Jump to content

Delta Force: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
N512ma (talk | contribs)
108 edits
article name change
Line 1: Line 1:
#REDIRECT [[Army Compartmented Elements]]
{{About|the Special Operations Force|the computer game|Delta Force (video game)|the movie|The Delta Force (film)|the Vietnam War Era Special Forces unit|Project DELTA}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name = Army Compartmented Elements (ACE)
| image = [[File:Delta-Operators-1.jpg]]
| caption = ACE operators in Afghanistan.
| dates = November 21, 1977 – present
| country = {{flag|United States of America}}
| branch = [[File:United States Department of the Army Seal.svg|20px]] [[United States Army]]
| type = [[Special Operations]]
| role = Tier One [[Special Operations Force]]
| size = Classified <ref>[[Eric L. Haney]], '[[Inside Delta Force|Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit]]', [[Delacorte Press]], 2002</ref>
| command_structure = [[File:Special Operations Specops Army.svg|20px]] [[United States Special Operations Command|U.S. Special Operations Command]]<br/>[[File:JSOC_emblem.jpg|20px]] [[Joint Special Operations Command]]<br/>[[File:US Army Special Operations Command SSI.svg|20px]] [[United States Army Special Operations Command|U.S. Army Special Operations Command]]
| garrison = [[Fort Bragg (North Carolina)|Fort Bragg, North Carolina]] (35.12047,-79.363775)
<!-- Commanders -->
| current_commander =
| ceremonial_chief =
| colonel_of_the_regiment =
| notable_commanders =
<!-- Culture and history -->
| nickname = Delta Force, Delta, D-boys, CAG
| battles = [[Operation Eagle Claw]]<br>[[Operation Urgent Fury]]<br>[[Operation Just Cause]]<BR>[[Operation Acid Gambit]]<BR>[[Operation Desert Storm]]<br>[[Operation Restore Hope]]<br>[[Operation Gothic Serpent]]<br>[[War in Afghanistan (2001-present)|Operation Enduring Freedom]]<br>[[Operation Iraqi Freedom]]
| anniversaries =
| decorations =
| battle_honours =
}}

'''Army Compartmented Elements''' ('''ACE''') is one of the United States' secretive [[Special Operations Forces Tier System|Tier One]] counter-terrorism and [[Special Mission Unit|Special Mission Units]]. Commonly and formerly known as '''Delta''', or '''Delta Force''', it was formed under the designation '''1st SFOD-D''', and is officially referred to by the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] as a '''Combat Applications Group'''.<ref>{{cite book|last=North|first=Oliver|title=American Heroes in Special Operations|year=2010|publisher=B&H Publishing Group|isbn=9780805447125|page=9|url=http://books.google.com/?id=CODVISdxxssC&pg=PA9&dq=tier+one+special+forces#v=snippet&q=Delta%20force%20or%20Combat%20Application%20Group&f=false}}</ref> Delta Force, along with its [[United States Navy|Navy]] counterpart [[Naval Special Warfare Development Group|DEVGRU]], are the United States' primary counter-terrorism units.

ACE's primary tasks are [[counter-terrorism]], [[direct action (military)|direct action]], and national intervention operations, although it is an extremely versatile group capable of assuming many covert missions, including, but not limited to, [[Hostage crisis|rescuing hostages]] and [[Raid (military)|raids]].<ref>http://www.military.com/Recruiting/Content/0,13898,rec_step02_special_forces,,00.html</ref>

== History ==
Delta was formed after numerous, well-publicized [[Terrorism|terrorist]] incidents in the 1970s led the U.S. government to create a counter-terrorist unit.

Key military and government figures had already been briefed on a model for this type of unit in the early 1960s. [[Charles Alvin Beckwith|Charles Beckwith]], a member of the [[Special Forces (United States Army)|US Army Special Forces]] had served as an [[exchange officer]] with the [[British Army|British Army's]] [[Special Air Service]] (22 SAS Regiment). Upon his return, Beckwith presented a detailed report highlighting the U.S Army's vulnerability in not having an SAS-type unit. U.S. Army Special Forces in that period focused on [[unconventional warfare]], but Beckwith recognized the need for, "not only teachers, but doers."<ref>Beckwith, Charles. "Delta Force", [[Avon Books]], 2000. (Mass market paperback; original work published 1983.) ISBN 0380809397. (pg. 39)</ref> He envisioned highly adaptable and completely autonomous small teams with a broad array of special skills for [[direct action (military)|direct action]] and [[counter-terrorism|counter-terrorist]] missions. He briefed military and government figures, who were overtly resistant to create a new unit outside of Special Forces, or change existing methods. Finally, in the mid-70's, as terrorism grew, Pentagon brass tapped Beckwith to form the unit.<ref>Beckwith, Charles. "Delta Force", [[Avon Books]], 2000. (Mass market paperback; original work published 1983.) ISBN 0380809397</ref>

Beckwith had estimated that it would take 24 months to get his new unit mission-ready. In the meantime, the [[5th Special Forces Group (United States)|5th Special Forces Group]] created [[Blue Light]], a small counter-terrorist contingent which operated until Delta became fully operational in the early 1980s.

On November 4, 1979, shortly after Delta had been created, 53 Americans were [[Iran hostage crisis|taken captive]] and held in the U.S. Embassy in [[Tehran]], [[Iran]]. The unit was assigned to [[Operation Eagle Claw]] and ordered to covertly enter the country and recover the hostages from the embassy by force on the nights of April 24 and 25 in 1980. The operation was aborted after flying problems and accidents. The review commission that examined the failure found 23 problems with the operation, among them unbriefed weather encountered by the aircraft, command-and-control problems between the multi-service component commanders, a collision between a helicopter and a ground-refueling tanker aircraft, and mechanical problems that reduced the number of available helicopters from eight to five (one fewer than the minimum desired) before the mission contingent could leave the transloading/refueling site.<ref>Gabriel, Richard A. (1985). ''Military Incompetence: Why the American Military Doesn't Win'', Hill and Wang, ISBN 0-374-52137-9, pp. 106–116. Overall, the Holloway Commission blamed the ad hoc nature of the task force and an excessive degree of security, both of which intensified command-and-control problems.</ref>

After the failed operation, the U.S. government created several new units. The [[160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (United States)|160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)]], also known as the ''Nightstalkers'', was created specifically for Delta infil/exfil in missions like Operation Eagle Claw. The Navy's [[SEAL Team Six]] was created for maritime incidents. The [[Joint Special Operations Command]] was also created to control and oversee joint training between the counter-terrorist assets of the various branches of the U.S. military.

===Recent Renaming===
Marc Ambinder recently wrote that Delta's name has recently been changed by the [[Defense Department]]. Both Delta Force and [[DEVGRU]] have recently changed their names. Delta's name is now the Army Compartmented Elements. DEVGRU's name is still classified.
<ref>North, Oliver (2010). American Heroes in Special Operations. B&H Publishing Group. p. 9. ISBN 9780805447125.</ref>
== Organization and structure ==
The unit is under the organization of the [[United States Army Special Operations Command|US Army Special Operations Command]] (USASOC) but is controlled by the [[Joint Special Operations Command]] (JSOC). Virtually all information about the unit is highly classified and details about specific missions or operations are generally not publicly available. A number of sources including the book ''[[Inside Delta Force]]'' by Command [[Sergeant Major]] [[Eric L. Haney]] (ret.), suggest the unit's strength ranges from between 800 to 1000 personnel, including the following operational groups:

=== Detachment designations ===

* D – Command and Control (Headquarters)
* E – Communications, [[Military intelligence|Intelligence]] and Administrative Support (includes finance, logistics, medical detachment, research and development, technology and electronics, etc.)
* F – Operational Arm (The Teams of Operators)
* Medical Detachment maintains special doctors at [[Fort Bragg (North Carolina)|Fort Bragg]] and various other bases around the country secretly, to provide medical assistance as needed.
* Operational Support Troop, or "The Funny Platoon", is the in-house intelligence arm of Delta. They grew out of a long-running dispute/rivalry with the [[Intelligence Support Activity]]. They will infiltrate a country ahead of a Delta intervention to gather intelligence.
* Aviation Squadron, although Delta relies heavily on the [[160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (United States)|160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment]] and US Air Force assets to transport them to and from operational deployments and training exercises, within the unit there is a small aviation squadron used for limited in-house air transportation. The aviation squadron consists of twelve [[MH-6 Little Bird|AH-6 Attack]] and [[MH-6 Little Bird|MH-6 Transport]] helicopters (although this figure may have increased). It is not known if pilots are recruited from the Air Force, 160th SOAR or if they are Delta operators trained as helicopter pilots.
* Operational Research Section
* Training wing

ACE's structure is similar to the British 22 Special Air Service Regiment, the unit which inspired Delta's creator, Charles Beckwith. 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.<ref name="Naylor">{{Cite book
| last = Naylor
| first = Sean
| title = Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda
| year = 2006
| location = [[University of California, Berkeley|Berkeley]]
| isbn = 0425196097
| accessdate = 2008-02-14
| publisher = Berkley Books
| postscript = <!--None-->
}}
</ref> Naylor wrote that approximately 250 of those are operators trained to conduct [[Direct action (military)|direct action]] and [[reconnaissance]] missions.<ref name="Naylor"/> There are three main operational squadrons:

*'''A Squadron'''

*'''B Squadron'''

*'''C Squadron'''

These squadrons are based on the organization of the SAS "Sabre Squadron" and each contains 75 to 85 operators.<ref>Sean Naylor, ''Expansion plans leave many in Army Special Forces uneasy'', Armed Forces Journal, november, 2006.</ref> Each sabre squadron is broken down into three troops, one Recce/Sniper troop, and two Direct Action/Assault troops, that can either operate in teams or in groups as small as four to six men.
According to testimony given to the House Armed Services Committee on June 29, 2006 by Michael Vickers, DELTA, along with all other Special Mission Units, is scheduled to add an additional squadron and increase in size by one third.

=== Recruitment ===
Almost all recruits come from the [[Special Forces (United States Army)|United States Army Special Forces]] and the [[75th Ranger Regiment (United States)|75th Ranger Regiment]], but some operators have come from other units of the Army.<ref>http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/sfod-d.htm</ref> Since the 1990s, the Army has posted recruitment notices for the 1st SFOD-D<ref>Mountaineer. [http://www.carson.army.mil/pao/MountaineerArchive/2003%20Archive/01-16-03.pdf SFOD-D seeking new members]. Fort Carson, Colorado: ''Mountaineer'' (publication). January 16, 2003.</ref> which many believe refers to Delta Force. The Army, however, has never released an official fact sheet for the force. The recruitment notices placed in Fort Bragg's newspaper, ''Paraglide'', refer to Delta Force by name, and label it "...the U.S. Army's special operations unit organized for the conduct of missions requiring rapid response with surgical application of a wide variety of unique special operations skills..."<ref>{{cite web | title=Fort Bragg's newspaper Paraglide, recruitment notice for Delta Force|url=http://us2.newsmemory.com/ee/paraglide/default.php|accessdate=November 17, 2009 | unused_data=''To find the cited document, use the 11/12/2009 edition of Paraglide, page A6''}}</ref> The notice states that all applicants must be male, in the ranks of [[U.S. uniformed services pay grades#Enlisted pay grades|E-4 through E-8]], have at least two and a half years of service time remaining in their enlistment, be 21 years or older and score high enough on the [[Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery]] test to attend a briefing to be considered for admission.

=== Selection process ===
Haney's book ''Inside Delta Force'' described the selection course and its inception in detail. Haney writes the selection course began with standard tests including: push-ups, sit-ups, and a {{convert|2|mi|km|adj=on}} run, an inverted crawl and a 100 meter swim fully dressed. The selection candidates were then put through a series of land navigation courses to include an {{convert|18|mi|km|adj=on}}, all-night land navigation course while carrying a {{convert|40|lb|kg|adj=on}} rucksack. The rucksack's weight and the distance of the courses are increased and the time standards to complete the task are shortened with every march. The physical testing ended with a {{convert|40|mi|km|adj=on}} march with a {{convert|45|lb|kg|adj=on}} rucksack over very rough terrain which had to be completed in an unknown amount of time. Haney wrote that only the senior officer and NCO in charge of Selection are allowed to see the set time limits, but all assessment and selection tasks and conditions were set by Delta training cadre.<ref name="Beckwith">{{cite book |title=Delta Force| last=Beckwith |first=Charlie A | year=1983 |publisher=Harcourt}}</ref><ref name= "Haney"/> The mental portion of the testing began with numerous psychological exams. The men then went in front of a board of Delta instructors, unit psychologists and the Delta commander, who each ask the candidate a barrage of questions and then dissect every response and mannerism of the candidate with the purpose to mentally exhaust the candidate. The unit commander then approaches the candidate and tells him if he has been selected. If an individual is selected for Delta, he undergoes an intense 6-month Operator Training Course (OTC), to learn counter-terrorism and counter-intelligence techniques. This includes firearm accuracy and various other munitions training.<ref name= "Haney"/>
The [[Central Intelligence Agency]]'s highly secretive [[Special Activities Division]] (SAD) and more specifically its elite Special Operations Group (SOG) often recruits operators from Delta Force.<ref>Waller, Douglas (2003-02-03). "The CIA's Secret Army". TIME (Time Inc). http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1004145-1,00.html</ref>

=== Training ===
'''Operator Training Course:''' According to the book ''Inside the Delta Force'' by [[Eric Haney]], OTC consisted of the following events. Although OTC has probably changed since then, it remains around 6 months long.

*Marksmanship
**The students shoot stationary targets at close range until they are able to have almost complete accuracy. They will then move on to moving targets.
**Once shooting skills are perfected, they will move to a shooting house where they will clear rooms of "enemy" targets. At first it will be done by one student, then two at a time, three at a time, and finally four. After the students learn techniques to clear a room, "hostages" are added to the room mixed with the enemies.

*Demolitions
**Students learn how to break into many different locks such as cars and safes.
**Demolition and how to build bombs out of various commonly found materials.

*Combined skills. The [[FBI]], [[FAA]], and other agencies were used to advise the training of this portion of OTC. Sometimes commercial airliners such as [[Delta Air Lines]] would allow Delta to train on their aircraft too.
**The new ACE use both demolition and marksmanship skills at the shoothouse and other training facilities to train for hostage and counter-terrorist operations with both assault and sniper troops working together. They practice terrorist or hostage situations in buildings, aircraft, and other settings.
**All trainees learn how to set sniper positions around a building with hostages in it. They learn the proper ways to set up a [[Tactical Operations Center|TOC]] and communicate in an organized manner. Although Delta has specialized sniper teams, all members go through this training.
**The students then go back to the shoothouse and the "hostages" are replaced with other students and Delta Force members. It is known that live ammunition has been used in these exercises, to test the students, and build trust between one another.

*Trade Craft - During the first OTC's and creation of Delta, [[CIA]] personnel were used to teach this portion.
**Students learn different espionage-related skills such as dead drops, [[Clandestine HUMINT operational techniques#Brush Pass and other physical exchange with couriers|brief encounters]], pickups, load and unload signals, danger and safe signals, surveillance and countersurveillance.

*Executive Protection - During the first OTC's and creation of ACE, the [[Department of State]] and the [[Secret Service]] would advise ACE in this portion of training.
**Students take an advanced driving course learning how to use a vehicle or many vehicles as defensive and offensive weapons.
**They then learn techniques developed by the [[Secret Service]] on how to cover a VIP and diplomatic protection missions.

*Culmination Exercise
**A final test that requires the students to apply and dynamically adapt all of the skills that they have learned.

Although these are the main skills taught in every OTC, no OTC classes are ever exactly the same.

ACE has occasionally cross-trained with similar units from allied countries such as the [[Australian Special Air Service Regiment]], British [[Special Air Service]], Canadian [[Joint Task Force 2]], French [[Groupe d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale|GIGN]], German [[Kommando Spezialkräfte|KSK]], and Israeli [[Sayeret Matkal]]. They also cross train & deploy with US Naval Special Warfare Development Group ([[DEVGRU]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.specialoperations.com/Army/Delta_Force/unit_profile.htm |title=Unit Profile: 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment - Delta (SFOD-D)|accessdate=2010-03-10}}</ref> And they have also helped train other U.S. counter-terrorism units, such as the [[Hostage Rescue Team (FBI)|FBI's Hostage Rescue Team]].

== Uniform ==
[[The Pentagon]] tightly controls information about ACE and publicly refuses to comment on the highly secretive unit and its activities. ACE operators are granted an enormous amount of flexibility and autonomy. To conceal their identities, they rarely wear a uniform and usually wear civilian clothing both on or off duty.<ref name ="Haney"/> When military uniforms are worn, they lack markings, surnames, or branch names.<ref name ="Haney"/> Civilian hair styles and facial hair are allowed to enable the members to blend in and avoid recognition as military personnel.<ref name ="Haney"/><ref name="BHD"/>

== Operations and covert actions ==

The majority of the operations assigned to ACE are highly classified and may never be known to the public. However, details of some operations have become public knowledge. There have also been many occasions that ACE have been put on standby and operational plans developed but the unit was stood down for various reasons. Known operations and deployments include:

=== Operation Eagle Claw ===

Delta's very first tasking began the night after they successfully completed their operational assessment on Nov. 4, 1979 when Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Delta was immediately tasked to rescue the hostages and began training on storming the embassy with a compound mock-up built by military combat engineers at Eglin AFB, FL, while putting together a complex multi-stage rescue operation involving a rigid schedule and demanding helicopter night-flying skills using first-generation night vision goggles. The rescue force was to be inserted by Air Force special operations C-130s at night to a remote location in the desert outside Tehran called [[Desert One]], and meet up with a group of Marine RH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters, flown in from the U.S.S. Nimitz aircraft carrier staged nearby in the Indian Ocean. The helicopters would then be refueled on the ground at [[Desert One]] by refueling specialists using specially-designed fuel bladders inside the C-130s. The refueled helicopters and the rescue force (composed of Delta and Rangers) would then fly to a hidden staging location outside Tehran and hide until the next evening. On the evening of the rescue, Delta would drive to the embassy compound using pre-staged trucks, assault the compound and rescue the hostages, and take them across the street to a soccer stadium where the helicopters would have landed to extract them and take them to a nearby airfield which the Rangers would have assaulted and captured. C-141s would then extract the entire rescue force with hostages and the helicopters would be destroyed and left behind.

Unfortunately, the helicopters caused the cancellation of the mission at [[Desert One]], when enough helicopters were lost from attrition due to sandstorms, pilot fatigue, and failed hydraulics that the on-site commanders acknowledged helicopter numbers were below the required minimum for that stage to go forward and recommended to President Carter that the mission be canceled, which he did. As the entire rescue force was leaving Desert One, one of the helicopters crashed into a U.S. Air Force special operations C-130 and in the ensuing explosion and panic the helicopters were abandoned en masse leaving unauthorized mission plans which fell into Iranian hands, ruining any chance of a possible second covert rescue attempt following a brief regrouping period.
<ref name="Haney">{{cite book
| last = Haney
| first = Eric L.
| authorlink = Eric Haney
| title = Inside Delta Force
| publisher = Delacorte Press
| year = 2002
| location = [[New York]]
| pages = 325
| isbn = 9780385336031}}
</ref>

=== Central American operations ===

Delta has seen action extensively in [[Central America]], fighting the [[El Salvador|Salvadoran]] revolutionary group [[Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front|Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front]] and assisting the [[Central Intelligence Agency]]-funded [[Contras]] in [[Nicaragua]].<ref name="Haney">{{cite book
| last = Haney
| first = Eric L.
| authorlink = Eric Haney
| title = Inside Delta Force
| publisher = Delacorte Press
| year = 2002
| location = [[New York]]
| pages = 325
| isbn = 9780385336031}}
</ref>

=== Operation Urgent Fury ===

A second Delta mission launched in the early daylight hours of the first day of [[Invasion of Grenada|Operation Urgent Fury]] in [[Grenada]] was to assault Richmond Hill Prison and rescue the political prisoners being held there. Built on the remains of an old eighteenth-century fort, the prison cannot be approached by foot from three sides except through dense jungle growing on the steep mountainside; the fourth side is approachable by a narrow neck of road with high trees running along it. The prison offers no place for a helicopter assault force to land. Richmond Hill forms one side of a steep valley. Across and above the valley, on a higher peak, is another old fort, Fort Frederic, which housed a Grenadian garrison. From Fort Frederic, the garrison easily commanded the slopes and floor of the ravine below with small arms and machine gun fire. It was into this valley and under the guns of the Grenadian garrison that the helicopters of Delta Force flew at 6:30 that morning.{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}}

The helicopters of Task Force 160 flew into the valley and turned their noses toward the prison. Unable to land, the Delta raiders began to rappel down ropes dragging from the doors of the helicopters. Suddenly, as men swung wildly from the rappelling ropes, the helicopters were caught in a murderous cross-fire from the front, as forces from the prison opened fire; and more devastatingly, from behind, as enemy forces in Fort Frederic rained heavy small arms and machine gun fire down from above. According to eyewitness accounts by Grenadian civilians, a number of helicopters that could, flew out of the valley. In at least one instance, a helicopter pilot turned back without orders and refused to fly into the assault. Charges of cowardice were filed against the Nightstalker pilot by members of Delta who wanted to be inserted, but were later dropped.<ref name="dtic.mil">[Ronald H. Cole, 1997, ''Operation Urgent Fury: The Planning and Execution of Joint Operations in Grenada 12 October - 2 November 1983'' Joint History Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Washington, DC], p.62.]</ref>

=== Aeropostal Flight 252 ===
On July 29, 1984 [[Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela|Aeropostal]] Flight 252 from [[Caracas]] to the island of [[Curaçao]] was hijacked. Two days later, the [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9|DC-9]] was stormed by Venezuelan commandos, who killed the hijackers.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,926759,00.html |title=Terrorism: Failed Security |first=Janice |last=Castro |coauthors=Thomas A. Sancton; Bernard Diederich |date=1984-08-13 |journal=TIME}}</ref> Delta Force provided support during the ordeal.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://books.google.com/?id=qYVi8qrEUxIC |title=Pen & Sword: A Journalist's Guide to Covering the Military |first=Edward |last=Offley |publisher=Marion Street Press, Inc |year=2002 |isbn=9780966517644 |chapter=Chapter 13 - Going to War I: Realtime |page=220}}</ref>

=== ''Achille Lauro'' Hijack ===

President [[Ronald Reagan]] deployed the Navy's [[United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group|SEAL Team Six]] and Delta Force during the [[MS Achille Lauro|''Achille Lauro'' Hijack]] to [[Cyprus]] to stand-by and prepare for a possible rescue attempt to free the vessel from its hijackers.

=== Operation Round Bottle ===

Delta planned an operation for three teams to go into [[Beirut]], [[Lebanon]] to rescue Westerners held by [[Hezbollah]], but the action was terminated when negotiations appeared to promise to deliver the hostages in exchange for arms. The operation was ultimately killed by the [[Los Angeles Times]] story that revealed the [[Iran–Contra affair]].<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=xMj69G2CxjwC |title=Killer Elite |first=Mark|last=Smith|publisher=St. Martin's Press |date=March 6, 2007 |isbn=0312362722}}</ref>

=== Operation Heavy Shadow ===
In his book ''[[Killing Pablo (book)|Killing Pablo]]'', [[Mark Bowden]] suggests that a Delta Force sniper may have eliminated [[Colombia]]n drug lord [[Pablo Escobar]]. There is no hard evidence of this though and credit is generally attributed to Colombian security forces.

=== Operation Just Cause ===

Before [[United States invasion of Panama|Operation Just Cause]] by US forces took place, there were key operations that were tasked to Special Operations Forces. [[Operation Acid Gambit]] was an operation tasked to Delta to rescue and recover Kurt Muse held captive in Carcel Modelo, a prison in [[Panama City]]. Another important operation that was assigned to Delta was [[Operation Nifty Package]], the apprehension of General [[Manuel Antonio Noriega]].

=== Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm ===
Delta was deployed during [[Gulf War|Desert Storm]] to the region and tasked with a number of responsibilities. These include supporting regular Army units that were providing [[close protection]] detail for [[Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.|General Norman Schwarzkopf]] in [[Saudi Arabia]]. Army relations' officers tried to play down Schwarzkopf's growing number of bodyguards. Delta was also tasked with hunting for [[Scud|SCUD missiles]] alongside the British Special Air Service and other coalition Special Forces.

=== Operation Gothic Serpent ===

On 3 October 1993, members of Delta Force were sent in with [[75th Ranger Regiment (United States)|U.S. Army Rangers]] in the [[Battle of Mogadishu (1993)|conflict]] in [[Mogadishu]], [[Somalia]] codenamed [[Operation Gothic Serpent]].

They were tasked with securing several of [[Mohammed Farah Aidid]]'s top lieutenants, as well as a few other targets of high value. The mission was compromised after two [[Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk|MH-60L Blackhawk]] helicopters were shot down by RPGs. This resulted in an ongoing battle and led to the death of five Delta operators (a sixth was killed by mortar fire some days later), six Rangers, five Army aviation crew, and two [[10th Mountain Division (United States)|10th Mountain Division]] soldiers. Estimates of Somali deaths range from 133 by an Aidid sector commander<ref>[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ambush/interviews/haad.html]</ref> to an estimate of 1500 to 2000 by the US Ambassador to Somalia.<ref>[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ambush/interviews/oakley.html]</ref> 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 (1993)|Battle of Mogadishu]].<ref name="BHD">
{{Cite book
| last = Bowden
| first = Mark
| authorlink = Mark Bowden
| title = Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War
| year = 1999
| publisher = Atlantic Monthly Press
| location = [[University of California, Berkeley|Berkeley]]
| isbn = 0-87113-738-0
| accessdate = 2008-02-14
| postscript = <!--None-->
}}</ref> The book, in a short brief, relates Delta Force's involvement in the operations that occurred before the events leading to the battle.<ref name="BHD"/> The book was turned into a [[Black Hawk Down (film)|film]] by director [[Ridley Scott]] in 2001.

=== Counter-terrorist training ===

In January 1997, a small Delta advance team and six members of the British SAS were sent to [[Lima]], [[Peru]] immediately following the [[Japanese embassy hostage crisis|takeover of the Japanese Ambassador's residence]].<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/sfod-d.htm Special Forces Operational Detachment - Delta<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

=== Seattle WTO ===
Members of Delta Force were also involved in preparing security for the [[WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999|1999 Seattle WTO Conference]], specifically against a [[Chemical warfare|chemical weapon]] attack.<ref>[http://www.seattleweekly.com/1999-12-22/news/delta-s-down-with-it.php News: Delta's down with it (Seattle Weekly)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

=== Operation Enduring Freedom ===
[[File:DeltaSBSTora.jpg|thumb|Delta Force and British [[Special Boat Service]] commandos at Tora Bora]]
Delta Force was also involved in the offensive against the [[Taliban]] in [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Afghanistan]] in 2001.<ref>[http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/pubs/sep03/story13.htm September 2003 Engineer Update]</ref> Delta Force has formed the core of the special strike unit which has been hunting High Value Target (HVT) individuals like [[Osama Bin Laden]] and other key [[al-Qaeda]] and Taliban leadership since October 2001, the beginning of [[War in Afghanistan (2001-present)|Operation Enduring Freedom]]. One such [[Operation Rhino|operation was an airborne assault]] supported by the [[75th Ranger Regiment]] on [[Mohammed Omar|Mullah Mohammed Omar]]'s headquarters at a Kandahar airstrip. Although Delta Force's mission was a failure in capturing Mohammed Omar, the Rangers had captured a vital strategic airstrip.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/nov/06/afghanistan.terrorism8 | location=London | work=The Guardian | title=Revealed: how bungled US raid came close to disaster | first1=Richard | last1=Norton-Taylor | first2=Julian | last2=Borger | first3=Luke | last3=Harding | date=November 27, 2001}}</ref> The strike force has been variously designated [[Task Force 11]], [[Task Force 20]], [[Task Force 121]], [[Task Force 145]] and [[Task Force 6-26]]. The Delta Force have also increased operations in eastern Afghanistan in 2009. "The Navy’s SEAL Team 6, sometimes called Naval Special Warfare Development Group, or DEVGRU; the Army’s 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, or Delta Force; the 75th Ranger Regiment; the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment; the Air Force’s 24th Special Tactics Squadron; plus elements from other even more secret units and intelligence organizations" has killed or captured more than 2,000 enemy insurgents in Afghanistan against the [[Haqqani network|Haqqani]] network, which is a strong faction of the Taliban.<ref>{{cite web | title=JSOC task force battles Haqqani militants|url=http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/09/army-haqqani-092010w/|accessdate=October 30, 2010}}</ref>

=== Operation Iraqi Freedom ===
[[File:AirborneAndSpecialForcesUdayQusayRaid.jpg|thumb|left|This photo was taken in Mosul during Uday and Qusay's last stand. Delta Force Operators can be seen in front of 1st BDE 101st A/B DIV soldiers wearing [[MICH TC-2000 Combat Helmet|MICH]] helmets.]]
One of several operations in which Delta Force operators are thought to have played important roles was the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]].<ref>[http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/03autumn/noonan.pdf W:\pmtr\ventura\#article\noonan.vp<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> They allegedly entered [[Baghdad]] in advance and undercover. Their tasks included [[Forward air control|guiding air strikes]], and building networks of informants while [[eavesdropping]] on and sabotaging Iraqi communication lines. They were also instrumental in [[Operation Phantom Fury]] in April 2004 when they were attached to [[USMC]] companies,<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-11-09-medals-fallujah_x.htm]<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> usually as snipers.

Delta were also present in the siege in [[Mosul]] where [[Uday Hussein|Uday]] and [[Qusay Hussein|Qusay]] Hussein were killed, and were also involved in the hunt and eventual [[Operation Red Dawn|capture of Saddam Hussein]]. It has also been reported that Delta was on the ground north of Baquba on June 7, 2006 surveilling a compound where [[Al-Zarqawi]] had been staying. After a long manhunt, Delta had [[Zarqawi]] in their sights and had called in an [[airstrike]].<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1202929,00.html]<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

== See also ==
{{Commons|1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Airborne)}}
* [[List of special forces units]]
* [[Weaponry used by Delta Force]]
* [[Delta Force in popular culture]]
* [[List of Delta Force members]]
* [[Central Intelligence Agency]]'s [[Special Activities Division]]
* [[Task Force 121]]

== Bibliography ==
* [[Charles Alvin Beckwith|Beckwith, Charles]] (with Donald Knox) (1983). ''Delta Force''
* Haney, Eric L. (2002). ''Inside Delta Force''. New York: Delacorte Press, 325. ISBN 978-0-385-33603-1.
* [[Mark Bowden|Bowden, Mark]] (1999). ''Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War''. Atlantic Monthly Press. Berkeley, California (U.S.). ISBN 0-87113-738-0 about Operation Gothic Serpent
* Bowden, Mark (2001). ''[[Killing Pablo (book)|Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw]]''. ISBN 0-87113-783-6 about the hunt for [[Pablo Escobar]]
* {{Cite book |last=Bowden |first=Mark |title=Guests Of The Ayatollah: The First Battle In America's War With Militant Islam |publisher=Atlantic Monthly Press |year=2006 |isbn=0-87113-925-1}}
* {{Cite web |url=http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200605/iran-hostage |title=The Desert One Debacle |publisher=''The Atlantic Monthly'' |last=Bowden |first=Mark |year=2006 |month=May}}
* Naylor, Sean (2005). ''"Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda''", Penguin Group, New York about [[Operation Anaconda]]
* Griswold, Terry. "DELTA, America's Elite Counterterrorist Force", ISBN 0-87938-615-0
* National Geographic Documentary: ''Road to Baghdad''
* Pushies, Fred J., et al. (2002). U. S. Counter-Terrorist Forces. Unknown: Crestline Imprints, 201. ISBN 0-7603-1363-6.
* Hartmut Schauer: ''Delta Force''. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2008. ISBN 978-3-613-02958-3
* Dalton Fury: "Kill Bin Laden", ISBN 978-0-312-56740-8

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.defense.gov/ The official website of the United States Department of Defense (DoD)]
* [http://www.army.mil/ The official website of the United States Army]
* [http://www.shadowspear.com/united-states-special-operations/joint-special-operations-command/1st-special-forces-operational-detachment-delta.html ShadowSpear Special Operations: SFOD]
* [http://www.specialoperations.com/Army/Delta_Force/default.html Special Operations.com Delta Force Article]
* [http://www.aei.org/events/filter.all,eventID.1030/transcript.asp Transcript of Sean Naylor's speech to American Enterprise Institute]
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/sfod-d.htm 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment (Airborne) DELTA at Global Security]

{{FortBragg}}
{{US Special Operations Forces}}
{{Coord|35.12047|N|79.363775|W|name=Delta Force (1st SFOD-D)|type:landmark|display=title}}

[[Category:Special Operations Forces of the United States]]
[[Category:United States Joint Special Operations Command]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of the United States Army]]
[[Category:Military units and formations in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Counter-terrorist organizations]]
[[Category:Delta Force]]

{{Link GA|de}}

[[ar:قوة دلتا]]
[[bg:Делта форс]]
[[cs:Delta Force]]
[[de:1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Airborne)]]
[[es:Delta Force]]
[[fa:نیروی دلتا]]
[[fr:Delta Force]]
[[gu:ડેલ્ટા ફોર્સ]]
[[ko:델타 포스]]
[[hi:डेल्टा फ़ोर्स (Delta Force)]]
[[it:Delta Force]]
[[he:כוח דלתא]]
[[kn:ಡೆಲ್ಟಾ ಫೋರ್ಸ್‌]]
[[nl:Delta Force (eenheid)]]
[[ja:デルタフォース]]
[[no:Delta Force]]
[[pl:Delta Force]]
[[pt:Delta Force]]
[[ru:Дельта (спецподразделение)]]
[[fi:Delta Force]]
[[sv:Delta Force]]
[[te:డెల్టా ఫోర్స్]]
[[th:เดลตาฟอร์ซ]]
[[tr:Delta Force]]
[[zh:三角洲部隊]]

Revision as of 22:51, 12 May 2011

Redirect to:

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Delta_Force&oldid=428835531"