Delta Force Also known as Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta or Combat Applications Group (CAG) Country = UNITED STATES Delta Force The US Army Delta Force, a top US special forces team, has been known throughout the years by a number of names including 1st Special Operational Detachment-Delta, Combat Applications Group and Army Compartmented Elements. Their main missions include counter-terrorism with involvement in hostage rescue, capture and elimination of terrorist forces and intelligence gathering regarding any terrorist threat. Additional assignments can include guarding VIPs and unconventional warfare. Delta Force is based out of Ft. Bragg, NC. The Delta Force is one of two military outfits in the United States charged with counterterrorist operations. Like the other, the Navy's Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), Delta Force can deploy at a moment's notice. But unlike DEVGRU, Delta Force doesn't officially exist. In the 1970s, the world began to see an outbreak of extremism. Groups like Germany's Red Army Faction and the Palestinian Liberation Organization introduced new words into the global vocabulary -- words like terrorism and hijacking. As a response to the sudden and widespread emergence of terrorist ideologies, United States Army Colonel Charles Beckwith proposed that the government create a small, skilled tactical team capable of responding with quick and deadly force to terrorist activities [source: SOC]. In 1977, Beckwith assembled the force and recruited from the Green Berets, the Army Rangers and the Airborne divisions. Beckwith created a grueling training course based on that of the British Special Air Service (SAS) -- an elite commando unit capable of carrying out highly specialized missions. Beckwith spent a year in an exchange program with the SAS and was inspired by his experience [source: SOC]. He used the group as a model, and today Delta Force and SAS still serve side-by-side and exchange members in their cross-training programs. In 1996, Delta Force operators and SAS members stormed the home of the Japanese ambassador to rescue him from hostage-takers in Lima, Peru. Delta Force recruits are selected based on the special skills they possess, like exceptional marksmanship. It's reputed that Delta Force recruits must show 100 percent accuracy in shooting from 600 yards, and 90 percent accuracy at 1,000 yards [source: VFW Magazine]. Beckwith also created a 40-mile hike as an endurance test to separate the truly capable from those who had simply managed to remain in training to that point. This method is taken directly from the SAS. Delta Force holds nationwide recruitment drives several months out of the year, culminating in two selection processes, one in the spring and one in the fall. Following the monthlong selection process, recruits who make it through move on to the training process, which is believed to last six months. Delta Force is separated into three combat squadrons -- A, B and C -- along with a support squadron, signal squadron, aviation platoon and a "funny platoon" -- the intelligence-gathering outfit of the Delta Force, rumored to be the only special operations platoon to include women. The combat squadrons are composed of smaller units called troops, which specialize in airborne, ground or water insertion much like the Green Berets. Ultimately, troops can be split into small mission teams of up to 12 men and as few as one. Coming from military backgrounds, recruits are already trained to kill, but as Delta Force operators, they become trained killers. As counterterrorist operatives, Delta Force members are trained in the art of hostage rescue in closed spaces. When they rescue hostages, the hostage-takers are rarely left alive. It was Beckwith who mandated the simple two-tap method of dealing with terrorists -- two shots go into each terrorist [source: VFW Magazine]. In stark contrast to movie or TV representations, Delta Force operators don't spare those who may come back to fight them again. Delta Force Selction And Training Delta Force recruits are selected based on the special skills they possess, like exceptional marksmanship. It's reputed that Delta Force recruits must show 100 percent accuracy in shooting from 600 yards, and 90 percent accuracy at 1,000 yards [source: VFW Magazine]. Beckwith also created a 40-mile hike as an endurance test to separate the truly capable from those who had simply managed to remain in training to that point. This method is taken directly from the SAS. The selection process for the US Army Delta Force is rigid with most of the recruits coming from the Special Forces Groups and the 75th Ranger Regiment. The recruits must undergo a number of physically challenging tests which increase in difficulty throughout this portion of the program. Next they will undergo a series of mental challenges. It is only then a recruit is told whether he has been selected to enter into the 6-month Operator Training Course. This intense phase of training consists of a number of courses. Students are first trained to be excellent marksman first with stationery targets and then moving targets. Once they have become proficient, they are challenged in what is known as a “shooting house†where they are assigned to clear the rooms inside of all enemy targets. Students are challenged individually and then perform the task again and again, each time adding a team member (up to a total of four). Once the group(s) has successfully cleared the house, hostages are added among the enemy targets. Students are also taught to break various types of locks and how to build bombs from easily accessed common materials. They are also taught espionage skills and specialized driving techniques using advanced driving courses and a variety of vehicles. They are further instructed on how to use the vehicle(s) as both a defensive and an offensive weapon. Delta Force units cross-train with similar units from other Allied countries. They have also assisted in the training of other US counter-terrorism groups such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Hostage Rescue Team. The US Army Delta Force is an extremely versatile organization and is said to remain on standby in order for immediate response to any terrorist threat situation. Delta Force ORGANISATION AND STRUCTURE Delta Force is separated into three combat squadrons -- A, B and C -- along with a support squadron, signal squadron, aviation platoon and a "funny platoon" -- the intelligence-gathering outfit of the Delta Force, rumored to be the only special operations platoon to include women. The combat squadrons are composed of smaller units called troops, which specialize in airborne, ground or water insertion much like the Green Berets. Ultimately, troops can be split into small mission teams of up to 12 men and as few as one. Coming from military backgrounds, recruits are already trained to kill, but as Delta Force operators, they become trained killers. As counterterrorist operatives, Delta Force members are trained in the art of hostage rescue in closed spaces. When they rescue hostages, the hostage-takers are rarely left alive. It was Beckwith who mandated the simple two-tap method of dealing with terrorists -- two shots go into each terrorist [source: VFW Magazine]. In stark contrast to movie or TV representations, Delta Force operators don't spare those who may come back to fight them again. Delta Force History In the 1970s, the world began to see an outbreak of extremism. Groups like Germany's Red Army Faction and the Palestinian Liberation Organization introduced new words into the global vocabulary -- words like terrorism and hijacking. As a response to the sudden and widespread emergence of terrorist ideologies, United States Army Colonel Charles Beckwith proposed that the government create a small, skilled tactical team capable of responding with quick and deadly force to terrorist activities [source: SOC]. In 1977, Beckwith assembled the force and recruited from the Green Berets, the Army Rangers and the Airborne divisions. Beckwith created a grueling training course based on that of the British Special Air Service (SAS) -- an elite commando unit capable of carrying out highly specialized missions. Beckwith spent a year in an exchange program with the SAS and was inspired by his experience [source: SOC]. He used the group as a model, and today Delta Force and SAS still serve side-by-side and exchange members in their cross-training programs. In 1996, Delta Force operators and SAS members stormed the home of the Japanese ambassador to rescue him from hostage-takers in Lima, Peru. Delta Force Weapons At its training facility, known in some circles as the "House of Horrors," Delta Force is believed to work tirelessly, honing its skills. Its facility is believed to include buses, trains and even a passenger airliner for staging hostage-rescue scenarios. The group refines its training in close-quarters combat, and since its members are also required to be excellent marksmen, they also practice shooting regularly. The arsenal available to the Delta Force is said to be limitless. The very best weaponry the world has to offer is at its fingertips, and much of its arms are heavily customized. The force is believed to favor submachine guns made by Heckler and Koch, the German arms manufacturer. Specifically, the group is thought to prize the H&K M4 and MP5 as light weapons, along with the company's PSG1 7.62mm sniper rifle [source: Forces-Speciales]. They've also been known to use American manufacturer Browning's M82A1 .50-caliber sniper rifle for long-range targets up to 1,750 yards [source: Tekawiz]. Delta Force is believed to have worked directly with Heckler and Koch to develop the new 416 model, a carbine that fires 5.56mm rounds, as a replacement for the M4. High-performance submachine guns and high-powered sniper rifles alone do not make a successful Delta Force mission. In addition to its weaponry and extensive training, Delta Force also requires a lift. In many cases, operators rely on their squadron's aviation platoon. These platoons are composed of aircraft that are painted and outfitted to look like civilian helicopters. These aircraft are even said to have made-up civilian-class registration numbers on them. In missions where it must appear that the United States government, military or federal agencies have no official involvement, the Delta Force aviation platoon serves the battle squadrons well. Operators invading in civilian clothes, in what looks to be civilian aircraft, create a tremendous amount of plausible deniability. After all, these people could just as easily be overzealous citizens or employees of a private security firm (a job that many former Delta Force operators take after retirement). In special cases, the Delta Force calls in the Night Stalkers. Officially referred to as the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), this group of highly trained pilots flies Blackhawk and Little Bird helicopters close to the ground to deliver special operations forces like the Delta Force to its insertion areas. The Night Stalkers use night vision equipment, flying without lights in black helicopters at night. They pride themselves on being able to get to any destination within plus or minus 30 seconds of their stated time frame. Delta Force Operations he group's first assignment came shortly after its formation, guarding the Pan-American Games in Puerto Rico in 1979 [source: SOC]. While that detail reportedly went smoothly, its next operation -- Eagle Claw -- failed. The objective of the operation, to rescue 66 American hostages at the embassy in Tehran, Iran, wasn't completed. A helicopter carrying Delta Force and other special operations team members crashed, killing eight and ending the operation. Following that, control of Delta Force was taken out of the hands of traditional special operations command [source: VFW Magazine]. Exactly where it was placed, however, remains a mystery. Delta Force carried out at least one notable textbook operation, based on exactly what the group was formed to do -- rescue hostages in tight spaces. The force boarded a hijacked Indonesian passenger plane in 1980, rescuing the hostages and killing all four hijackers. This wasn't the last time they were called out to handle a hostage situation on an airliner. In other similar scenarios, including hijacked airliners in Algiers, Kuwait, and Cyprus, the Delta Force found themselves blocked from carrying out operations by local authorities [source: SOC]. Being activated -- only to find upon arrival that it wasn't needed or wanted -- would prove to be a pattern for Delta Force. In the early 1980s, for example, Delta Force was tapped to carry out operations to rescue American POWs in Vietnam. Each mission was scrapped, however, after a private American citizen staged his own publicized missions [source: SOC]. While its primary role is to carry out counterterrorist operations, Delta Force also serves other functions -- essentially any type of mission that requires quick and deadly skill from a small group. The group is reported to carry out operations on behalf of other branches of the military and agencies, like the CIA's shadowy Special Activities Staff [source: SpecWarNet]. Delta Force has participated overtly alongside the military in major invasions carried out by the United States. In Grenada, during Operation Urgent Fury, it stormed a prison to release hostages [source: Military.com]. And in Panama, as part of Operation Just Cause, the group rescued an American CIA operative and helped capture president Manuel Noriega [source: Army.com]. Perhaps its most widely known operation is the "Great Scud Hunt" during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Delta Force operators infiltrated hundreds of miles into Iraq, finding Iraqi Scud missiles, acquiring them as targets for American fighter jets and killing Scud-launching crews [source: Global Securty.net]. Members also served as bodyguards for General Norman Schwarzkopf during Desert Storm in Iraq [source: SpecWarNet]. Serving as bodyguards is a role Delta Force apparently continues today, as photos of reported Delta Force operators guarding Afghani president Hamid Karzai have emerged. Delta Force operators have been involved in missions that required other skill sets. Members of the group infiltrated Libya in 1984, installing surveillance equipment that allowed the United States to keep tabs on militant training camps. From Libya, Delta is said to have made its way to Chad, an African nation friendly to the United States. There, operators trained the Chad military in the use of Stinger missiles and other high-tech weapons supplied by the United States, which was used by Chad to fire on Libyan planes [source: SOC]. A decade later, Delta Force took part in the extensive hunts for Serbian war criminals . Delta Force Conclusion Delta Force is often referred to as Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta. It's also known as the Combat Applications Group (CAG). While it often draws its ranks from the Army Special Forces (the Army Green Berets) and shares Fort Bragg, N.C., headquarters with them, it isn't an Army Special Forces detachment. Delta Force is a unit unto itself, composed of members from all branches of the military. It must be said that neither the United States government nor the military officially acknowledges the existence of Delta Force. It's only in recent years that vague references by the government to the group's existence have been allowed to go uncensored. These references have turned up in transcripts from Congressional hearings and biographies of high-ranking military leaders. In 1993, Delta Force came under the microscope when its operators were among those who fought and died in a failed operation to remove a Somali warlord. And in Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada in 1983, reports of two missions by Delta Force -- one failed and one successful -- have become common knowledge. 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. To conceal their identities, they rarely wear a uniform and usually wear civilian clothing both on or off duty. When military uniforms are worn, they lack markings, surnames, or branch names. Civilian hair styles and facial hair are allowed to enable the members to blend in and avoid recognition as military personnel.
When we talk of Israeli SOF two units pop up quickly i.e Sayeret Matkal and Shayetet 13. But the Israeli's have some equally awesome almost unheard of SOF units, the Egoz units is one of them. About the Egoz unit Egos is the elite Israeli ground forces commando unit, in the special forces of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It specializes in guerrilla, anti-guerrilla warfare, and more complicated ground activity. Egoz is part of the Northern Command's Golani Brigade and today, it is a "Portable" unit, that operates anywhere. Before the year 2000, Egoz operated mainly in Israel's Northern Command, combating threats from the Hezbollah. Following Israel's withdrawal from Southern Lebanon, its operations were moved to the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In 2003 and 2004, Egoz prevented more terrorist acts than any other IDF unit. The unit still does some reconnaissance in southern Lebanon. The Egoz Unit was founded in 1956 as a special forces unit (sayeret), but was disbanded and re-organized in 1964 due to a friendly fire incident. After the Six-Day War, it became a battalion. It was disbanded again following the Yom Kippur War due to manpower shortages in other units, and re-formed in 1995 as an anti-guerrilla unit (company). Most of the initial fighters came from the Shimshon Unit. Its commander was from the Navy Commandos and as a result, much of the discipline, tactics and professionalism come from the Navy Commandos, and are the foundations upon which the unit was built on. The training of an Egoz unit begins with basic training, advanced exercises, and unit marches, after which each soldier is interviewed by Israeli intelligence to determine if he should be screened out from the second phase of training. The second phase consists of learning camouflage warfare, various kinds of assaults, land navigation, completing the squad leaders course, jeep driving course, counter-terrorism course, parachute course, reconnaissance course and the alpine course – if there is snow in the Hermon area- among other courses that are highly classified. When operating in Lebanon, the unit uses unmarked cartridges, as well as the Russian-made RPD and PK light machine guns. Soldiers using the MTAR-21 "Tavor" standard issue weapon have the Litton Akila night vision system mounted on it. Pictures -The above pic is a favorite of mine.In this are two Egoz operators blending in, try locating them, the first one will be a bit east to spot. well egoz is pretty well known in israel but its not close on skill level to matkal and shayetet, its on same level as duvdevan and kinda maglan, btw the picture in shayetet 13 with man in grey uniform that is goin to right with desert camo on assault rifle is not from shayetet its contractor unit or something not from military there ware also adverstments in news papers of them few years ago that they train guards or something
man now that i look at other countrys soldiers gear i feel bit jelly we didnt have cool stuff like that -.- they are special forces but still
Finnish special force promo video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5se0YS0mzfc&list=PLA85306DC8E09F533
