Despite early challenges, such as the failed Operation Eagle Claw in 1980, Delta Force has since become one of the most elite and effective special operations units in the world.
-Often referred to by various names, including Combat Applications Group (CAG) and “The Unit,” Delta Force specializes in counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, direct action raids, and intelligence gathering.
-Formed in the late 1970s under the leadership of Colonel Charlie Beckwith, Delta Force is highly secretive, with its selection process, training, and operational details largely classified.
-Despite early challenges, such as the failed Operation Eagle Claw in 1980, Delta Force has since become one of the most elite and effective special operations units in the world.
You know it as Delta Force, but the operators call themselves the Combat Applications Group, CAG, D-Boys, the Dark Side, the Other Side of the Fence, Task Force Green, or simply the Unit.
Officially, it’s the U.S. Army’s First Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D). This is a Tier One special operations group. To maintain secrecy on army budget documents, the line item is often referred to as Army Compartmented Elements (ACE).
Delta Force excels at hostage rescue, targeted elimination or apprehension of terrorists, close-quarter combat, direct action raids, intelligence collection, irregular warfare, and VIP guarding.
In October 2019, Delta conducted Operation Kayla Mueller, to remove al-Baghdadi from the battlefield. Al-Baghdadi later detonated an explosive vest and killed himself during the raid.
Never shy of a gunfight, Delta pulled numerous operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as you would expect. One noteworthy statistic was that by 2009, “the casualty rate for the Delta command was 20 percent and 50 percent of the operators that went to Iraq received a Purple Heart,” according to SOFREP.com. Delta also participated in the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993, which went on to be portrayed in the book and movie Black Hawk Down.
In my opinion, SOFREP.com has the best profile of Delta Force, so I will depend on this source in the following passages.
A mountainous land navigation course I completed, also at Camp Dawson, was said to take place on a Delta Force training ground. I had a friend who was selected and assigned to a Delta squadron who abruptly told one of my special ops buddies, “I can never talk to you anymore.” I never heard from or saw this Delta operator again. I hope he is still alive. That’s the level of secrecy that Delta develops in its operators.
By all accounts, Delta Force is a tight community – a brotherhood whose members always run toward the gunfire and are in Delta to be deployed for as many missions as possible. They believe that the more gunfights they engage in, the better. We should feel fortunate they are willing to be the tip of the spear and fight the battles no one else can.
