Delta Force in modern conflicts

One of several operations in which Delta Force operators are thought to have played important roles was the invasion of Iraq in 2003. [3] They allegedly entered Baghdad in advance, undercover with long hair and moustaches, along with SEALs from DEVGRU, guiding air strikes, building networks of informants while eavesdropping on and sabotaging Iraqi communication lines.

The force was also involved in the offensive against the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2002. [4] Many observers strongly suspect that members of Delta Force made up one of two units involved in a raid on a residence belonging to Mullah Omar. According to the Pentagon, the level of resistance to that operation was minimal.

The Mullah was not present but some papers and computer disks were said to have been seized in the raid. Critics later alleged that the second unit was unnecessary, claiming that it was very large and uncoordinated. As a result, they say, the defenders were alerted early and the number of friendly casualties was in fact higher than reported. According to the book Shadow Wars by David Pugliese, Delta operators wanted a quiet insertion method which was denied as command opted for a combined Ranger assault. Taliban fighters apparently ambushed the team when they were extracting and several Delta operators were severely wounded.

Delta Force operators are granted an enormous amount of flexibility and autonomy, as with their Navy counterpart, DEVGRU. They reportedly do not maintain any general uniformed presence and civilian clothing is the norm on or off duty while at Ft. Bragg. This is done to conceal the identities of these "secret soldiers". Uniforms are rarely worn, if at all, with any markings, names, or branch names on them. Hair styles and facial hair are allowed to grow to civilian standards in order for the force to be able to blend in and not be immediately recognized as military personnel.

This special status that sets the force apart from the "regular army" is depicted quite accurately in the book Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden, and the film of the same name. The Army Rangers in the media, elite by their own right, have the standard "high and tight" haircuts, yet the Delta operators are seen to be sporting much longer styles with side burns, un-shaven faces, and non-military issue helmets (actually hockey helmets, more to protect from bumps and scrapes while entering buildings than against gunfire, as noted in the book) and boots.

Note: This is actually contradicted in the commentary on the special edition DVD, the rangers speaking says that it's depicted unaccurately and that the rangers had armycuts just as they did. It was purely cinematic to be able to tell the Deltas apart from the Rangers

According to Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War, Delta Force members are typically referred to by other personnel as "D-Boys", "Operators", "Rocks", or simply "Delta". The book also mentions that they hold little regard for rank within their force and refer to one another only by nicknames. Throughout the book Delta soldiers are recorded as expressing contempt for other, more regular US Army units, dismissing their training and combat performance. The Rangers on the other hand are throughout recorded as being in awe of the Delta soldiers, who were almost invariably older and with much greater skill and experience.

Delta's unconventional nature also allows its operators to carry highly customized weapons. Although their standard weapon of choice may be the M4 carbine, they also use the SOPMOD (Special Operations Peculiar Modification) kit on the M4, and it is not unusual to find them carrying foreign weapon systems that are often used by the enemy in the Area of Operation (AO). This is either to help them "blend in" with the locals or to use the ammunition from slain enemy fighters. Also, it has been noted in a popular weapons magazine (Special Weapons for Military & Police #34) that "Delta Force gives each member a stipend with which to purchase his own customized 1911 in (.45) caliber." Bowden records that one of the elite Delta Force soldiers, Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart, used an M14 in preference to the much more modern weapons of his colleagues. (Haney, in fact, notes that Delta snipers frequently use the M14 rather than more specialized sniping rifles).

Additionally, in his book Killing Pablo, Mark Bowden suggests that a Delta Force sniper may have eliminated Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. There is no hard evidence of this though and credit is generally attributed to Colombian security forces.

Delta Force has formed the core of the special strike unit which has been hunting individuals like Osama Bin Laden and others since the October 2001 beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom. It has been variously designated Task Force 11, then seemingly Task Force 121, then after that Task Force 145 and Task Force 6-26 (not necessarily in that order).

At least 11 soldiers assigned to Headquarters Company, U.S. Army Special Operations Command (a.k.a. "Delta Force") have been killed in Iraq since 2003.

[edit] Operations

[edit] Famous Delta Force operators

[edit] Delta Force in popular culture

  • Delta Force is referenced to in many video games, and is often a playable force.
  • There is a series of computer games named "Delta Force" that involve the players fighting against terrorists.
  • In the television series 24, agent Jack Bauer is noted to have previously been a member of Delta Force.
  • The television show The Unit is based on the book "Inside Delta Force" by the show's producer Eric Haney.
  • In the G.I. Joe comic book series by Larry Hama, the official name of the G.I. Joe Team is given as Special Counter-terrorist Group Delta.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. McGregor, James. Special mission recruiters look for elite to take up challenge. United States Marine Corps: Okinawa Marines (newspaper). June 28, 2002.
  2. Mountaineer. SFOD-D seeking new members. Fort Carson, Colorado: Mountaineer (publication). January 16, 2003.
  3. Hasenauer, Heike. A Special Kind of Hero. United States Army Publishing Agency: Soldiers. November 1995. Volume 50, No 11.
  4. Haney, Eric, former Delta Commando and founding member, 1979-1988, Inside Delta Force
  5. Naylor, Sean, staff writer Army Times, Not A Good Day To Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda
  6. Robinson, Linda, Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of the Special Forces
  7. National Geographic Documentary: Road to Baghdad

[edit] External links

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