“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.
