Delta Force - U.S. Army’s ELITE Tier One Unit
Delta Force. One of the most elite, secretive, and deadly special operations forces the world has ever seen. Let’s take a dive into what there is to know about the U.S. Army’s Tier One unit that operates in the shadows.
Delta Force is a Tier One special operations unit under operational control of the Joint Special Operations Command, referred to in short as JSOC.
This unit goes by several names, and while we will be referring to it as Delta Force throughout this blog post, it is also called the Combat Applications Group, or CAG for short, The Unit, Army Compartmented Elements, or ACE for short, Task Force Green within JSOC, and its official title is 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta. This is a unit with many names, and many capabilities.
The United States government’s Department of Defense tightly controls information about the unit, refusing to comment publicly on the highly secretive unit and its activities. These operators operate under the veil of secrecy, hidden from the enemy.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DELTA FORCE: MISSION AND PERSONNEL
DELTA FORCE: DECLASSIFIED OPERATIONAL HISTORY
DELTA FORCE: ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
DELTA FORCE: TRAINING AND SELECTION
DELTA FORCE: INTRODUCTION
Delta Force. One of the most elite, secretive, and deadly special operations forces the world has ever seen. Let’s take a dive into what there is to know about the U.S. Army’s Tier One unit that operates in the shadows.
Delta Force is a Tier One special operations unit under operational control of the Joint Special Operations Command, referred to in short as JSOC.
This unit goes by several names, and while we will be referring to it as Delta Force throughout this blog post, it is also called the Combat Applications Group, or CAG for short, The Unit, Army Compartmented Elements, or ACE for short, Task Force Green within JSOC, and its official title is 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta. This is a unit with many names, and many capabilities.
The United States government’s Department of Defense tightly controls information about the unit, refusing to comment publicly on the highly secretive unit and its activities. These operators operate under the veil of secrecy, hidden from the enemy.
DELTA FORCE: MISSION AND PERSONNEL
Delta Force is tasked with performing complex, classified, and dangerous missions ranging from hostage rescue, counterterrorism, direct action, special reconnaissance, capturing high-value units, and dismantling terrorist cells. The unit remains extremely flexible, though, and is not limited based on those primary missions.
So you know the purpose of Delta Force, or at least what the U.S. government wants you to know about them. But just how capable is Delta Force, exactly? Once you find out what makes up the unit, it will all make sense. Since Delta Force is a Tier One unit, this means that it is comprised of the best of the best in the SOF community. Delta Force routinely pulls personnel from mainly the Army Green Berets and Army Rangers, but it also pulls personnel from every branch of the military.
And Delta Force doesn’t just take any Green Beret or Ranger; they take seasoned, mentally strong, and dedicated SOF personnel to fill the role as a Delta Force operator. We’ll get to the selection process later in this blog post, but take a second to realize what kind of guys these Delta Force operators are. They’re experienced SOF personnel with multiple deployments, possessing a wide variety of skills needed to be the tip of the spear
DELTA FORCE: DECLASSIFIED OPERATIONAL HISTORY
Now, on what missions has Delta Force operated? While we’ve already established that most of what they've been involved with is classified, some information has made it to the public.
To give you an idea of how badass Delta Force is, let’s go over some of the work they’ve done.
In the beginnings of Operation Enduring Freedom, following the September 11th attacks, Delta Force fell under the newly formed Task Force Sword, which was a black SOF unit charged with capturing or killing senior leadership and high-value targets within both the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
Delta Force was codenamed Task Force Green in this endeavor and would keep this moniker throughout the various task forces it was involved with. Considering that Delta Force mainly operates autonomously, it essentially had the license to kill by whatever means necessary in accordance with the United States mission. This would extend into the later formation of Task Force 145, an elite joint task force formed after the invasion of Iraq in 2003, where Delta Force continued doing what it does best.
In more recent history, Delta Force was involved with Operation Black Swan, which involved the capture and subsequent arrest of the notorious drug kingpin, El Chapo. And in October 2019, Delta Force was involved in Operation Kayla Mueller, which led to the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State (IS) group. This operation saw Delta Force work closely with the CIA’s special activities center, a unit that Delta Force is no stranger to.
DELTA FORCE: ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Now that you have an idea of what Delta Force has done throughout its history, let’s examine its structure and then its selection process, because once you find out what one has to go through to become a Delta Force operator, it will drive home exactly why this unit is extremely capable and deadly.
Delta Force consists of A, B, C, and D squadrons, which are the assault squadrons; E squadron, which is aviation; G squadron, which is advanced force operations; Combat Support Squadron; and Signal Squadron.
Each squadron has two direct action assault troops and a recon and surveillance troop. The squadrons are commanded by Lieutenant Colonels, with the troops being led by Majors. The enlisted personnel take on leadership roles within the troops.
DELTA FORCE: TRAINING AND SELECTION
Delta Force’s selection process is a test of grit, mental tenacity, and outright determination. SOF operators, who had already undergone their own respective selection processes to get into the SOF community, are all rounded up and given an even tougher endeavor to endure.
Delta Force selection occurs twice a year in Camp Dawson, West Virginia, and lasts 4 weeks. But don’t let the four weeks fool you. There’s a lot that happens in those 28 days.
Candidates are expected to conduct numerous land navigation courses, including an all-night one, all while carrying a 40lb load. As the distances increase, so does the weight, all while the time requirements decrease. At the end, there’s a 40-mile march with a 45lb rucksack that is to be completed in an unknown amount of time, known as “The Long Walk.”. As for the mental side of the house, outside of the fact that the mind is fiercely tested throughout the physicality of the selection process, candidates also undergo numerous psychological exams. They are asked a barrage of questions from a board of Delta instructors and unit psychologists, and the answers are then put under scrutiny, being dissected piece by piece. This is intended to mentally wear down the candidate.
If someone is selected after the four-week course, they then attend a six-month Operator Training Course, or OTC for short, where they will be off the grid, hardly communicating with anyone in the outside world. To put this in perspective on how tough this selection really is, one operator stated that only 12 to 14 completed out of a pool of 120 applicants. And remember, those aren’t your average Joes showing up to selection; those are mostly SOF operators or those Delta Force deemed worthy of giving a shot.
DELTA FORCE: CONCLUSION
So how do you find yourself in Delta Force? Join the military first, and most likely join a SOF unit, like the Green Berets or Army Rangers. Delta Force is never going to come knocking on your door just because you’re interested. you’ll have to put the work in, and maybe there’s a chance. Maybe.
And if you recall, Delta Force is one of the U.S. military’s Tier One units. There are four others, which we cover in our Tier One Units blog post. We highly recommend that you read it.
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