“1st Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta”, “Task Force Green”, and “The Unit.” These are just
a few names given to the Delta Force, an elite US special operations unit only deployed for
the most complicated, high-risk, and top-secret missions. Many details of Delta Force’s operations
are highly classified – even details such as the current size of the unit and its current commander
are kept shrouded in secrecy. Even the Pentagon refuses to officially acknowledge their existence.
Today, we’re cracking open the files and taking a look at everything we know about the origins and
operations of the mysterious Delta Force, and what makes them America’s most elite
counter-terrorist special operations taskforce. Extensive involvement in the last three decades
of Middle-Eastern conflict have put these hardcore super-soldiers on the map, though very few people
could really point them out. Delta Force soldiers are the best of the best, and only work with that
same standard of equipment and weaponry. If Delta Force wants you dead, we hope you’ve got your
affairs in order, because these human bloodhounds always get their mark. But with one of the largest
and most well-funded militaries in the world, why does the US Army feel the need for such a
terrifyingly specialised unit of elite warriors? Let’s go back to the 1970s for a moment. A decade
of change that saw Richard Nixon impeached from his role as President after the Watergate scandal,
rock bands like Queen and the Rolling Stones dominated the radio airwaves, and King of Rock N’
Roll Elvis Presley dies at the age of forty-two in his Graceland home. The 1970s also saw the birth
of what some refer to as contemporary terrorism. Incidents involving violent attacks on innocent
people by terrorist groups skyrocketed, with 9,845 recorded terrorist incidents
occurring across the world during the decade. Of this number, 1470 took place on US soil,
costing the lives of one-hundred and eighty-four innocent people.
The tactics being employed by terrorists during the 70s were expanding, with methods of attack
ranging from bombings, kidnappings and armed assaults to hijacking airlines, assassinations,
and hostage situations. By the mid-1970s, the number of US bombings orchestrated by terrorists
were averaging between fifty and sixty per year. It was also at this time that airline hijackings
and bombings were taking place at least once a month worldwide. Like we said before, it was a
decade of change. But what does this have to do with Delta Force, you may ask? Well, everything.
In 1977, the US government established the Delta Force as a direct response to the rampant acts
of terrorism that were occurring during the 1970s. Charles Beckwith, an officer with the
US’ Green Berets and Vietnam War veteran, is the man remembered for founding Delta Force. Beckwith
had served for a time as an exchange officer with Britain’s Special Air Service, better known
as the SAS. An ‘exchange officer’ is exactly what you’d expect, think of an exchange student briefly
visiting a school in another country, except instead of a school, it’s a highly-trained,
specialised branch of another country’s military. Upon returning to America after his time with
the SAS, Beckwith compiled a highly-detailed report that emphasised the need for a similar,
SAS-style unit within the US Army, stating that their army was potentially vulnerable without a
unit of this nature. He spoke to key government and military figures, pushing the need for “not
only teachers, but doers.” However, the idea was frowned upon and ultimately rejected.
That was, until, the rising threat of terrorism that presented itself during the 1970s.
The Pentagon and US Army tasked Charles Beckwith with the formation of the unit in the mid-70s,
when terrorist attacks were on an unprecedented rise. Inspired by the work of the SAS, Beckwith
envisioned small teams of highly skilled and totally adaptable troops that possessed a vast
array of specialised skills that would make them ideal for carrying out counter-terrorism missions.
His ultimate goal was for his unit to be what the SAS were to the British Army,
but instead carrying out their operations on behalf of the US Army and government.
According to Beckwith, the proposed unit would have provided “a high specialized force,
rich in rank structure, built upon small teams which contain mature, professionally trained,
psychologically prepared individuals capable of making on-the-spot judgments.” He was a 1970s
Nick Fury, given the resources and the mandate to assemble his own team of Military Avengers.
In 1979, after Beckwith had spent time rigorously screening and training volunteers
for his new unit, Delta Force was certified mission-ready just before the infamous Iran
hostage crisis that took place in the same year. On November 4th, in the US embassy in Tehran,
Iran, a number of United States diplomats were trapped when supporters of the Iranian Revolution
laid siege to the embassy. This incident will sound familiar to any of you that’ve watched the
2012 Academy Award-winning movie Argo, starring Ben Affleck, as this is the event that the movie
derives its plot from – although it was criticised for a number of historical inaccuracies.
Saving the hostages trapped in Iran was set to be Delta Force’s first ever high-profile engagement,
codenamed Operation Eagle Claw. However, the mission – which would have involved Delta Force
storming the Embassy and securing the hostages by force – was aborted due to technical problems
with the team’s helicopters. In hindsight, the mission’s cancellation may have been for the best,
as Delta Force kicking the doors of the Embassy during a time of high political tension in Iran
may have exacerbated matters. And, ultimately the hostages were returned safely to the US, so there
was still a happy ending. However, it forced the US Army to reconsider a few things before they
started deploying Delta Force on its missions. After some reshuffling, the US Army established
various units that would specialise in missions with specific requirements to take some of the
pressure off of Delta Force. For example, the ‘Night Stalkers’ designed for missions involving
air support, and the famous SEAL Team Six, created to handle counter-terrorism operations for the US
Navy. All these units were overseen by the Joint Special Operations Command – or JSOC – which was
created by the US military to take control of these various counter-terrorism units.
Almost all of Delta Force’s missions since have been kept highly classified. Members of the
public may never know just how many operations they’ve been involved in since the late 1970s.
However, information pertaining to a select few have been made available to the public,
albeit with somewhat limited details. In fact, Delta Force’s operations are so secretive that
any former or retired member of the unit faces a prison sentence if they are ever to speak openly
about its operations. That being said, let’s take a look at some of the ones we do know about.
Operation Desert Storm, which took place in the early months of 1991, was the combat phase of
the Gulf War in Iraq. This conflict involved a US-led coalition of thirty-five countries,
battling the forces of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. During Desert Storm, Delta Force was
deployed to the region to offer support to coalition forces. They also provided security
detail to General Norman Schwarzkopf, who was the commander of the US Central Command at the time,
meaning he was charged with leading all forces of the huge coalition against Saddam Hussein.
Additionally, Delta Force worked in conjunction with the fellow special forces unit that
had inspired their foundation, the SAS. Together, the SAS and Delta Forces hunted
for SCUDs, a type of tactical ballistic missile that was created during the years of the Cold
War by the Soviet Union then exported to numerous countries. Eventually, Delta Force sniper teams
uncovered twenty-six SCUD missiles in Western Iraq that Saddam had intended to launch at Israel.
Using fifty-caliber sniper rifles from three-thousand yards away – that’s the
same distance as thirty football fields – Delta Force operatives shot at the fuel tanks beneath
the missiles, killing the crews manning these deadly weapons. If these SCUDs had been launched,
Saddam Hussein would have lured Israel into the conflict and caused an untold number of deaths,
even worse it would have destroyed the coalition set against him as other arab nations would
never have accepted Israel as a partner. More recently, the Delta Force took part
in Operation Kayla Mueller in October of 2019. This raid, that took place in Syria,
resulted in the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, known terrorist and leader of the Islamic State
of Iraq and the Levant, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria,
but perhaps best known as ISIS or ISIL. Baghdadi played a hand in a number of the atrocities and
violations of human rights committed by the ISIL group, and Delta Force played a pivotal role in
his death. Acting alongside fellow US Special Forces units such as the 75th Ranger Regiment
and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, under the command of the JSOC,
the raid was carried out based on intelligence gathered by the CIA’s Special Activities Division.
Eight helicopters were launched well after midnight, on a course for a compound located in
the Idlib province of Syria, close to the Turkish border, where Baghdadi was said to be housed.
Delta Force teams, along with their fellow Special Forces counterparts,
arrived on the scene and attempted to convince the ISIS leader to surrender.
However, Baghdadi was unwilling to compromise with the US forces. Delta Force entered the compound by
detonating a large hole on one side, gaining access. The forces inside either surrendered
or were shot and killed by Delta Force. After two hours, Baghdadi fled to a nearby tunnel.
However, it led to a literal dead-end, as shortly afterwards he detonated a suicide vest, killing
himself as well as two of his own children. As a result of their highly secretive but
vitally important missions, Delta Force maintains a natural rivalry with the other
well-known US Special Forces unit, the United States Navy SEALs, specifically the widely-known
SEAL Team Six. Both have been instrumental in large-scale conflicts over the past few years,
with Delta Force playing its key role in Iraq, and SEAL Team Six being heavily involved in the War in
Afghanistan. Both units are also responsible for missions that have involved high-value targets.
In Iraq, Delta Force captured, and is rumoured to have also assassinated, Saddam Hussein,
while the Navy SEALs famously eliminated Osama Bin Laden, leader of Al-Qaeda in May of 2011.
However, it was surrounding this particular operation that some of the rivalry between Delta
Force and SEAL Team Six began to arise. Naturally, both units were eager to be granted the mission
to go after Bin Laden, given that he was the most wanted man in the world at the time. As it turned
out, the mission was given to SEAL Team Six, which caused complaints among members of Delta Force.
They believed that the Navy SEALs had been favoured for the mission to eliminate Bin Laden
due to the naval officers that formed the command of the JSOC, that oversees both Delta Force
and the SEALs. Shortly after Operation Neptune Spear and the death of Bin-Laden, a top-secret,
highly-classified list was leaked to the press. While it was never published, this list was
believed to have included names of all the soldiers who had been involved in the raid
on the compound in Abbottabad where Bin-Laden was found. While it seems like a member of Delta Force
may have done this out of spite, Delta Force themselves believe the leak was the result of
SEAL Team Six attempting to bask in the spotlight and attracting media attention for the mission,
out of spite for their Delta rivals. Like a lot of issues surrounding this
clandestine group of elite soldiers, to say anything more would be pure speculation.
One of the rare times that Delta Force has been caught on video
was during the 2013 abduction of Al Qaeda leader, Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai. In the video, Nazih
Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai is seen pulling up to his home after morning prayers, only to be immediately
snatched by Delta Force operatives. This is Delta Force’s version of gone in 60 seconds.
Something else the Delta Force is known for is their use of state-of-the-art equipment
when carrying out their secret operations. During Operation Kayla Mueller, a photo surfaced of a
team of Delta Force operatives – with their faces redacted to maintain their secrecy – and showcased
some of their arsenal. The Delta Force favours the ENVG-III model of night vision goggles when
locating threats in the dark, which are designed to be connected with a weapon’s optical sights,
allowing for soldiers to aim at targets without having to ‘shoulder’ their rifle,
and can switch between night vision and thermal imaging when necessary.
In addition to ENVG-IIIs and Kevlar-plated body armour to protect against bullets at close-range,
Delta Force troops also carry deadly HK416 carbine rifles,
a weapon designed by Heckler & Koch that can utilise a wide array of attachments,
including grenade launchers. As well as these mean rifles, Delta Force members carry a sidearm,
most commonly favouring Glocks, Colt M1911s, or Beretta M9 pistols.
None of us know all that much about Delta Force, because when the military really wants to keep
something secret, it tends to remain secret. Perhaps we should all just be glad they’re there,
helping us from the shadows with high-tech equipment and battle-honed combat techniques.
If ever you happen to end up seeing these guys in action, up close and personal,
one thing is clear: You’re either a hostage, or a very dangerous individual. Just,
as in the case of figures like Saddam Hussein and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, not as dangerous as them.
Check out “What Are the Most Elite Special Forces in the World?” and “Special Forces
Assault on Iran Embassy - Operation Nimrod” for more on the world’s most elite soldiers.