Delta Force

For the computer game, see Delta Force (video game). For the movie, see The Delta Force (film).

1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Airborne)
USASOC Patch worn by SFOD-D Members on Class-A Uniforms
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	Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)
Garrison/HQ	Fort Bragg, North Carolina (35*09'15.71N, 79*04'38.71W)
Nickname(s)	"Delta Force"
Engagements	Operation Eagle Claw Operation Urgent Fury Operation Just Cause Operation Desert Storm Operation Restore Hope Operation Gothic Serpent Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom * 2003 invasion of Iraq Operation Vigilant Resolve

The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D) — commonly known as Delta in the U.S. Army, Delta Force by civilians, and Combat Applications Group by the Department of Defense — is a Special Operations Force (SOF) and an integral element of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).

Delta Force's primary tasks are counter-terrorism and national intervention operations, although it is an extremely versatile group capable of assuming many missions, including, but not limited to, rescuing hostages, raids, and eliminating covert enemy forces. Delta Force conducts missions similar to those attributed to the British Special Air Service (SAS), on which it was originally modeled and by which its founding was assisted.

Background

The unit was started by Colonel Charles Beckwith in 1977. Throughout its creation, the unit had the benefit of experience from the British SAS, with which Colonel Beckwith served and trained while on loan through an officer exchange program with the British in 1961-1962.

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 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 that reduced the available helicopter numbers from the initial eight to only five (one less than minimum required) before the mission contingent left the refueling site to stage for the attack.

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.

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.

In 2006, Bowden published another book Guests Of The Ayatollah: The First Battle In America's War With Militant Islam, which chronicles the events of the Iran hostage crisis. The book contains first-hand accounts of Delta Force's involvement in the failed rescue attempt. An accompanying piece on The Atlantic Monthly's web site contains pictures and interview videos from some of the participants.

1st SFOD-D has also participated in operations in a variety of foreign locations, including in Beirut, Lebanon and extensively in Central America, fighting the Salvadorian revolutionary group Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front and assisting the CIA-funded Contras, in Nicaragua.

Overview

The Pentagon tightly controls information about Delta Force and publicly refuses to comment on the secretive unit and its activities.

Delta operators are granted an enormous amount of flexibility and autonomy, similar to their US Navy counterparts in the 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". When military uniforms are worn, they lack markings, names, or branch names. 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 mentioned in the book Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden (though less so in the film of the same name). Delta operators are allowed a significant degree of latitude in their "personal grooming standards. They are allowed to grow their hair longer than what "normal" army regulations would allow. Although the Army Rangers used to sport the standard "high and tight" haircut, the fact that the Ranger mission currently involves the support of Delta Force operations allows them to periodically assume the same "civilian" look of their Delta brethren.

Weaponry

Delta's unconventional nature also allows its members to carry highly-customized weapons. Like any other military unit, Delta has dedicated mission taskings including snipers and squad machine gunners. The flexibility of Delta means that weaponry is quite varied and often depends on the mission at hand or personal preference of the individual operators. Below is a list of common or highlighted weapons; the list should not in any way be considered complete, and it should also be noted that Delta Force operators often have access to the entire armory of the United States Army.

• A common weapon of choice may be the M4 carbine often in use with various accessories including the M203 grenade launcher, and other accessories of the SOPMOD kit. The H&K MP5SD may still be available to Delta operators, but has fallen out of use as a CQB (close quarters battle) weapon due to the general acceptance of the superiority of the M4 carbine and the 5.56 mm round's ballistic performance when compared to that of the MP5's 9 mm cartridge. However the MP5SD is inherently much quieter, being integrally suppressed.

• Delta Force operators often decide to pick up or use weapons that are in use with the indigenous forces or the enemy in the Area of Operations (AO). (For example, an AK-47) This is to help them blend in with the locals, to use local ammunition scavenged during the mission, or to conceal their country of origin if weapons are lost or captured.

• It has been noted in a popular weapons magazine that "Delta Force gives each member a stipend with which to purchase his own customized M1911 in .45 caliber." Former Delta operator Larry Vickers states on his webpage that the experience which contributed to his line of handbuilt 1911 pistols came from his fifteen years in Delta where "more .45 ACP ammo is shot out of 1911 style pistols than any other place in the world".

• Delta snipers use M14s in urban environments due to their semi-automatic ability, allowing for a follow-up shot much more quickly than with a bolt-action rifle. In Mark Bowden's book, Black Hawk Down, he records that one of the elite Delta Force soldiers, Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart, chooses an M14 rifle because of the increased stopping power offered by the 7.62 mm NATO and reliability. Haney, in fact, notes that Delta snipers frequently use the M14 rather than more specialized sniping rifles. More recent upgrades to the M14, such as the M21 and M25 rifles are commonly in use, and often misidentified as M14s. In addition, the SR-25 rifle, a 7.62 mm platform that is based on the same semi automatic operating system as the M4 and M16 rifle is also currently in use in the special operations community.

• Larry Vickers worked with Heckler & Koch to come up with a better weapon than the M4, and then asked his former colleagues to help test the weapon. The Heckler & Koch HK416 was the first weapon to result from this program, and uses a different type of piston action as a remedy to the inherent fouling issue that the M4 Carbine carries with its direct impingement system. The Heckler & Koch HK417 is a weapon based on the same piston system but designed to shoot the larger 7.62 NATO round for more stopping power, as the lack of stopping power from the 5.56 NATO is another criticism of the M4 from Special Forces troops. In a telling display of Delta Force's opinion on the new weapon, the first 500 production HK416 carbines were purchased by Delta Force, in addition to the prototypes already with Delta.

Organization

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. Squadron level (there are three squadrons) consists of two troops (Short gun-assault and Long gun-sniper) which are broken down into troops and teams as needed to fit mission requirements.

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 platoon using aircraft painted in civilian schemes and with fake identification numbers, different from the aircraft of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne). This aviation platoon allegedly uses as many as twelve AH-6 and MH-6 Little Birds.

Recruitment and training

Most recruits come from the United States Army Special Forces (the Green Berets) and the 75th Ranger Regiment. Not just anyone can become a Delta operator; personnel must be male, in the rank of Sergeant (E-5) and attend a Delta briefing to be even considered for admission. Since the 1990s, the Army has posted recruitment notices for the 1st SFOD-D , 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 Department of Defense's highest priority unit..." . The notice states that all applicants must be males, 22 years or older, have a general technical score of 110 or higher, and be in the ranks of E-5 through E-8, with at least four and a half years in service.

Such recruits are men with skills such as proficiency in a foreign language or other desirable traits. The selection process is based on the UK SAS model . The selection course begins with standard tests including: push-ups, sit-ups, and a three mile run. The recruits are then put through a series of land navigation courses to include an eighteen-mile, all-night land navigation course while carrying a thirty-five pound 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 ends with a forty-mile march with a forty-five pound rucksack over very rough terrain which must be completed in an unknown amount of time. It is said that only the highest-ranking members of the Pentagon are allowed to see the set time limits, but all assessment and selection tasks and conditions are set by Delta training cadre. 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, then a 6 month training cycle/probation begins, starting with firearms accuracy and training with other types of munitions.

On many occasions, Delta Force will cross-train with similar units from allied countries such as the French GIGN, Australian SASR, British SAS, the Canadian JTF 2, the German KSK and the Israeli Sayeret Matkal as well as helping train other U.S. counter-terrorism and national intervention units, such as the FBI's HRT.

Known Operations

Operation	Country	Year
Operation Eagle Claw	Iran	1980
Operation Urgent Fury	Grenada	1983
Operation Acid Gambit	Panama	1989
Operation Just Cause	Panama	1989
Operation Desert Shield	Iraq	1990
Operation Desert Storm	Iraq	1991
Operation Restore Hope	Somalia	1993
Operation Gothic Serpent	Somalia	1993
Operation Enduring Freedom	Afghanistan	2001
Operation Anaconda (subordinate operation to OEF)	Afghanistan	2002
Operation Iraqi Freedom	Iraq	2003
Operation Vigilant Resolve	Iraq	2004

Delta Force in modern conflicts

Fred Pushies alleges that Delta Force assisted in providing security at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. They supposedly used a mobile command post disguised as a Budweiser delivery truck.

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.

Federal Agents present in Waco, Texas towards the end of the Mount Carmel Raid of David Koresh and the Branch Dividians, claim several days before the end of the stand-off, that a group of 10 or 15 individuals believed by most to be Delta operators, showed up in several unmarked vehicles with DOJ plates and were briefed by top ATF, FBI, and Military leaders present. It is alleged that these individuals, believed to be Delta Force operators and not the FBI, were responsible for the final assault and resulting fire.

On August 8, 1993 members of Delta Force were sent in with U.S. Army Rangers in the conflict in Mogadishu, Somalia on which the movie Black Hawk Down was based. They were sent in to secure several of Mohammed Farah Aidid's top lieutenants, as well as a few other targets of high value. The mission was compromised after two UH-60 Blackhawks were shot down by RPG's. This resulted in an ongoing battle and lead to the death of several Rangers and six Delta operators.

In January 1997, a small Delta advance team and six members of the British SAS were sent to Lima, Peru immediately following the takeover of the Japanese Ambassador's residence.

Members of Delta Force were also involved in preparing security for the 1999 Seattle WTO Conference, specifically against a chemical weapon attack.

Delta Force was also involved in the offensive against the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001 . 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.

Though the Mullah was not present, 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.

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

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, in OEF, then Task Force 20, then seemingly Task Force 121, then after that Task Force 145 and Task Force 6-26 (not necessarily in that order).

Notable Delta operators

• Colonel Charles Beckwith
  • Selected by President Jimmy Carter to organize and form a highly specialized counter-terrorism unit, known today as Delta Force .
• Major Richard Meadows
  • Key role in establishing Delta Force .
• Major General William Garrison
  • Commander of 1st SFOD-D from 1986–1989.
• General Peter J. Schoomaker
  • 35th Chief of Staff of the United States Army. Commander of 1st SFOD-D from 1989–1992.
• Major General David L. Grange
  • Commanded C Company, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, in Desert One in 1980. Commanded a 1st SFOD-D squadron during the Invasion of Grenada. Deputy Commander of 1st SFOD-D under General Schoomaker.
• Lieutenant General William G. Boykin
  • Commander of 1st SFOD-D from 1992–1995. Commanding Officer of the 1st SFOD-D unit at the Battle of Mogadishu.
• Major General Eldon Bargewell
  • Commander of 1st SFOD-D from 1995–1998.
• Major General Gary L. Harrell
  • Commander of 1st SFOD-D from 1998–2000.
• Master Sergeant Gary Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randall Shughart
  • Medals of Honor, KIA on October 3, 1993, during the Battle of Mogadishu.
• Eric L. Haney, Command Sergeant Major, US Army (ret)
  • Self-proclaimed founding member of Delta Force who has sparked controversy in his post-Army career. Wrote the book Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counter-terrorist Unit, upon which the television series The Unit is based (and self-referenced in show credits).
• Sergeant First Class Paul Howe (Retired as Master Sergeant)
  • The real life version of Delta Force Sergeant First Class Jeff Sanderson, played by William Fichtner in the film Black Hawk Down. Name changes were made in an attempt to keep the Delta Force operators anonymous.
• Larry Vickers
  • Delta Force operator that went on to private industry firearms design. Some of his notable work includes help designing and consulting for Heckler & Koch on the Heckler & Koch HK416, Heckler & Koch HK417, and Heckler & Koch HK45 projects. He also runs a private training and consulting firm.

Delta Force in popular culture

• In the television series 24, agent Jack Bauer is noted to have previously been a member of Delta Force and achieved rank of Captain. Delta Force also serves an integral part in the first three seasons of the show.
• In the novel Deception Point by Dan Brown, Delta Force plays a major antagonist role.
• The CBS television show The Unit centers around a fictionalized Army special forces unit based on Delta Force. It 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.
• The book, and later movie, Black Hawk Down, describes the real-life attempt by Delta Force and the US Army Rangers to capture a Somalian warlord, Mohammed Farrah Aidid.
• In the novel By Order of the President by W.E.B. Griffin, Delta Force plays a significant role.
• In the novel The Day Before Midnight by Stephen Hunter, several major characters are Delta Force members. The leader of Delta Force in the novel is a man named Richard Puller, who bears many similarities to Charlie Beckwith.
• The popular Delta Force series by NovaLogic centers around Delta Force operations, one of the more recent games being Delta Force: Black Hawk Down.
• In several of the Vince Flynn novels, Delta Force works with CIA operative Mitch Rapp.
• In the movie 'The Delta Force,' starring Chuck Norris a passenger airplane is held hostage and Delta Force must rescue the passengers on board.
• In the Novel Mission Compromised, Delta Force plays an important role, The main character is a former member and the task force he commands is made up of many Delta members.
• In the 1999 film Three Kings, George Clooney plays a Delta Force Major nearing retirement.

See also

• List of special forces units

Bibliography

• Beckwith, Charles (1983). Delta Force
• Haney, Eric L. (2002). Inside Delta Force. New York: Delacorte Press, 325. ISBN 9780385336031.
• Bowden, Mark (1999). Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War. Atlantic Monthly Press. Berkeley, California (USA). ISBN 0-87113-738-0 about operation Gothic Serpent
• Bowden, Mark (2001). Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw. ISBN 0-87113-783-6 about the hunt for Pablo Escobar
• Bowden, Mark (2006). Guests Of The Ayatollah: The First Battle In America's War With Militant Islam. Atlantic Monthly Press. ISBN 0-87113-925-1.
• Bowden, Mark (2006). "The Desert One Debacle". The Atlantic Monthly. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
• 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
• Robinson, Linda, Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of the Special Forces
• National Geographic Documentary: Road to Baghdad
• Pushies, Fred J., et al. (2002). U. S. Counter-Terrorist Forces. Unknown: Crestline Imprints, 201. ISBN 0760313636.

External links

• http://www.defenselink.mil/ The official website of the United States Department of Defense, US Department of Defense, DoD
• http://www.army.mil/ US Army
• United Warrior Survivor Foundation, Supporting Families of Fallen Special Forces Members
• http://www.infantrymen.net/ Infantrymen.net, Military reference focusing on the infantry (The secondary-MOS that Delta falls under)
• http://www.specialoperations.com/Army/Delta_Force/default.html
• http://www.aei.org/events/filter.all,eventID.1030/transcript.asp Transcript of Sean Naylor's speech to American Enterprise Institute
• http://www.shadowspear.com/sfod.htm ShadowSpear.com Special Operations]
• http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/sfod-d.htm 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment (Airborne) DELTA