1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D)
"Delta Force," formally referred to as first U. S. Army Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D), is one in all the U.S. special missions units primarily targeted on the counter-terrorism mission. SFOD-Delta has been through many name changes over the years, and albeit it'll doubtless continuously be referred to as SFOD–Delta, it absolutely was recently renamed the Combat Applications cluster (CAG) and is currently formally referred to as Army compartmentalised parts (ACE).
Though Delta is primarily a tier-one counter-terrorist unit, specifically directed to kill or capture high worth units (HVU) or dismantle terrorist cells, Delta remains extraordinarily versatile and might interact in dissent missions, surety rescues, and covert missions operating directly with the Central administrative body, still as high ranking protecting services of our senior leaders throughout visits in war torn countries. Delta is underneath operational management of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) although administratively supported by the military Special Operations Command (USASOC).
Delta Force was shaped once varied, well-publicized terrorist incidents within the Nineteen Seventies. These incidents light-emitting diode the U.S. government to develop a regular counter-terrorism unit.
Key military and government figures had already been briefed on a model for this kind of unit within the early Sixties. Charlie Beckwith, a U. S. Army Special Forces officer and Vietnam veteran, had served as Associate in Nursing exchange officer with the British Army's Special Air Service (22 SAS Regiment) throughout the Malayan Emergency. Upon his come back, Beckwith conferred a close report lightness the U.S. Army's vulnerability in not having Associate in Nursing SAS-type unit. U.S. Army U. S. Army Special Forces in this amount targeted on unconventional warfare, however Beckwith recognized the necessity for "not solely academics, but doers." He visualized extremely elastic and fully autonomous little groups with a broad array of special skills for dissent and counter-terrorist missions. He briefed military and government figures, World Health Organization were immune to making a replacement unit outside of U. S. Army Special Forces or dynamical existing strategies.
Finally, within the mid-70's, because the threat of coercion grew, the Pentagon leaders appointed Beckwith to make the unit. Beckwith calculable that it'd take twenty four months to induce his new unit mission-ready. Beckwith's estimate resulted from a speech communication he had earlier with general officer John Watts whereas change his SAS expertise in European nation in 1976. Watts had created it clear to Beckwith that it'd take eighteen months to create a squadron, however suggested him to inform the military leadership that it'd take 2 years, and to not 'let anyone speak (him) out of this.' To justify why it'd take 2 years to create Delta, Beckwith and his employees written what they dubbed the "Robert player Paper." In it Delta made public its wants and historical precedents for a four-phase selection/assessment method.
In the in the meantime, commissioned military officer Bob "Black Gloves" Mountel of the fifth U. S. Army Special Forces cluster was tasked with making a unit 'to breach the short gap' that existed till Delta was prepared, dubbed Blue light-weight.
On four November 1979, shortly once Delta had been created, fifty three yank diplomats and voters were taken captive and control within the U.S. embassy in national capital, Iran. The unit was appointed to Operation Eagle Claw and ordered to enter the country covertly and recover the hostages from the embassy by force on the nights of twenty four and twenty five Gregorian calendar month in 1980. The operation was aborted because of aviation failures. The review commission that examined the failure found twenty three issues with the operation, among them unbriefed weather encountered by the craft, command-and-control issues between the multi-service part commanders, a collision between a whirlybird and a ground-refueling tanker craft, and mechanical issues that reduced the quantity of obtainable helicopters from eight to 5 (one fewer than the minimum desired) before the mission contingent may leave the trans-loading/refueling website.
After the failing operation, the U.S. government completed a lot of changes required to be created. The one hundred and sixtieth Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), conjointly referred to as the Night Stalkers, was created for special operations requiring aviation support. The Navy's Special Warfare Development cluster, at one time selected Seal Team Six, was created for maritime counter-terrorism operations. The Joint Special Operations Command was created for command and management of the assorted counter-terrorism units of the U.S. military.
Though Delta is primarily a tier-one counter-terrorist unit, specifically directed to kill or capture high worth units (HVU) or dismantle terrorist cells, Delta remains extraordinarily versatile and might interact in dissent missions, surety rescues, and covert missions operating directly with the Central administrative body, still as high ranking protecting services of our senior leaders throughout visits in war torn countries. Delta is underneath operational management of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) although administratively supported by the military Special Operations Command (USASOC).
Delta Force was shaped once varied, well-publicized terrorist incidents within the Nineteen Seventies. These incidents light-emitting diode the U.S. government to develop a regular counter-terrorism unit.
Key military and government figures had already been briefed on a model for this kind of unit within the early Sixties. Charlie Beckwith, a U. S. Army Special Forces officer and Vietnam veteran, had served as Associate in Nursing exchange officer with the British Army's Special Air Service (22 SAS Regiment) throughout the Malayan Emergency. Upon his come back, Beckwith conferred a close report lightness the U.S. Army's vulnerability in not having Associate in Nursing SAS-type unit. U.S. Army U. S. Army Special Forces in this amount targeted on unconventional warfare, however Beckwith recognized the necessity for "not solely academics, but doers." He visualized extremely elastic and fully autonomous little groups with a broad array of special skills for dissent and counter-terrorist missions. He briefed military and government figures, World Health Organization were immune to making a replacement unit outside of U. S. Army Special Forces or dynamical existing strategies.
Finally, within the mid-70's, because the threat of coercion grew, the Pentagon leaders appointed Beckwith to make the unit. Beckwith calculable that it'd take twenty four months to induce his new unit mission-ready. Beckwith's estimate resulted from a speech communication he had earlier with general officer John Watts whereas change his SAS expertise in European nation in 1976. Watts had created it clear to Beckwith that it'd take eighteen months to create a squadron, however suggested him to inform the military leadership that it'd take 2 years, and to not 'let anyone speak (him) out of this.' To justify why it'd take 2 years to create Delta, Beckwith and his employees written what they dubbed the "Robert player Paper." In it Delta made public its wants and historical precedents for a four-phase selection/assessment method.
In the in the meantime, commissioned military officer Bob "Black Gloves" Mountel of the fifth U. S. Army Special Forces cluster was tasked with making a unit 'to breach the short gap' that existed till Delta was prepared, dubbed Blue light-weight.
On four November 1979, shortly once Delta had been created, fifty three yank diplomats and voters were taken captive and control within the U.S. embassy in national capital, Iran. The unit was appointed to Operation Eagle Claw and ordered to enter the country covertly and recover the hostages from the embassy by force on the nights of twenty four and twenty five Gregorian calendar month in 1980. The operation was aborted because of aviation failures. The review commission that examined the failure found twenty three issues with the operation, among them unbriefed weather encountered by the craft, command-and-control issues between the multi-service part commanders, a collision between a whirlybird and a ground-refueling tanker craft, and mechanical issues that reduced the quantity of obtainable helicopters from eight to 5 (one fewer than the minimum desired) before the mission contingent may leave the trans-loading/refueling website.
After the failing operation, the U.S. government completed a lot of changes required to be created. The one hundred and sixtieth Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), conjointly referred to as the Night Stalkers, was created for special operations requiring aviation support. The Navy's Special Warfare Development cluster, at one time selected Seal Team Six, was created for maritime counter-terrorism operations. The Joint Special Operations Command was created for command and management of the assorted counter-terrorism units of the U.S. military.
History
Compared to our nation's military history, Delta is relatively young, having been formed in 1977 by its first commander, Colonel Charles Beckwith. With the growing threat of terrorism around the world, Beckwith saw a need for a precision strike force within the Army after working with the British Special Air Service (SAS) in the early 1970's. Beckwith was tasked to form the new unit and pulled largely from the Special Forces Groups. The type of missions the SFOD-Delta has been involved with over the past few decades are classified but some have been de-classified and noted publicly in media reports and books written by Delta Operators. Here is a list of several of the declassified engagements:
Key military and government figures had already been briefed on a model for this type of unit in the early 1960s. Charlie Beckwith, a Special Forces officer and Vietnam veteran, had served as an exchange officer with the British Army's Special Air Service (22 SAS Regiment) during the Malayan Emergency. 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." He envisioned highly adaptable and completely autonomous small teams with a broad array of special skills for direct action and counter-terrorist missions. He briefed military and government figures, who were resistant to creating a new unit outside of Special Forces or changing existing methods.
Finally, in the mid-70's, as the threat of terrorism grew, the Pentagon high command appointed Beckwith to form the unit. Beckwith estimated that it would take 24 months to get his new unit mission-ready. Beckwith's estimate resulted from a conversation he had earlier with Brigadier John Watts while updating his SAS experience in England in 1976. Watts had made it clear to Beckwith that it would take eighteen months to build a squadron, but advised him to tell the Army leadership that it would take two years, and not to 'let anyone talk (him) out of this.' To justify why it would take two years to build Delta, Beckwith and his staff drafted what they dubbed the "Robert Redford Paper." In it Delta outlined its necessities and historical precedents for a four-phase selection/assessment process.
In the meantime, Colonel Bob "Black Gloves" Mountel of the 5th Special Forces Group was tasked with creating a unit 'to breach the short-term gap' that existed until Delta was ready, dubbed Blue Light.
On 4 November 1979, shortly after Delta had been created, 53 American diplomats and citizens were taken captive and held in the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran. The unit was assigned to Operation Eagle Claw and ordered to enter the country covertly and recover the hostages from the embassy by force on the nights of 24 and 25 April in 1980. The operation was aborted due to aviation failures. 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 trans-loading/refueling site.
After the failed operation, the U.S. government realized more changes needed to be made. The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), also known as the Night Stalkers, was created for special operations requiring aviation support. The Navy's Special Warfare Development Group, formerly designated Seal Team Six, was created for maritime counter-terrorism operations. The Joint Special Operations Command was created for command and control of the various counter-terrorism units of the U.S. military.
The notice states that applicants must be male, in the ranks of E-4 through E-8, have at least two and a half years of service 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.
On 29 June 2006 during a session of the Committee on Armed Services, General Wayne Downing testified before the U.S. House of Representatives that 70 percent of all Delta operators started their military careers in the 75th Ranger Regiment.
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, in which the individual maintains little contact with friends and family for the duration. Training includes firearm accuracy and various other munitions training.
In a recent interview, former Delta operator Paul Howe talked about the high attrition rate of his Delta selection course. He said that out of his two classes totaling 240 men, only 12 to 14 candidates completed the course.
Operation Urgent Fury - Grenada prisoner rescue from the Richmond Hill prison.
Operation Just Cause - Panama invasion to capture Noriega and protect some 35,000 Americans living in Panama.
Gulf War - Iraq invades Kuwait and the US-led alliance defeats Saddam Hussein and his Army, pushing them back into Iraq.
Operation Gothic Serpent - Part of the Battle of Mogadishu (1993) where U.S. helicopters were shot down and two Delta Operators SFC Randall Shughart and MSG Gary Gordon were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for their efforts that day.
War in Afghanistan -Within a month of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Special Forces operators aided in defeating and dismantling the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Battle of Tora Bora - A massive joint engagement to kill or capture Osama bin Laden.
Operation Red Dawn - Locating and capturing Saddam Hussein
.
Countless Hostage Rescues around the world
Compared to our nation's military history, Delta is relatively young, having been formed in 1977 by its first commander, Colonel Charles Beckwith. With the growing threat of terrorism around the world, Beckwith saw a need for a precision strike force within the Army after working with the British Special Air Service (SAS) in the early 1970's. Beckwith was tasked to form the new unit and pulled largely from the Special Forces Groups. The type of missions the SFOD-Delta has been involved with over the past few decades are classified but some have been de-classified and noted publicly in media reports and books written by Delta Operators. Here is a list of several of the declassified engagements:
Key military and government figures had already been briefed on a model for this type of unit in the early 1960s. Charlie Beckwith, a Special Forces officer and Vietnam veteran, had served as an exchange officer with the British Army's Special Air Service (22 SAS Regiment) during the Malayan Emergency. 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." He envisioned highly adaptable and completely autonomous small teams with a broad array of special skills for direct action and counter-terrorist missions. He briefed military and government figures, who were resistant to creating a new unit outside of Special Forces or changing existing methods.
Finally, in the mid-70's, as the threat of terrorism grew, the Pentagon high command appointed Beckwith to form the unit. Beckwith estimated that it would take 24 months to get his new unit mission-ready. Beckwith's estimate resulted from a conversation he had earlier with Brigadier John Watts while updating his SAS experience in England in 1976. Watts had made it clear to Beckwith that it would take eighteen months to build a squadron, but advised him to tell the Army leadership that it would take two years, and not to 'let anyone talk (him) out of this.' To justify why it would take two years to build Delta, Beckwith and his staff drafted what they dubbed the "Robert Redford Paper." In it Delta outlined its necessities and historical precedents for a four-phase selection/assessment process.
In the meantime, Colonel Bob "Black Gloves" Mountel of the 5th Special Forces Group was tasked with creating a unit 'to breach the short-term gap' that existed until Delta was ready, dubbed Blue Light.
On 4 November 1979, shortly after Delta had been created, 53 American diplomats and citizens were taken captive and held in the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran. The unit was assigned to Operation Eagle Claw and ordered to enter the country covertly and recover the hostages from the embassy by force on the nights of 24 and 25 April in 1980. The operation was aborted due to aviation failures. 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 trans-loading/refueling site.
After the failed operation, the U.S. government realized more changes needed to be made. The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), also known as the Night Stalkers, was created for special operations requiring aviation support. The Navy's Special Warfare Development Group, formerly designated Seal Team Six, was created for maritime counter-terrorism operations. The Joint Special Operations Command was created for command and control of the various counter-terrorism units of the U.S. military.
Organization and structure
The unit is under the organization of the US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) but is controlled by the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). Command of 1st SFOD-D is a Colonel's billet. Virtually all information about the unit is highly classified and details about specific missions or operations generally are not available publicly. 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 800 to 1,000 personnel, including the following operational groups:Detachment designations
Delta Force's structure is similar to the British 22 Special Air Service, the unit that inspired Delta's formation. 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 soldiers. Naylor wrote that approximately 250 of those are operators trained to conduct direct action and reconnaissance missions. There are three main operational squadrons:- A Squadron
- B Squadron
- C Squadron
Recruitment
Most intake comes from the Special Forces Groups, with a sizable but significantly smaller portion from the 75th Ranger Regiment, though a few have come from other units of the army. Since the 1990s, the Army has posted recruitment notices for the 1st SFOD-D The Army, however, has never released an official fact sheet for the elite force. The recruitment notices 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..."The notice states that applicants must be male, in the ranks of E-4 through E-8, have at least two and a half years of service 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.
On 29 June 2006 during a session of the Committee on Armed Services, General Wayne Downing testified before the U.S. House of Representatives that 70 percent of all Delta operators started their military careers in the 75th Ranger Regiment.
Selection process
Haney's book Inside Delta Force described the selection course and its inception in detail. Haney wrote the selection course began with standard tests including push-ups, sit-ups, and a 2-mile (3.2 km) run, an inverted crawl and a 100 meter swim fully dressed. The candidates are then put through a series of land navigation courses to include an 18-mile (29 km), all-night land navigation course while carrying a 40-pound (18 kg) 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 40-mile (64 km) march with a 45-pound (20 kg) rucksack over rough terrain that 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.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, in which the individual maintains little contact with friends and family for the duration. Training includes firearm accuracy and various other munitions training.
In a recent interview, former Delta operator Paul Howe talked about the high attrition rate of his Delta selection course. He said that out of his two classes totaling 240 men, only 12 to 14 candidates completed the course.
Training
According to Eric Haney the unit's Operator Training Course is approximately six months long. While the OTC course is constantly changing, the skills taught broadly include the following:- Marksmanship
- The trainees shoot without aiming at stationary targets at close range until they gain almost complete accuracy, then progress to moving targets.
- Once these shooting skills are perfected, trainees move to a shooting house and clear rooms of "enemy" targets - first one only, then two at a time, three, and finally four. When all can demonstrate sufficient skill, "hostages" are added to the "enemies".
- Demolitions and Breaching
- Trainees learn how to pick many different locks, including those on cars and safes.
- Advanced demolition, and bomb making using common materials.
- Combined skills. The FBI, FAA, and other agencies were used to advise the training of this portion of OTC. Commercial airliners such as Delta Air Lines would allow Delta to train on their aircraft as well.
- The new Delta operators use demolition and marksmanship at the shoothouse and other training facilities to train for hostage and counter-terrorist operations with 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 containing hostages. They learn the proper ways to set up a TOC and communicate in an organized manner. Although Delta has specialized sniper troops, 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. Live ammunition is known to have 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, brief encounters, pickups, load and unload signals, danger and safe signals, surveillance and counter-surveillance.
- Executive Protection – During the first OTC's and creation of Delta, the U.S. State Department's Diplomatic Security Service and the United States Secret Service advised Delta.
- Students take an advanced driving course learning how to use a vehicle or many vehicles as defensive and offensive weapons.
- They then learn techniques for VIP and diplomatic protection developed by the Secret Service and DSS.
- Culmination Exercise
- A final test requires the students to apply and dynamically adapt all of the skills that they have learned.
Operations History :
Operation Eagle Claw - In 1980, during the Iran Hostage Crisis a failed attempt at a rescue due to aviation equipment/operator error led to the death of eight Americans;as a result the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment was created.Operation Urgent Fury - Grenada prisoner rescue from the Richmond Hill prison.
Operation Just Cause - Panama invasion to capture Noriega and protect some 35,000 Americans living in Panama.
Gulf War - Iraq invades Kuwait and the US-led alliance defeats Saddam Hussein and his Army, pushing them back into Iraq.
Operation Gothic Serpent - Part of the Battle of Mogadishu (1993) where U.S. helicopters were shot down and two Delta Operators SFC Randall Shughart and MSG Gary Gordon were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for their efforts that day.
War in Afghanistan -Within a month of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Special Forces operators aided in defeating and dismantling the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Battle of Tora Bora - A massive joint engagement to kill or capture Osama bin Laden.
Operation Red Dawn - Locating and capturing Saddam Hussein
.
Countless Hostage Rescues around the world
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