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Enron Mail |
Subject: Terrorizing the terrorists
Here's what we got going for us. To be reckoned with. And this is only what we know. You can be certain there is stuff that we don't know about and don't need to. While you're reading this some of your fellow Americans are hard at work getting down and dirty and most of all being very nasty. Just like in the movies, but we won't get to see this take place. Just know it is. GO SPECIAL FORCES!!! Special warriors' role: to terrorize terrorists By STEPHEN HARRIMAN, The Norfolk Virginian-Pilot ? September 29, 2001 This week, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld told Americans and others on a war watch not to expect a ``D-Day.'' In others words, don't look for aircraft, ships and cruise missiles to suddenly light up the sky over Afghanistan like they did in Baghdad in the first hours of the Gulf War. Expect instead, the administration has been saying, a much more targeted campaign aimed at ``smoking out'' individuals and cells of terrorists from their mountainous hideouts. Those who specialize in that sort of covert operation are the unconventional warriors of the U.S. Special Operations Command. They are likely to play a big role in this first war of the 21st century. Their mission will be to terrorize the terrorists. What follows is a profile of special operation forces -- units from the Navy, Army and Air Force with a combined troop strength of between 45,000 and 50,000. The information was gleaned from publicly available material including official Web sites. The Army's 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Delta Force), headquartered in a remote section of sprawling Fort Bragg, N.C., is, like the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (Dev Group), one of the U.S. government's principal units charged with worldwide counter-terrorist operations. Both select experienced men from other special operation forces. There are no women in special forces. Their methods of operation, too, are similar: small groups, in and out quickly, often under the cover of darkness, striking with speed, surprise and extreme violence. Delta Force was created by Army Col. Charles Beckwith in 1977 in response to numerous, well-publicized terrorist incidents in the 1970s. It is organized into three operating squadrons, all of which are subdivided into small groups known as troops, which can each be further divided into smaller units as needed to fit mission requirements. Delta also maintains support units which handle selection and training, logistics, finance, and the units' medical requirements. Within this grouping is a little-known but vital technical unit responsible for covert eavesdropping and intelligence gathering. Delta troopers are also equipped with the most advanced weaponry and equipment available. A significant portion of their gear is highly customized and cannot be found anywhere but in Deltas' lockers. The Navy's Dev Group, based at the Navy facility at Dam Neck in Virginia Beach, is an evolution of Seal Team 6, the existence of which the Navy has never confirmed. Organization and manpower of the group is classified. However, it is estimated that it now numbers approximately 200 operators. There is also an administrative and testing section, which numbers approximately 300 personnel. It has been rumored that the unit maintains or has maintained a small number of Black Hawk helicopters, but the majority of aviation requirements are provided by the Army's 160th Special Operation Aviation Regiment, especially in support of ship assaults, which frequently make use of the small MH-6 ``Little Bird'' helicopters operated exclusively by the 160th. The group is reportedly divided into five teams: Gold, Blue and Red for assault, Gray for transportation and Black for reconnaissance and surveillance; a sixth, the Green team, is for new personnel in training. The Navy also brings to the table six Seal Teams with special covert capabilities on sea, air and land. Teams 1, 3 and 5 are based at San Diego, Teams 2, 4 and 8 at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base. Each team has a headquarters element and eight platoons (except for Seal Team 4, which has 10) of about a dozen men each, depending on the mission. The Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) provides aviation support to special operation forces. The Regiment consists of modified Little Bird light observation helicopters, Black Hawk helicopters, and Chinook medium-lift helicopters. The regiment is trained to work in conjunction with other special operation forces, especially to insert, extract and resupply them, and to conduct armed escort, reconnaissance, surveillance, and electronic warfare in support of their missions. Its focus on night operations resulted in the nickname ``The Night Stalkers.'' Three battalions are based at Fort Campbell, Ky., home of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and a fourth at Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia. The 75th Ranger Regiment is the largest ground component of the special operation forces. It is the premier airfield seizure and raid unit in the Army. One of its first targets could be the large former Soviet base at Bagram. The base, Afghanistan's only all-weather airfield, would make an ideal forward operations base for special forces. The regiment is made up of three 580-member Ranger battalions, based at Hunter Army Airfield, Fort Lewis, Wash., and Fort Benning, Ga. Each of the battalions has three 152-member rifle companies and a headquarters element. Their capabilities include: infiltrating and getting back out by land, sea, and air; conducting raids; recovery of personnel and equipment, and conducting conventional or special light-infantry operations. Ranger units have a limited anti-armor capability. Their only air defense artillery system is the shoulder-fired Stinger missile. Ranger units generally deploy with five days of supplies. The Army's Special Forces soldiers (Green Berets) are carefully selected, specially trained, and capable of extended operations in extremely remote and hostile territory. ``Foreign internal defense'' operations are designed to help friendly developing nations by working with their military and paramilitary forces. The Green Berets are likely to work with the various disaffected indigenous people of the region to establish reliable intelligence. The Special Forces Command is divided into five groups. The 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), based at Fort Campbell, focuses on Southwest Asia and Northeastern Africa. A Special Forces group has a headquarters element, a support element and three battalions. Each battalion consists of 39 officers, 24 warrant officers and 320 enlisted soldiers. A Special Forces company consists of eight officers, seven warrant officers and 67 enlisted soldiers. Green Berets are most frequently deployed in even smaller units called A Detachments or teams of a dozen men. The Air Force 16th Special Operations Wing is that service's major component in the U.S. Special Operations Command, with a fleet of more than 90 aircraft, mostly MC-130s, that work closely with Army and Navy forces in the support of unconventional warfare missions. Modifications to the MC-130 allow aircrews to perform clandestine missions minimizing the chances of being detected by hostile radar systems. The 352nd Special Operations Group, based in England, works with special operation activities throughout the U.S. European Command and U.S. Central Command. Other ground units that are trained to conduct similar covert missions include Army Long Range Surveillance Units (LRSUs), the 10th Mountain Division based at Fort Drum, N.Y., the 82nd Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg, and the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) based at Fort Campbell. LRSUs are specially trained and equipped to collect human intelligence. They observe and report enemy dispositions, movements and activities, and battlefield conditions avoiding contact with the enemy and local civilians. The 10th, 82nd and 101st divisions are large units that would be deployed only if an extended ground war developed. All are light divisions and are supposed to be deployed quickly; it took 60 days to deploy the 101st and all its helicopters during the buildup to the allied strikes against Iraqi forces in the Gulf War. The Marines also have special training in special operations. Each deployed Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) -- a reinforced battalion, a composite aircraft squadron and a service support group with about 2,200 personnel -- is certified capable of special operations. Each MEU contains a sub-unit whose tasks include deep reconnaissance and surveillance, hostage rescue, and demolition.
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