Editing Delta Force

{{Short description|U.S. Army's tier one special operations force}}
{{About|the special operations force|other uses|Delta Force (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name                     = 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (Airborne)
| native_name                   = 
| image                         = US Army Special Operations Command SSI.svg
| image_size                    = 180px
| caption                       = [[USASOC]]'s [[shoulder sleeve insignia]] worn by Delta operators, depicting the historical [[Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife]] inside the outline of an [[arrowhead]]
| start_date                    = {{start date and age|1977|11|19|df=yes}}
| dates                         = 
| country                       = {{flagu|United States}}
| branch                        = {{army|United States}}
| type                          = [[Special mission unit]]
| role                          = [[Special operations]]<br /> [[Counterterrorism]]
| size                          = Classified{{sfn|Haney|2002}}<br />''[[#Organization and structure|see below]]''
| command_structure             = [[Joint Special Operations Command]]<br />[[U.S. Army Special Operations Command]]
| garrison                      = Fort Bragg, [[North Carolina]], U.S.<!-- Commanders -->
| garrison_label                = Headquarters
| nickname                      = "The Unit", Combat Applications Group (CAG), Task Force Green, "D'Boys"{{Sfn|Naylor|2015}}
| motto                         = Sine Pari (Without Equal)
| battles                       = * [[Operation Eagle Claw]]
* [[Operation Urgent Fury]]
* [[Operation Just Cause]]
** [[Operation Acid Gambit]]
* [[Gulf War|Persian Gulf War]]
* [[Colombian Drug War]]
* [[Somali Civil War]]
** [[Operation Restore Hope]]
** [[Operation Gothic Serpent]]
* [[Operation Uphold Democracy]]{{sfn|Cawthorne|2008|p=97}}
* [[Yugoslav Wars]]
** [[NATO intervention in Bosnia]]
* [[Kosovo War]]
* [[War on terror|Global War on Terrorism]]
** [[Operation Enduring Freedom]]
** [[Battle of Tora Bora]]
** [[List of operations conducted by Delta Force#Kashmir conflict|Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Michael |date=23 February 2002 |title=SAS joins Kashmir Hunt for bin Laden |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/1385795/SAS-joins-Kashmir-hunt-for-bin-Laden.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611121111/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/1385795/SAS-joins-Kashmir-hunt-for-bin-Laden.html |archive-date=11 June 2022 |website=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|location=London}}</ref>
** [[Iraq War]]
** [[Operation Juniper Shield]]
** [[Operation Inherent Resolve]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=22 October 2015 |title=US-Iraqi rescue operation 'foils IS mass execution' |publisher=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/34607471 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220613193922/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/34607471 |archive-date=13 June 2022}}</ref>
** [[Barisha raid|Operation Kayla Mueller]]
* [[2012 Benghazi attack]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scarborough |first=Rowan |author-link=Rowan Scarborough |date=25 January 2014 |title=Delta Force commando who saved 'numerous lives' in Benghazi {{sic|sei|ge|hide=y}} honored |url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/25/delta-force-commando-awarded-second-highest-milita/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220613073922/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/25/delta-force-commando-awarded-second-highest-milita/ |archive-date=13 June 2022 |access-date=25 December 2020 |website=[[The Washington Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Harkins |first=Gina |date=29 April 2020 |title=A Delta Force Marine earned the Navy Cross in Benghazi |url=https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-trending/delta-force-marine-navy-benghazi/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520092813/https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-trending/delta-force-marine-navy-benghazi/ |archive-date=20 May 2022 |access-date=25 December 2020 |website=We Are the Mighty}}</ref>
* [[Mexican drug war]]<ref name="sofrep.com">{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Jack |date=2016-01-11 |title=JSOC's Secretive Delta Force Operators on the Ground for El Chapo Capture |url=https://sofrep.com/45855/jsoc-delta-force-operators-on-the-ground-for-el-chapo-capture/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605092958/https://sofrep.com/news/jsoc-delta-force-operators-on-the-ground-for-el-chapo-capture/ |archive-date=5 June 2022 |access-date=2016-03-18 |publisher=SOFREP News}}</ref>
** [[Operation Black Swan]]
| anniversaries                 = 
| decorations                   = [[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]]<br />[[Joint Meritorious Unit Award]]<br />[[Valorous Unit Award]]
| notable_commanders            = [[Charles Alvin Beckwith]]<br />[[William F. Garrison]]<br />[[William G. Boykin]] <br /> [[Peter J. Schoomaker]]<br /> [[Eldon Bargewell|Eldon A. Bargewell]] <br /> [[Gary L. Harrell]]<br /> [[Bennet S. Sacolick]]<br /> [[Austin S. Miller]]<br /> [[Mark J. O'Neil]] <br /> [[James Jarrard]] <br />
[[Christopher T. Donahue]]
<!-- Culture and history -->| identification_symbol         = [[File:United States Army Special Operations Command DUI.png|175px|center]]
| identification_symbol_label   = [[USASOC]] [[Distinctive Unit Insignia]]
| current_commander             = Classified
| ceremonial_chief              = 
}}

The '''1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta''' ('''1st SFOD-D'''), also known as '''Delta Force''', '''Combat Applications Group''' ('''CAG'''), or within [[Joint Special Operations Command]] (JSOC) as '''Task Force Green''',{{sfn|Naylor|2015}} is a [[Special operation forces|special operations force]] of the [[United States Army]] under the operational control of JSOC. The unit's missions primarily involve [[counterterrorism]], [[Hostage|hostage rescue]], [[Direct action (military)|direct action]], and [[special reconnaissance]], often against [[high-value target]]s.

Delta Force, along with the [[Intelligence Support Activity]], and its [[United States Navy|Navy]] and [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] counterparts, [[SEAL Team Six|DEVGRU]] (SEAL Team 6) and the [[24th Special Tactics Squadron]], are the U.S. military's tier one [[special mission unit]]s that are tasked with performing the most complex, covert, and dangerous missions directed by the [[president of the United States]] and the [[United States Secretary of Defense|secretary of defense]].<ref name=gaffney>{{Cite news |title=In high demand, Air Force commandos must find new ways to cope with stress of duty |url=http://www.gaffneyledger.com/news/2005-05-09/AP_News/151.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928054611/http://www.gaffneyledger.com/news/2005-05-09/AP_News/151.html |archive-date=28 September 2013 |url-status=dead |agency=[[Associated Press]] |work=[[The Gaffney Ledger]] |location=Gaffney, South Carolina |access-date=2013-05-04}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=updated |first=Marc Ambinder last |date=2013-03-22 |title=The most secret of secret units |url=https://theweek.com/articles/466307/most-secret-secret-units |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=theweek |language=en}}</ref>

Most Delta Force operators and combat support members are selected from the [[United States Army Special Operations Command|Army Special Operations Command]]'s [[75th Ranger Regiment]] and [[United States Army Special Forces|U.S. Army Special Forces]], though selection is open to other special operations and conventional units across the Army and other military branches.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Special Operations/Delta Force |url=https://www.military.com/special-operations/delta-force.html/amp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621062613/https://www.military.com/special-operations/delta-force.html/amp |archive-date=21 June 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=25 September 2022 |publisher=[[Military.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=5 key differences between Delta Force and SEAL Team 6 |url=https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/seal-team-6-delta-force |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122002629/https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/seal-team-6-delta-force/ |archive-date=22 November 2021 |url-status=live |access-date=25 September 2022 |website=We Are the Mighty}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Charlie Beckwith.jpg|thumb|left|Delta Force's founder [[Charlie Alvin Beckwith|Charles Beckwith]] in 1980]]
[[File:Delta-schwarzkopf-hires.jpg|thumb|left|Delta Force bodyguards in civilian clothing providing close protection to General [[Norman Schwarzkopf]] during the [[Gulf War]], 1991]]
Delta Force was created in 1977 after numerous well-publicized terrorist incidents led the U.S. government to develop a full-time counter-terrorism unit.

Key military and government figures had already been briefed on this type of unit in the early 1960s. [[Charles Alvin Beckwith|Charlie Beckwith]], a [[Special Forces (United States Army)|Special Forces]] (Green Berets) officer and [[Vietnam War veteran]], served as an [[exchange officer]] with the [[British Army]]'s 22 [[Special Air Service]] Regiment during the [[Malayan Emergency]]. On his return, Beckwith presented a detailed report highlighting the U.S. Army's vulnerability in not having a SAS-type unit. U.S. Army Special Forces in that period focused on [[unconventional warfare (United States)|unconventional warfare]] providing training and medical care to indigenous resistance fighters, but Beckwith recognized the need for "not only a force of teachers, but a force of doers".{{sfn|Beckwith|Knox|2000|p=[https://archive.org/details/deltaforcearmyse00beck/page/39 39]}} He envisioned highly adaptable and completely autonomous small teams with a broad array of special skills for [[direct action (military)|direct action]] and [[counter-terrorism]] missions. He briefed military and government figures, who were resistant to creating a new unit outside of Special Forces or changing existing methods.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Lewis |editor-first=Jon E.|date= 1997|title=The Handbook of the SAS And Elite Forces. How The Professionals Fight And Win. |publisher=Robinson Publishing Ltd |page=39 -Tactics And Techniques, American Army Special Forces|isbn=1-85487-675-9}}</ref>

Finally, in the mid-1970s, as the threat of terrorism grew, [[The Pentagon|Pentagon]] and Army senior leaders appointed Beckwith to form the unit.{{sfn|Beckwith|Knox|2000}} Beckwith estimated that it would take 24 months to get his new unit mission ready. Beckwith's estimate came from a conversation he had had earlier with Brigadier [[John Watts (British Army officer)|John Watts]] while in England in 1976. Watts had made it clear to Beckwith that it would take eighteen months to build a [[squadron (army)|squadron]], but advised him to tell Army leaders that it would take two years, and not to "let anyone talk (him) out of this." To justify why it would take two years to build Delta, Beckwith and his staff drafted what they dubbed the "Robert Redford Paper," which outlined its necessities and historical precedents for a four-phase selection/assessment process.{{sfn|Beckwith|Knox|2000|p=142-143}}

Delta Force was established on 19 November 1977, by Beckwith and Colonel Thomas Henry.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goolsby |first=Denise |date=14 July 2016 |title=Palm Springs man was Army Delta Force co-creator |work=[[The Desert Sun]] |location=Palm Springs, Cal. |url=http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2016/07/14/palm-springs-col-tom-henry-us-army-delta-force-army-rangers/86963120/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720024352/https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2016/07/14/palm-springs-col-tom-henry-us-army-delta-force-army-rangers/86963120/ |archive-date=20 July 2022}}</ref> In the meantime, Colonel Bob "Black Gloves" Mountel of the [[5th Special Forces Group (United States)|5th Special Forces Group]] created a unit to bridge the short-term gap that existed until Delta was ready, dubbed [[Blue Light (counter-terrorist subunit)|Blue Light]].{{sfn|Beckwith|Knox|2000|p=131}} The initial members of the unit were screened from volunteers and put through a specialized selection process in early 1978, involving a series of [[land navigation]] problems in mountainous terrain while carrying increasing weight. The purpose was to test candidates' endurance, stamina, willingness to endure, and mental resolve. The first training course lasted from April to September 1978. Delta Force was certified as fully mission capable in fall 1979, right before the [[Iran hostage crisis]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Stew |date=9 July 2021 |title=Delta Force: Missions and History |url=https://www.military.com/special-operations/delta-force.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621062559/https://www.military.com/special-operations/delta-force.html |archive-date=21 June 2022 |website=[[Military.com]]}}</ref>

On 4 November 1979, 52 American diplomats and citizens were taken captive and held in the U.S. embassy in [[Tehran]], Iran. Delta Force was tasked to plan and execute [[Operation Eagle Claw]], the effort to recover the hostages from the embassy by force on the nights of 24 and 25 April in 1980. The operation was aborted due to helicopter failures. The review commission that examined the failure found 23 problems with the operation, among them unexpected weather encountered by the aircraft, [[Command and control|command-and-control]] problems between the multi-service component commanders, a collision between a helicopter and a ground-refueling [[Aerial refueling|tanker aircraft]], and mechanical problems that reduced the number of available helicopters from eight to five (one fewer than the minimum desired) before the mission contingent could leave the trans-loading/refueling site.<ref name="bowden desert one">{{Cite web |last=Bowden |first=Mark |date=May 2006 |title=The Desert One Debacle |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200605/iran-hostage |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519082253/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/05/the-desert-one-debacle/304803/ |author-link=Mark Bowden |archive-date=19 May 2022 |website=[[The Atlantic Monthly]]}}</ref>{{sfn|Gabriel|1985|p=[https://archive.org/details/militaryincompet00gabr/page/106 106]–16}}

After the failed operation, the U.S. government realized more changes were needed. The [[160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)]], also known as the "Night Stalkers", was created for special operations requiring air support. The Navy's [[SEAL Team Six]], an earlier incarnation of the current [[SEAL Team 6|Naval Special Warfare Development Group]], was created for maritime counter-terrorism operations. The [[Joint Special Operations Command]] was created for command and control of the military's various counter-terrorism units.

== Organization and structure ==
The unit is under the organization of the [[United States Army Special Operations Command|U.S. Army Special Operations Command]] (USASOC), but is controlled by the [[Joint Special Operations Command]] (JSOC). Command of 1st SFOD-D is a [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]]'s [[billet]]. Virtually all information about the unit is highly [[classified information|classified]] and details about specific missions or operations generally are not available publicly. The unit is headquartered at [[Fort Bragg]], [[North Carolina]].

Delta Force's structure is similar to the British 22 SAS Regiment, which inspired Delta's formation. In ''Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda'', ''[[Army Times]]'' staff writer [[Sean Naylor]] describes Delta as having, at the time (in 2001), nearly 1,000 soldiers, of whom about 250 to 300 are trained to conduct direct action and hostage rescue operations. The rest are combat support and service support personnel who are among the very best in their fields.{{sfn|Naylor|2006}}

Naylor further details Delta Force's structure in his book ''Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command''. He describes a few formations in Delta, primarily the following operational elements:

* A Squadron
* B Squadron
* C Squadron
* D Squadron
* [[SEASPRAY|E Squadron]]{{sfn|Naylor|2015|p=57}}
* G Squadron ([[Joint Special Operations Command#Advanced Force Operations|advanced force operations]] (AFO), formerly known as Operational Support Troop (OST))<ref>{{cite web|url=https://special-ops.org/1st-special-forces-operational-detachment-delta/|title=1st Special Forces Operational Detachment – Delta (1st SFOD-D)|date=21 March 2013|publisher=special-ops.org}}</ref>
* Signal Squadron
* Combat Support Squadron
* Combat Development Directorate
* Selection and Training

A, B, C, and D{{nbsp}}Squadrons are [[sabre squadron]]s (assault). C{{nbsp}}Squadron was activated around 1990 and D{{nbsp}}Squadron in 2006. Combat Support Squadron was activated in 2005. E{{nbsp}}Squadron was activated in 1989 and is stationed separately in [[Fort Eustis]], Virginia, where it is known as the [[Aviation Technology Office]]. An earlier forerunner of the unit was known as [[SEASPRAY|SeaSpray]].

Within each squadron there are three troops: troops 1 and 2 (assault) and troop 3 ([[Special reconnaissance|reconnaissance]]).{{sfn|Naylor|2006}} Each squadron is led by a [[lieutenant colonel]] (O-5),{{sfn|Naylor|2015|p=73, 122, 201, 222, 476}} executive officer and a command sergeant major (E-9). Troops are led by [[Captain (United States O-3)|captains]] (O-3) or [[Major (United States)|majors]] (O-4) and are assisted by [[Sergeant major (United States)|sergeants major]] (E-9).{{sfn|Naylor|2015|p=199, 476}} Each troop has four teams, each one led by a team leader, a [[master sergeant]] (E-8) or [[sergeant first class]] (E-7), and an assistant team leader who can also have the same rank. Each team usually has five or six members.<ref name="Delta Force Selection For Officers is Insane">{{cite web |last1=Hookstead |first1=David |title=Delta Force Selection For Officers is Insane |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IMqK008Qb0 |website=youtube.com|date=17 January 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Ryan |first1=Shawn |title=Chris VanSant - Delta Force / Killing Off the "Deck of Cards" & Capturing Saddam |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WwGDVjEG7k |website=youtube.com|date=20 March 2023 }}</ref>

=== Recruitment ===
Since the 1990s, the Army has posted recruitment notices for the 1st SFOD-D.<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 January 2003 |title=SFOD-D seeking new members |pages=6 |work=Mountaineer |location=Fort Carson, CO |url=http://www.carson.army.mil/pao/MountaineerArchive/2003%20Archive/01-16-03.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040117090928/http://www.carson.army.mil/pao/MountaineerArchive/2003%20Archive/01-16-03.pdf |archive-date=17 January 2004}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=10 February 2011 |title=1st SFOD-Delta Recruiting |work=Fort Campbell Courier |location=Fort Campbell, Kentucky |url=https://fortcampbell-courier.com/news/news_briefs/article_ce036aa4-3558-11e0-811c-001cc4c002e0.html |access-date=3 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720035731/https://fortcampbell-courier.com/news/news_briefs/article_ce036aa4-3558-11e0-811c-001cc4c002e0.html |archive-date=20 July 2022}}</ref> The Army, however, has never released an official fact sheet for the unit. The recruitment notices in Fort Bragg's newspaper, ''Paraglide'', refer to Delta Force by name, and label it "...the U.S. Army's special operations unit organized for the conduct of missions requiring rapid response with surgical application of a wide variety of unique special operations skills...".<ref>{{cite web|title=Fort Bragg's newspaper Paraglide, recruitment notice for Delta Force |url=http://us2.newsmemory.com/ee/paraglide/default.php |access-date=17 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611002659/http://us2.newsmemory.com/ee/paraglide/default.php |archive-date=11 June 2009 }}</ref> The notice states that applicants must be in the grade of [[U.S. uniformed services pay grades#Enlisted pay grades|E-4 through E-8]], have at least two and a half years of service remaining in their enlistment, be 22 years or older, and have an [[Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery]] GT score of 110 or higher to attend a briefing to be considered for admission. Candidates must be airborne qualified or volunteer for airborne training. Officer candidates need to be O-3 or O-4. All candidates must be eligible for a security clearance level of "[[United States security clearance#Secret|secret]]" and have not been convicted by [[court-martial]] or have disciplinary action noted in their official military personnel file under the provisions of Article 15 of the [[Uniform Code of Military Justice]].

On 29 June 2006 during a session of the [[United States House Committee on Armed Services|Committee on Armed Services]], General [[Wayne Downing]] testified before the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] that "[t]he Delta Force is probably 70 percent Rangers who have come out of either a Ranger [to] [[Army Special Forces|Special Forces]] track or directly from [the] [[75th Ranger Regiment|Ranger Regiment]] to Delta".<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 June 2006 |title=Assessing U.S. Special Operations Command's Missions and Roles |url=https://fas.org/irp/congress/2006_hr/soc.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220607190405/https://irp.fas.org/congress/2006_hr/soc.pdf |archive-date=7 June 2022 |access-date=11 August 2012 |website=[[Federation of American Scientists]] |publisher=[[United States House Committee on Armed Services|House Armed Services Committee]] |page=22}}</ref>

=== Selection process ===
Selection is held twice a year (late March to late April, and late September to late October) at [[Camp Dawson (West Virginia)|Camp Dawson]], West Virginia, and lasts four weeks. [[Eric Haney]]'s book ''[[Inside Delta Force]]'' described the selection course and its inception in detail. Haney wrote that the course began with standard tests including [[push-ups]], [[sit-ups]], and a {{convert|2|mi|km|adj=on}} run, an inverted crawl and a {{convert|100|m|yd ft m|adj=on|order=out}} swim fully dressed. The candidates were then put through a series of [[land navigation]] courses, one of which required them to travel {{convert|18|mi|km}} at night while carrying a {{convert|40|lb|kg|adj=on}} rucksack. With every successive challenge, the distance to cover and the weight of the rucksack are increased, while less time is allotted. The final challenge was a {{convert|40|mi|km|adj=on}} march with a {{convert|45|lb|kg|adj=on}} rucksack over rough terrain that had to be completed in an unknown amount of time; this was also colloquially known as "The Long Walk".{{Sfn|Satterly|Jackson|2019}} Haney wrote that only the senior officer and NCO in charge of selection were allowed to see the set time limits, but all assessment and selection tasks and conditions were set by Delta training cadre.{{Sfn|Beckwith|Knox|2000}}{{Sfn|Haney|2002}}

The mental portion of the testing began with numerous psychological exams. Each candidate was then called to face a board of Delta instructors, unit psychologists, and the Delta commander, who asked the candidate a barrage of questions and then dissected every response and mannerism to exhaust the candidate mentally. The commander then approaches the candidate and informs him if he has been selected. Those who passed the screening process underwent an intense six-month Operator Training Course (OTC), to learn [[counter-terrorism]] and [[counter-intelligence]] techniques, and training with firearms and other weapons. Participants were allowed very little contact with friends and family for the duration.{{Sfn|Haney|2002}}

In an interview, former Delta operator [[Paul R. Howe|Paul Howe]] mentioned the high attrition rate of the Delta selection course. He said that out of his two classes of 120 applicants each, 12 to 14 completed the selection.<ref>{{cbignore}}: {{Cite web |date=18 July 2013 |title=Delta Force Tryouts |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59fL6ej_B-I |access-date=18 February 2014 |publisher=[[Military.com]] |via=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}} Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/59fL6ej_B-I Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20130824032919/http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=59fL6ej_B-I Wayback Machine].</ref>{{sfn|Bowden|1999|p=35}} Former [[United States Navy SEALs|Navy SEAL]], DEVGRU and Delta operator Kevin Holland stated that in his selection class 120 candidates started, 16 passed and eight finished OTC.<ref>{{cite web |title=From SEAL Team 6 to Delta Force MSgt Kevin Holland A Story of Courage |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK0ciF-nqb4&pp=ygUNa2V2aW4gaG9sbGFuZA%3D%3D |publisher=YouTube | date=2 February 2022 }}</ref>

The [[Central Intelligence Agency]]'s secretive [[Special Activities Center]] (SAC) and more specifically its [[Special Activities Division|Special Operations Group]] (SOG), often works with&nbsp;– and recruits&nbsp;– former operators from Delta Force.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Waller |first=Douglas |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1004145-1,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430130158/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1004145-1,00.html |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 April 2009 |title=The CIA's Secret Army: The CIA's Secret Army |date=2003-02-03 |access-date=2015-12-06}}</ref>

=== Training ===
According to [[Eric Haney]], the unit's Operator Training Course is approximately six months long. While the course is constantly changing, the skills taught broadly include the following:

* [[Marksman]]ship:
** The trainees shoot without aiming at stationary targets at close range until they gain almost complete accuracy, then progress to moving targets.
** Once these shooting skills are perfected, trainees move to a [[Kill house|shoot house]] and clear rooms of "enemy" targets – first one only, then two at a time, then three, and finally four. When all trainees can demonstrate the sufficient skill required, "hostages" are added to the mix.
* Demolitions and [[Door breaching|Breaching]]:
** Trainees learn how to pick many different locks, including those on cars and safes.
** Advanced demolition and bomb-making using common materials.
* Combined skills (the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]], [[Federal Aviation Administration|FAA]], and other agencies were used to advise on the training of this portion of OTC):
** The new Delta operators use demolition and marksmanship at the shoot house and other training facilities to train for hostage and counter-terrorist operations with assault and sniper troops working together. They practice terrorist or hostage situations in buildings, aircraft, and other settings.
** All trainees learn how to set sniper positions around a building containing hostages. They learn the proper ways to set up a [[Tactical Operations Center]] (TOC) and communicate in an organized manner. Although Delta has specialized sniper troops, all members go through this training.
** The students then go back to the shoot house and the "hostages" are replaced with other students and Delta Force members. Live ammunition is known to have been used in these exercises, to test the students, and build trust between one another.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/delta-blew-up-generals-quarters/|title=The time Delta burned the barracks down|publisher=wearethemighty.com|date=1 August 2021|access-date=31 January 2023}}</ref>
* [[Tradecraft]] (during the first OTCs and Delta creation, [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] personnel were used to teach this portion of the training):
** Students learn different espionage-related skills, such as [[dead drop]]s, [[Brush pass|brief encounters]], pickups, load and unload signals, danger and safe signals, [[surveillance]] and [[Countersurveillance|counter-surveillance]].
* [[Executive protection|Executive Protection]] (during the first OTCs and creation of Delta, the [[United States Department of State|U.S. State Department]]'s [[Diplomatic Security Service]] and the [[United States Secret Service]] were consulted and advised Delta):
** Students take an advanced driving course to learn to use a vehicle or many vehicles as defensive and offensive weapons.
** They then learn techniques for [[Very important person|VIP]] and diplomatic protection developed by the Secret Service and DSS.
* Culmination Exercise:
** A final test requires the students to apply and dynamically adapt all of the skills that they have learned.

Delta Force trains with other foreign [[Special forces|special operations units]] to improve tactics and increase relationships with them, including the Australian [[Special Air Service Regiment]], the British [[Special Air Service]], and Canada's [[Joint Task Force 2]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Atlamazoglou |first=Stavros |date=19 October 2021 |title=AUKUS security pact follows decades of special ops cooperation |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/aukus-security-pact-follows-decades-of-special-ops-cooperation-2021-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114114301/https://www.businessinsider.com/aukus-security-pact-follows-decades-of-special-ops-cooperation-2021-10 |archive-date=14 November 2021 |access-date=15 November 2021 |website=[[Business Insider]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Atlamazoglou |first=Stavros |date=2020-02-03 |title=Canadian soldier serving in a Tier 1 SOF unit kicked out of the military for theft |url=https://sofrep.com/news/canadian-soldier-serving-in-a-tier-1-sof-unit-kicked-out-of-the-military-for-theft/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509093646/https://sofrep.com/news/canadian-soldier-serving-in-a-tier-1-sof-unit-kicked-out-of-the-military-for-theft/ |archive-date=9 May 2022 |access-date=2021-11-15 |website=SOFREP |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sof |first=Eric |date=15 May 2013 |title=Sayeret Matkal: A<!-- Sic --> Israel's Equivalent to the Delta Force |url=https://special-ops.org/sayeret-matkal/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115133413/https://special-ops.org/sayeret-matkal/ |archive-date=15 November 2021 |access-date=2021-11-15 |magazine=Spec Ops Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Unit name ===
In a 2010 article, Marc Ambinder reported that ''Army Compartmented Elements'' (ACE) was a new cover name for Delta Force.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ambinder |first=Marc |author-link=Marc Ambinder |date=12 October 2010 |title=Delta Force Gets a New Name |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/10/delta-force-gets-a-name-change/64310/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605105152/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/10/delta-force-gets-a-name-change/64310/ |archive-date=5 June 2022 |website=[[The Atlantic]]}}</ref> However, Ambinder subsequently wrote an e-book about JSOC in which he reported that the Army Compartmented Elements is a different unit from Delta.{{sfn|Ambinder|Grady|2012|p=Emplacement 859}}<ref>{{cite web |date=22 March 2021 |title=Position Description shows that ACE is in fact not a part of Delta Force |url=https://acpol2.army.mil/fasclass/search_fs/search_fs_output.asp?fcp=zutpk3eFRtaToL2jpcBGuam0buidbX%2Bck6ZZhWC7hLBkZYGekqQ%3D |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105153700/https://acpol2.army.mil/fasclass/search_fs/search_fs_output.asp?fcp=zutpk3eFRtaToL2jpcBGuam0buidbX%2Bck6ZZhWC7hLBkZYGekqQ%3D |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 January 2022 |publisher=Gatha}}</ref>

In January 2022 it was reported that the name of the unit may have recently been changed to the 3rd Operational Support Group.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Harp |first1=Seth |date=4 January 2022 |title=She Asked the Army to Investigate a Rape Trial. They Fired Her |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/army-rape-trial-special-forces-fort-bragg-1277246/ |access-date=9 August 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref>

== Secrecy ==
The [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] tightly controls information about Delta Force and usually refuses to comment publicly on the highly secretive unit and its activities, unless the unit is part of a major operation or a unit member has been killed. Delta operators are granted an enormous amount of flexibility and autonomy during military operations overseas.{{sfn|Haney|2002}} Relaxed grooming standards such as civilian hairstyles and [[Facial hair in the military#United States|facial hair]] are allowed to enable the members to blend in and avoid recognition as military personnel.{{sfn|Bowden|1999|p=35}}{{sfn|Haney|2002}}

'''2023 Israel incident'''

During [[President of the United States|President]] [[Joe Biden|Joe Biden's]] visit to [[Israel]], the [[White House Office|White House]] accidentally published a photo of Delta Force operators with unblurred faces and tattoos, drawing scrutiny.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-20 |title=Blundering White House shares identities of secret hostage rescue unit in Israel |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2023/10/20/white-house-shares-identities-secret-special-ops-israel/ |website=telegraph.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=White House faces backlash for accidentally revealing identities of US troops in Israel |url=https://www.wionews.com/world/white-house-faces-backlash-for-accidentally-revealing-identities-of-us-troops-in-israel-649143 |access-date=2023-10-21 |website=WION |date=20 October 2023 |language=en-us}}</ref> The White House later issued an apology for the incident.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-20 |title=White House apologizes for publishing photo with faces of Delta Force members during Biden's visit to Israel |url=https://voz.us/white-house-apologizes-for-publishing-photo-with-faces-of-delta-force-members-during-bidens-visit-to-israel/?lang=en}}</ref>

== The term "operator" ==
[[File:Code of the Special Forces Operator.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Example of the "Code of the Special Forces Operator", dated 1959. This example pre-dates Delta.]]

In ''Veritas'', the Journal of Army Special Operations History, Charles H. Briscoe stated that "SF did not misappropriate the appellation. Unbeknownst to most members of the ARSOF (Army Special Operations Forces) community, that moniker was adopted by Special Forces in the mid to late 1950s." He goes on to state that all qualified enlisted and officers in Special Forces had to "voluntarily subscribe to the provisions of the 'Code of the Special Forces Operator' and pledge themselves to its tenets by witnessed signature."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Briscoe |first=Charles H. |date=2018 |title=The Special Forces Operator |url=https://arsof-history.org/articles/v14n1_creed_page_1.html |magazine=Veritas |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=63–64 |issn=1553-9830 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217072354/https://arsof-history.org/articles/v14n1_creed_page_1.html |archive-date=17 December 2021}}</ref>

Inside the [[USSOCOM|United States special operations]] community, an operator is a Delta Force member who has completed selection and has finished OTC (Operator Training Course). "Operator" was used by Delta Force to distinguish between operators (assaulters and snipers) and combat support assigned to the unit.{{sfn|Haney|2002}}

== Operations ==
{{Main|List of operations conducted by Delta Force}}
[[File:Delta-force-scud-hunters.jpg|thumb|Delta Force operators, pictured deep behind Iraqi lines during the 1991 Persian Gulf War]]

Most operations assigned to Delta are classified, but some details have become public knowledge. For service during [[Operation Urgent Fury]] (1983), the United States' invasion of Grenada, Delta was awarded the [[Joint Meritorious Unit Award]]. The unit was awarded the [[Valorous Unit Award]] for extraordinary heroism during the [[Operation Acid Gambit|Modelo Prison hostage rescue mission]] and the capture of [[Manuel Noriega]] in December 1989 during [[Operation Just Cause]] in [[Panama]]. 1st SFOD-D operators from C Squadron were also involved in [[Operation Gothic Serpent]] (1993) in Somalia. Two of those operators, [[Master sergeant#United States|MSG]] [[Gary Gordon]] and [[Sergeant first class#United States|SFC]] [[Randy Shughart]], were posthumously awarded the [[Medal of Honor]] for their actions on 3 October 1993 during the [[Battle of Mogadishu (1993)|Battle of Mogadishu]].

During [[Operation Enduring Freedom]] and [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]], 1st SFOD-D was awarded the [[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]] for combat operations in Afghanistan from 4 October 2001 to 15 March 2002 and Iraq from 19 March 2003 to 13 December 2003.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/HRC/2011/137-33_20110517_HRCMD_CC.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022170746/http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/HRC/2011/137-33_20110517_HRCMD_CC.pdf |archive-date=2012-10-22 |url-status=dead |title=PERMANENT ORDERS 137-33 |publisher=[[United States Army Center of Military History|U.S. Army Center of Military History]] |access-date=2 November 2011}}</ref>

On 26 October 2019, Delta operators accompanied by members of the [[75th Ranger Regiment]] [[Death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi|conducted a raid]] on the compound of [[Islamic State]] leader [[Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi]], leading to his death.<ref name="wapo-isdi">{{cite news |last1=Warrick |first1=Joby |last2=Nakashima |first2=Ellen |last3=Lamothe |first3=Dan |author-link1=Joby Warrick |author-link2=Ellen Nakashima |title=Islamic State defector inside Baghdadi's hideout critical to success of raid, officials say |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/islamic-state-turncoat-inside-baghdadis-hideout-critical-to-success-of-raid-officials-say/2019/10/29/e702c2fa-fa86-11e9-ac8c-8eced29ca6ef_story.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=30 October 2019 |access-date=30 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030120643/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/islamic-state-turncoat-inside-baghdadis-hideout-critical-to-success-of-raid-officials-say/2019/10/29/e702c2fa-fa86-11e9-ac8c-8eced29ca6ef_story.html |archive-date=30 October 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[List of Delta Force members]]
{{clear}}

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==

{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Ambinder |first1=Marc |title=The Command: Deep Inside the President's Secret Army |last2=Grady |first2=D. B. |date=2012 |publisher=[[Wiley (publisher)|John Wiley & Sons]] |isbn=978-1-118-34672-3 |location=Hoboken, New Jersey |author-link=Marc Ambinder |no-pp=yes}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Beckwith |first1=Charlie |last2=Knox |first2=Donald |url=https://archive.org/details/deltaforcearmyse00beck |title=Delta Force: The Army's Elite Counterterrorist Unit |date=2000 |publisher=[[Avon Books]] |isbn=978-0-380-80939-4 |edition=Paperback |author-link=Charles Alvin Beckwith |url-access=registration |orig-year=1983}}
* {{cite book |last=Bowden |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Bowden |title=Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War |title-link=Black Hawk Down (book) |year=1999 |publisher=Atlantic Monthly Press |isbn=978-0-87113-738-8 |id=[https://archive.org/details/blackhawkdownsto0000bowd Archived] }}
* {{cite book |last1=Bowden |first1=Mark  |title=Killing Pablo : The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw |title-link=Killing Pablo |date=2001 |publisher=Atlantic Monthly Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0871137838 |edition=1st}}
* {{cite book|last=Bowden|first=Mark|title=Guests of the Ayatollah: The First Battle in America's War with Militant Islam |publisher=Atlantic Monthly Press|location=New York|year=2006|isbn=978-0-87113-925-2 |oclc=62738726 |url=https://archive.org/details/guestsofayatolla00bowd |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Boykin |first=William G. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/882106240 |title=Never Surrender : A Soldier's Journey to the Crossroads of Faith and Freedom |date=2008 |publisher=FaithWords |isbn=978-0-446-59361-8 |edition=1st |location=New York |oclc=882106240 |author-link=William G. Boykin}}
* {{Cite book |last=Cawthorne |first=Nigel |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/176894746 |title=The Mammoth Book of Inside the Elite Forces |date=2008 |publisher=[[Constable & Robinson Limited|Robinson Publishing]] |isbn=978-1845298210 |location=London |oclc=176894746 |author-link=Nigel Cawthorne}}
* {{cite book |last1=Fury |first1=Dalton |title=Kill Bin Laden : A Delta Force Commander's Account of the Hunt for the World's Most Wanted Man |date=2008 |publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]] |location=New York |isbn=9780312384395 |edition=1st |url=https://archive.org/details/killbinladendelt0000fury |oclc=1035934309 |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Gabriel |first=Richard A. |url=https://archive.org/details/militaryincompet00gabr |title=Military Incompetence: Why the American Military Doesn't Win |publisher=[[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]] |year=1985 |isbn=978-0-374-52137-0 |author-link=Richard A. Gabriel |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Griswold |first1=Terry |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/25549191 |title=Delta, America's Elite Counterterrorist Force |last2=Giangreco |first2=D. M. |date=1992 |publisher=Motorbooks International  |isbn=978-0879386153 |location=Osceola, WI |oclc=25549191}}
* {{cite book |last=Haney |first=Eric L. |author-link=Eric Haney |title=Inside Delta Force |title-link=Inside Delta Force |publisher=[[Delacorte Press]] |year=2002 |location=New York |isbn=978-0385336031}}
* National Geographic documentary: ''Road to Baghdad''.
* {{Cite book |last=Naylor |first=Sean |url=https://archive.org/details/notgooddaytodie00sean |title=Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda |publisher=[[Berkley Books]] |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-425-19609-0 |author-link=Sean Naylor |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Naylor |first=Sean |url=https://archive.org/details/relentlessstrike0000nayl |title=Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command |date=2015 |publisher=[[St. Martin's Press|St. Martin's Griffin]] |isbn=9781250014542 |location=New York |oclc=908554550 |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |last1=Pushies |first1=Fred |title=U.S. Counterterrorist Forces |date=2002 |publisher=MBI Pub. Co |location=[[Saint Paul, Minnesota|St. Paul]], MN |isbn=978-0760313633}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Satterly |first1=Tom |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1091687950 |title=All Secure : A Special Operations Soldier's Fight to Survive on the Battlefield and the Homefront |last2=Jackson |first2=Steve |date=2019 |publisher=Center Street |isbn=978-1546076575 |edition=1st |location=New York |oclc=1091687950}}
* {{cite book |last1=Schauer |first1=Hartmut |title=Delta Force |date=2008 |publisher=Motorbuch Verlag |location=[[Stuttgart]], DE |isbn=978-3-613-02958-3 |edition=1st}}
* {{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Michael |title=Killer Elite : The Inside Story of America's Most Secret Special Operations Team] |date=2007 |publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]] |location=New York |isbn=978-0312362720 |edition=1st}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons and category}}
* [https://www.military.com/special-operations/delta-force.html Military.com article on Delta Force] [https://web.archive.org/web/20220621062559/https://www.military.com/special-operations/delta-force.html Archived]
* [https://special-ops.org/us-army-delta-force/ Special-ops.com article] [https://web.archive.org/web/20220720034148/https://special-ops.org/us-army-delta-force/ Archived]
* [http://www.2ndbn5thmar.com/CoTTP/AnacondaNaylor.pdf Transcript of Sean Naylor's speech to American Enterprise Institute] [https://web.archive.org/web/20210630144409/http://www.2ndbn5thmar.com/CoTTP/AnacondaNaylor.pdf Archived ]

{{FortBragg}}
{{US Special Operations Forces}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Delta Force]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1977]]
[[Category:Military units and formations in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Special operations units and formations of the United States Army]]
[[Category:United States Joint Special Operations Command]]