Facts about the Delta Force

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 killing covert enemy forces. Delta Force conducts missions similar to those attributed to the British Special Air Service (SAS), on which it was originally modeled.

1st Special Forces Operational Detachment - Delta (SFOD-D)

^{excerpts from specialoperations.com}

Combat Applications Group (CAG), Delta Force

The U.S. Army’s 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (SFOD-D) is one of two of the U.S. government’s principleunit tasked withcounterterrorist operations outside the United States (the other being Naval Special Warfare Development Group). Delta Force was created by U.S. Army colonel Charles Beckwith in 1977 in direct response to numerous, well-publicized terrorist incidents that occurred in the 1970s. From its beginnings, Delta was heavily influenced by the British SAS, a philosophical result of Col. Beckwith’s year-long (1962-1963) exchange tour with that unit. Accordingly, it is today organized into three operating squadrons, all of which (A, B, and C) are subdivided into small groups known as troops. It is rumored that each troop, as the case with the SAS, specializes in HALO, SCUBA, or other skill groups. These troops 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 unit’s medical requirements. Within this grouping is a little known, but vital technical unit which is responsible for covert eavesdropping equipment for use in hostage rescues and similar situations.

The unit is headquartered in a remote section of the U.S. Army’s sprawling Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Reports of the compound indicate that no expense has been spared, including numerous shooting facilities (both for close quarters battle and longer range sniping), an Olympic-sized swimming pool, dive tank, and a three-story climbing wall. Yet, as lavish as these accouterments may seem, they all serve vital roles in training counterterrorists. As units such as Delta do not get to choose when and where they will be needed. As such, they must train for any eventuality. These skills are enhanced by the unit's participation in an ongoing exchange and training programs with foreign counterterrorist units, such as (as might be expected) Britain's 22 SAS, France's GIGN, Germany's GSG-9, Israel's Sayeret Matkal/Unit 269, and Australia's own Special Air Service Regiment. Such close cooperation with other groups provides innumerable benefits, including exchanges of new tactics and equipment as well as enhancing relations that might prove useful in later real-world operations.

Delta troopers are also equipped with the most advanced weaponry and equipment available in the U.S. special operations arsenal. A significant portion of their gear is highly customized and cannot be found anywhere but in Delta’s lockers. An early example of this was a specially-constructed HAHO parachute rig which were been adapted to permit jumpers to keep their hands at their sides during the descent rather than above their heads. This alteration prevents the loss of functioning which can occur as a result of prolonged flight time in such an unnatural position.

The vast majority of the unit operatives come from the United States’ elite Ranger battalions and Special Forces groups, however candidates are drawn from all branches of the Army, including the Army Reserve and National Guard. Those initially selected are usually chosen in one of three ways. The first of these is in response to advertisements posted at Army bases across the country. The second method is by word-of-mouth, or personal recommendation from sources whose opinions are important to Delta screeners. Finally, on occasion the unit will require the skills of individuals who might not fall into one of the first two categories. If, in the instance that Delta’s commanders feel that an individual would make a valuable addition to the team (for example someone who speaks an obscure language or possesses hard-to-come by technical skills), a representative from Delta will be dispatched specifically to interview that person.

Real world examples of some missions with which Delta is tasked are represented below:

1979 - Worked with the FBI at the Pan American Games in Puerto Rico as part of an anti-terrorist team set up to anticipate possible terrorist activity at the event.

1983 - Participated in Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada, including the air assault of Richmond Hill prison to free as well as assisting in the seizure of a key airfield.

1984 - Deployed to the Middle East in response to the hijacking of a Kuwaiti Airlines airliner, during which two Americans were killed.

1985 - Again deployed in response to a hijacking, this time to Cyprus in anticipation of an assault on a seized TWA airliner.

1987 - Sent to Greece to secure U.S. Army Col. James "Nick" Rowe in response to reports that Vietnamese communist agents were planning an action against him.

1989 - Successfully rescued an imprisoned U.S. citizen during the opening minutes of Operation Just Cause in Panama and participated in the widespread search for Gen. Manuel Noriega and his advisors.

1991 - Deployed to the Gulf in 1991, both to serve as bodyguards for senior U.S. officers and, later, as part of a massive effort to locate and destroy mobile SCUD launchers in Iraq’s northern deserts.

1993 - As part of Task Force Ranger, took part in numerous operations to apprehend warlord Mohamad Farah Aidid in Mogadishu, Somalia.

1997 - Small advance team sent to Lima, Peru immediately following the takeover of the Japanese Ambassador's residence in January 1997 along with six members of the British SAS.

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

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

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

Weapons of Choice

Delta's unconventional nature also allows its operators to carry highly-customized weapons. Just like any other military unit they have dedicated mission taskings including snipers and squad machine gunners. Below is a list of common or highlighted weapons, but the flexibility of Delta means that their weaponry is quite varied and often depends on the mission at hand or personal preference of the individual operators. This 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.

• Delta force operators often decide to pick up or bring in weapons that are in use with the indigenous forces or the enemy in the Area of Operations (AO). This is to help them "blend in" with the locals, to use local-style 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 1911 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 M14 in urban environments due to their semi-automatic ability, allowing to provide a follow up shot much quicker than with bolt-action rifles. In Mark Bowden's book, Blawk Hawk Down, Bowden records that one of the elite Delta Force soldiers, Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart, chooses a M14 rifle because of the increased stopping power offered by the 7.62 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 more commonly in use, and often misidentified as M14 usage, when in fact they are a slightly different weapon.

• Somewhat recently former Delta Force member 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 with a different type of piston action, designed 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.

Recruitment

Officer Assignment Opportunities in Delta Force

(From: US Army PERSCOM Online)

The U.S. Army's 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1stSFOD-D) plans and conducts a broad range of special operations across the operationalcontinuum. Delta is organized for the conduct of missions requiring rapid response with surgical applications of a wide variety of unique skills,whilemaintaining the lowest possible profile of U.S. involvement.

Assignment to 1st SFOD-D involves an extensive prescreening process,successful completion of a 3 to 4 week mentally and physically demandingAssessment and Selection Course, and a 6 month operator Training Course.Upon successful completion of these courses officers are assigned to anoperational position within the unit.

As an officer in 1st SFOD-D, you will have added opportunities to command at the CPT, MAJ, and LTC levels. You may also serve as an Operations Officer.Afterservice with 1st SFOD-D there are a wide variety of staff positions availableto you at DOD, JCS, DA, USASOC, USSOCOM, and other joint headquarters becauseof your training and experience. In addition, there are interagency positionsavailable to you as well.

The prerequisites for an officer are:

Male Volunteer U.S. Citizen Pass a modified Class II Flight Physical Airborne qualified or volunteer for airborne training Pass a background security investigation and have at leasta secret clearance. Pass the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT), FM 21-20,75points each event in the 22-26 age group, (55 pushups in two minutes,62situps in two minutes, and a 2 mile run in 15:06 or less), wearing yourunit PT uniform. Minimum of two years active service remaining upon selectionto the unit. Captain or Major (Branch Immaterial). Advance Course graduate. College graduate (BA or BS). Minimum of 12 months successful command (as a Captain). 1st SFOD-D conducts worldwide recruiting twice a year to process potential candidates for the Assessment and Selection Course. Processing for the March Course is from October through January. Processing for the September Course takes place April through July. Assignments with 1st SFOD-D provide realistic training and experiences that are both personally and professionally rewarding,

Such recruits are usually men with skills such as proficiency in a foreign language or other desirable traits. The selection course begins with standard tests including: push-ups, sit-ups, and a three mile run. The recruits are then put through eighteen-mile, all-night land navigation courses while carrying a thirty-five pound rucksack. The rucksack's weight and the distance are increased and the time to complete the task is decreased with every march. The 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 British SAS, the German KSK and the Israeli Sayeret Matkal and will even help train other U.S. counter-terrorism and national intervention units, such as the FBI's HRT.