From: owner-deltagreen-digest@nocturne.org (deltagreen-digest) To: deltagreen-digest@nocturne.org Subject: deltagreen-digest V1 #380 Reply-To: Delta Green List Sender: owner-deltagreen-digest@nocturne.org Errors-To: owner-deltagreen-digest@nocturne.org Precedence: bulk deltagreen-digest Tuesday, March 30 1999 Volume 01 : Number 380 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 07:55:12 -0800 From: Josh Shaw Subject: Re: DG: El Al air crash cargo Jeff Ewing wrote: > It is unseemly to make light of this, but if you really *had* to take > out a terrorist/cultist cell in a friendly country, a rigged "accident" > involving a cargo aircraft would be costly, but deniable. Did this to a clutch of Giovanni (sp?) in a VTM game. Was in a residential neighborhood so *lots* of "collateral damage" but.......... "IT SOLVED THE FEWKIN PROBLEM, DIDNTIT!" Of course Alphonse would never authorize anything so extreme, would he? And exactly how, minus mind control, does one convince the pilot (who must have a wife and family somewhere and is probably a good hypnotic subject and of course there are all these drugs which conveniently never show up on the autopsy) to go for it. OTOH, a plane crash is a good way to explain a big explosion, whether a plane crashed or not. BCNU - ----Josh - -- I bring you the Blessings of Epona. May the Horse be with you! ------King Leir ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 17:12:55 GMT0BST From: Robert Thomas Subject: Re: DG: El Al air crash cargo Hello All, Jeff wrote: > Interesting report on NPR this morning about the El Al cargo jet crash > in Holland in '92. It seems that the surviving residents (many of them > immigrants) of the crash have been having mysterious ailments ever > since. The residents accuse the government of secretiveness, the > government accuses El Al. Theories range from the depleted uranium > apparently used for wing ballast in the plane (I had never heard of > this!) to suggestions that the plane was carrying Sarin components. > Report by the Dutch government due out tomorrow. There was an artical in one of the Sunday broadsheets in the UK recently (last2-3 weeks) confirming that it was DU onboard the Jumbo that went down. Also mentioned the fact that the captain did a fairly heroic job trying to avoid the flats. later Rob. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 11:48:09 -0500 From: graemep@immagene.mcg.edu (Graeme Price) Subject: Re: DG: El Al air crash cargo Jeff wrote: >Interesting report on NPR this morning about the El Al cargo jet crash >in Holland in '92. It seems that the surviving residents (many of them >immigrants) of the crash have been having mysterious ailments ever >since. The residents accuse the government of secretiveness, the >government accuses El Al. Theories range from the depleted uranium >apparently used for wing ballast in the plane (I had never heard of >this!) to suggestions that the plane was carrying Sarin components. >Report by the Dutch government due out tomorrow. This was the one in Amsterdam (?) which crashed into the block of flats on take off (presumably from Schipol [sic] airport) wasn't it? Interesting. One thing which I thought was striking at the time is that there weren't more deaths. A (presumably) fully fuelled cargo jet crashes into a crowded block of flats, at night, minutes after take off and a couple of hundred (IIRC) are killed. It could have been a lot worse (although obviously not if you were one of the people who was killed). Perhaps the combined effects of post-traumatic stress and smoke inhalation/intoxication are responsible for some of the illness? Later Graeme graemep@immag.mcg.edu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 18:10:26 +0100 From: Ward Phil Subject: RE: DG: El Al air crash cargo I worked in British Airways Maintenance in Rhoose airport for a while, if that's the same jet I'm thinking of, that thing went down because one engine detached from the wing, and swang inwards, taking that wing's inner engine out, and then on into the body. The FAA investigated and found the a pin which is supposed to swivel a detached engine up and over the top of the wing and the let it fly off backwards allowed it to go sideways as well. Result: Now they're putting two pins on each engine to make sure it up and backwards. Imagine sitting in an aisle seat and seeing that happen! One good way of taking a plane out is to get into the maintenance sheds and leave something in a fuel tank. In the past, they've discovered big bits of carpet (the inside is uncomfortable to work in!) clogging up fuel intakes, loose tools, and even a full tool kit. they're supposed to X-ray the tank before it leaves, but they don't catch anything. and of course there was the time someone selectively polished the top of the plane, so it spelt "BUM" in the right light! Phil PS. That FAA fix is supposed to have been completely carried out on every Jumbo by the end of this year IIRC, but there's no chance they'll get the all done... > -----Original Message----- > From: Robert Thomas [SMTP:ThomasR@cardiff.ac.uk] > Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 1999 6:13 PM > To: deltagreen@nocturne.org > Subject: Re: DG: El Al air crash cargo > > There was an artical in one of the Sunday broadsheets in the UK > recently (last2-3 weeks) confirming that it was DU onboard the Jumbo > that went down. Also mentioned the fact that the captain did a > fairly heroic job trying to avoid the flats. > ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 18:19:17 +0100 From: Ward Phil Subject: RE: DG: El Al air crash cargo DU Ballast! That didn't twig in my mind till now... Come to think of it, I've never heard of anything like that, the only Radiation warnings we had when dealing with jumbo's were when they were x-raying the things... Where did that come from then? Phil > -----Original Message----- > From: graemep@immagene.mcg.edu [SMTP:graemep@immagene.mcg.edu] > Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 1999 5:48 PM > To: Delta Green List > Subject: Re: DG: El Al air crash cargo > > This was the one in Amsterdam (?) which crashed into the block of flats on > take off (presumably from Schipol [sic] airport) wasn't it? Interesting. > One thing which I thought was striking at the time is that there weren't > more deaths. A (presumably) fully fuelled cargo jet crashes into a crowded > block of flats, at night, minutes after take off and a couple of hundred > (IIRC) are killed. It could have been a lot worse (although obviously not > if you were one of the people who was killed). Perhaps the combined > effects > of post-traumatic stress and smoke inhalation/intoxication are responsible > for some of the illness? > ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 15:54:45 -0500 (EST) From: Daniel M Harms Subject: Re: DG: RE: The Scientific Method On Tue, 30 Mar 1999, David Farnell wrote: > Mark "My.....braaaaiiiinnnnn!" McFadden wrote: > > >ObDG: The native cultures of South America didn't use the wheel. They made > >toys using them, but they never did anything useful with them. Except > >calendars. > > So the circle was the domain of the priesthood, not the engineers. Pi > >anxiety? A distrust of shapes without angles? > > The only architectural circle I can recall is the hoop for that > life-or-death > >basketball game they played so religiously. > Now that is one of the big mysteries: wheels on toys, but not on carts or > anything really useful. I can't remember if the Andean tribes had wheels--it > might have just been the Central Americans. Anyway, the Central Americans > had no suitable draft animals, so nothing to pull a cart. But I don't think > that would've stopped them. A wheelbarrow is a real simple item, and > extremely useful. But no chariots. But if trade to the south had brought > them in contact with llama-breeders--ah, how history might have been > different! > (I know, there were dozens of other major factors, especially disease and > communication lines. Still, it could've kept the Spanish off long enough to > have really changed things.) There was actually a pretty good reason for all this. The first Old World civilization to develop the wheel - Mesopotamia, if I'm not mistaken - was based on the plains of the Middle East, where there's not much around to run into. On the other hand, the Olmec, Maya, and pre- Incas of various types were based in swamps, jungles, and mountainous terrain, where wheels would tend to get stuck, carts or chariots wouldn't have room to pass, or where the inclines were just too steep. (The Inca roads, BTW, had steps at some points, making wheeled traffic impractical) Of course, this doesn't explain everything (like wheelbarrows), but it should be good for a start. Yrs., Daniel ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 16:11:34 EST From: LizardRoi@aol.com Subject: Re: DG: God/Goo In a message dated 99-03-30 07:39:27 EST, you write: << Lovecraft and pals actually offered several possible origins for mankind - the results of an Elder Thing experiment allowed to run wild ("At the Mountains of Madness"), brought down from the stars with Cthulhu ("The Mound"), evolved from serpent men (!) in Clark Ashton Smith's "Ubbo-Sathla." >> I vote for all three. You're not seriously trying to tell me that ALL of mankind, every separate race, are descended from some losers in an African valley? C'mon, get real. That's like saying Chihuahuas are descended from wolves. " The diversity of human form is obviously due to miscegenation and mongrelization between separate races. Those mud peop...er...cultures that don't value their precious bodily fluids will inevitably debase to a generic human-like creature suitable for manual labor, but without the divine spark of Destiny. We of the North, forged by lightning-borne fire and tempered by the Ice Ages, are obviously the most advanced and pure of the races of Man. Providence provided us with natural barriers to mongrelization: formidable mountains and rivers of ice to keep the soft, thin-blooded degenerates of the South from polluting our bloodline. Where they lazed in the sun, gorging on the fruits of the fertile land; we wrested a living from a hostile environment. We fought our way to the top of the food chain as they played in the "Circle of Life." Of course they resent us. Their ancestors took an easy path and sentenced them to mediocrity. So long as they fear us, their resentment is moot." Excerpt from the forward to the Cliff Notes "Mein Triumph" by Mark "Lebensraum" McFadden ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 22:46:44 +0100 From: Ward Phil Subject: RE: DG: God/Goo Hey this is a change, I'm actually here at a time when I can converse in almost real-time with you guys :) So, Lizard King, got any more of this rather excellent nazi nonsense? And can I use them for EH ? Phil > -----Original Message----- > From: LizardRoi@aol.com [SMTP:LizardRoi@aol.com] > Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 1999 10:12 PM > To: deltagreen@nocturne.org > Subject: Re: DG: God/Goo > > I vote for all three. You're not seriously trying to tell me that ALL of > mankind, every separate race, are descended from some losers in an African > valley? C'mon, get real. That's like saying Chihuahuas are descended from > wolves. > ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 18:41:20 EST From: LizardRoi@aol.com Subject: Re: DG: El Al air crash cargo In a message dated 99-03-30 12:21:54 EST, you write: << Come to think of it, I've never heard of anything like that, the only Radiation warnings we had when dealing with jumbo's were when they were x-raying the things... >> The engines in an F-4 Phantom have a box of radioactive material according to the cursory introduction to the engine we electricians got. Dunno the purpose. DU ballast? I'm out of my depth. Makes a good non-military explanation for the presence of DU though. "Critics questioned the presence of depleted uranium in the wreckage of the limo, but authorities explained that the tires had recently been rebalanced. Go back to sleep America. There's a Very Special Episode of Melrose Place tonight." Mark McFadden Trusts no one. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 19:15:14 EST From: LizardRoi@aol.com Subject: Re: DG: RE: The Scientific Method In a message dated 99-03-30 15:59:54 EST, you write: << Of course, this doesn't explain everything (like wheelbarrows), but it should be good for a start. >> Or why all the other cultures with similar obstacles used wheels. South/Central America has swamps and such, but I doubt it's worse going than the Russian steppes after the thaw. Or Vietnam, or Thailand. Tibet has some hills, but that didn't eliminate the wheel. Incidentally, their priesthood incorporated wheels into prayer. To speed them up. A path with steps is appropriate if you know it's dedicated to foot traffic, but with the wheel comes more attention to roadbuilding. And more emphasis on their importance. You don't invest a lot of labor on good roads unless you have to. And you don't need to unless you use wheels. Mark McFadden Can't drive 55 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 19:50:02 EST From: LizardRoi@aol.com Subject: DG: Re: Nazi spiel In a message dated 99-03-30 16:52:44 EST, you write: << So, Lizard King, got any more of this rather excellent nazi nonsense? And can I use them for EH ? Phil >> Absitively posilutely. I was contemplating what the Hitler spiel would be to a potential Bischof, trying to find a Nazi argument for a new Millenium. Kind of a writing exercise. My second Bischof contest entry (Father and Son) was an overview. I was going to expand it to include the recruitment of the father by you know what as you know who. The Desmond Humboldt postings got me thinking on how Madison Avenue would package New Improved Racial Purity, now with Rationalization2000(tm). I've noticed that we've got a tendency to see all of the smart Nazis as unscrupulous power brokers who didn't believe the ideology, but used it. Only the dipshits and thugs really believed any of that stuff. Ahem. Let me say this once: SHOW ME EVIDENCE THAT SMART PEOPLE ARE INCAPABLE OF SINCERELY BELIEVING IN BULLSHIT. Otherwise, consider rethinking your assumptions. Which is always a good idea in any case. You never know, you might have picked up some new information since the last time you made up your mind on the matter. I know I did. I no longer dismiss everyone who disagrees with me as a dolt. Subhuman scum, perhaps, but not necessarily idiots. Oozing pimples on the anus of creation, certainly, but not necessarily stupid. The slimey ring around the gene pool, absolutely, but not necessarily ignorant. Mark McFadden So goddamn touchy-feely PC it makes my teeth ache. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 23:03:29 EST From: USFORREC1@aol.com Subject: DG: sorry This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - --part0_922853011_boundary Content-ID: <0_922853011@inet_out.mail.aol.com.1> Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII had a problem with the attachment. (hopefully) It will be with this one. Dave K. - --part0_922853011_boundary Content-ID: <0_922853011@inet_out.mail.aol.com.2> Content-type: text/plain; name="SOCNOT~2.TXT" Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable Content-disposition: inline The first error that I encountered was on the dates concerning the format= ion of DG within the OSS. The handouts in DG state that orders were cut = on 12 Feb 1942 to move P Division into the OSS. The only problem is that= the OSS wasn't created until June 1942. Before this date, Donovan heade= d the Office of Coordinator of Strategic Information (COI), which grew ou= t of his trips before US involvement in the war to Europe to study the Na= zi 5th Columns. Returning, the COI was formed in June of 1941, to study = and prepare propaganda studies and lay the formation for the Intelligence= organizations of America. The OSS absorbed its parent organization and = the rest is history. I offer three possible solutions to the date problem. 1) Ignore it. If your players aren't likely to catch it, don't worry. 2) The old white-out solution. Use if your players will catch this. 3) Leave it and allow it to be caught! This is the option I use. The do= cument is accurate but changed on purpose. This is part of a disinformat= ion campaign by DG to hide in plain sight. Conspiracy buffs and others m= ight find this piece of history and go public. The changed dates allow i= t to look like a fake, debunking it without even trying. I use this also= on agents who get the document, because in my campaign, DG has its own s= ecrets and skeletons in the closet. This can add to the air of paranoia = and leads them to look at DG a little closer... The next errors concern the info on the Special Operations Command. Ther= e are a variety of outdated listings and misrepresentations that I hope t= he following listings can help to correct. These listings are accurate a= nd as up-to-date as I currently have. As these units constantly experime= nt with organization and many details are classified, there may be some s= mall errors. I apologize for these. U.S. Army: 75th Ranger Regiment Organization- 3 battalions, headquarters, and headquarters company 1st Battalion is located at Hunter Army AirField, Georgia 2nd Battalion is located at Fort Lewis, Washington 3rd Battalion is located at Fort Benning, Georgia Headquarters is located at Fort Benning, Georgia HQ contains: Commanding Officer (colonel), his staff, special staff (comm= unications officer, fire support officer, surgeon, staff judge advocate, = USAF weather officer and USAF tactical air control officer), HQ Company S= taff, Fire Support Element, Communications Platoon, Reconnaissance Platoo= n, Medical Treatment Team, and RIP (Ranger Indoctrination Program) Each Battalion contains: 3 Combat Companies with: 3 Rifle Platoons (about 45 men each), Weapons Pl= atoon (about 23 men). Each Rifle Platoon is made up of 3 Rifle Squads of= three Fire teams each and a machine gun squad. All squad leaders are at= least Staff Sergeants and team leaders are Sergeants. Specialists (equi= valent to Corporals) who have the Ranger Tab (attended Ranger School) may= be team leaders when necessary. Battalion Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) with: Company headq= uarters, Fire Support Team, USAF FAC Team, Medical Team, Communications T= eam, Support Section (Food Service, etc.) - -Each Battalion rotates for a month as the Ranger Ready Force. They must= be able to deploy anywhere in the world within eighteen hours. Training: - -All must have attended Jump School/be Airborne qualified - -All officers and NCOs must be Ranger School graduates and all Officers m= ust have served at least a year in a leadership position in a non-Ranger = unit (be at least a First Lieutenant) Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP): 3 1/2-week program designed to weed = out those who can't make it. Timed marches/runs, swim tests, and militar= y skill testing. After this is completed, the men are considered Rangers= and go to the Battalions for operational training. 6-12 months later th= ey may attend the Ranger School Ranger School: Ranger Assessment Phase (RAP)-5 days. Testing for admittance to the Range= r School. PT Tests and military knowledge tests. Conducted at Fort Benn= ing, Georgia. 1st Phase-Camp Darby, Georgia. Covers Hand-to-Hand Combat, Patrolling, Ad= vanced Land Navigation, Leadership, Survival Training, PT/Obstacle Course= s, Field Exercises. 2nd Phase-Dugway Proving Grounds, Utah. Covers Desert Survival, Patrolli= ng, Battle Drills, Advanced Combat Techniques (Ambushes, crossing barbed = wire, assaults, etc.), Field Training Exercises. 3rd Phase-Camp Merrill, Georgia. Covers mountaineering operations. 4th Phase- Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Covers Jungle/Swamp Operations= , additional Advanced Combat Techniques, Small Boat Operations, Field Tra= ining Exercises. Operational Training: each Battalion trains 48 weeks a year to maintain p= erformance. Physical training is done five days a week. During a three-= year cycle each battalion trains in extreme cold and in amphibious operat= ions. Jungle, mountain and desert training are done once a year, at leas= t. Urban training is conducted every six months. Missions: - -Infiltration/Exfiltration by land, air and sea. - -Conduct Direct Action - -Conduct Raids - -Recovery of Personnel and Special Equipment - -Conduct Conventional or Special Light Infantry Operations - -High number of NCOs - -Highest percentage of NCOs who later become Officers in the Army Special Forces Organization: SF Groups 1st Area of Operation: Pacific and Eastern Asia. Located: Fort Lewis, WA= . 3rd Area of Operation: Caribbean and Western Africa. Located: Fort Bragg= , NC. 5th Area of Operation: Southwest Asia and Northeastern Africa. Located: = Fort Campbell, KY. 7th Area of Operation: Central and South America. Located: Fort Bragg, N= C. 10th Area of Operation: Europe and Western Asia. Located: Fort Carson, C= O. 11th (Army Reserve) Located: Fort Meade, Maryland 12th (Army Reserve) Located: Arlington Heights, Illinois 19th (National Guard) Area of Operation: Asia. Located: Camp Williams, = UT. 20th (National Guard) Area of Operation: Europe and Western Asia. Loca= ted: Birmingham, AL. 2 Forward Deployed Companies (one in Germany and one in South Korea) Supporting Units: 112th Signal Battalion 528th Support Battalion 4th Psychological Operations Group SF Group Support Company Military Intelligence (MI) Detachment Service Detachment Signal Detachment Medical Section Personnel Section SF Battalions (Headquarters/support elements known as C-Teams/C-Detachmen= ts) 3 Battalions per Group 1 C-Detachment: Detachment Commander (Lt. Colonel) Executive Officer (Major) Staff with: Adjutant (Captain), Intelligence officer (Captain), Operation= s officer (Captain), Supply officer (Captain), Command Sergeant-Major, In= telligence NCO (Master Sergeant), Operations NCO (Master Sergeant), Suppl= y NCO (Sergeant 1st Class), Administrative Supervisor (Staff Sergeant), S= enior Field Radio Repairman (Sergeant), and 4 Radio Operators (Sergeants) 3 B-Detachments 18 A-teams SF Battalion Support Company Military Intelligence (MI) Detachment (has 3 SOT-As [Special Operation Te= am-A] that deploy with SFOD-As to provide SIGINT and EW capabilities. Ha= s no interrogation teams attached.) SF Battalion Service Detachment SF Company (Headquarters/support element known as B-Teams/B-Detachments) 3 Companies per Battalion (A (Alpha), B (Bravo) and C (Charlie) Companies= ) 1 B-Detachment: Detachment Commander (Major) Executive Officer (Captain) Staff with: Adjutant (Captain), Intelligence officer (Captain), Operation= s officer (Captain), Supply officer (Captain), Command Sergeant-Major, In= telligence NCO (Master Sergeant), Operations NCO (Master Sergeant), Engin= eering NCO (Sergeant 1st Class), 1-2 Weapons NCOs (Sergeant 1st Class), M= edical Specialist (Sergeant 1st Class), Communications Supervisor (Sergea= nt 1st Class), Supply Sergeant (Sergeant 1st Class), Administrative Super= visor (Staff Sergeant), Assistant Supply Sergeant (Staff Sergeant), Preve= ntative Medical Specialist (Specialist 6th Class), Combat Engineer Specia= list (Sergeant), 4 Radio Operators (Sergeants) 6 A-Teams per Company (1 HALO, 1 SCUBA, 4 "Ruck") SF A-Teams (Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha) Detachment Commander: Captain Executive Officer: Warrant Officer Operations NCO/Team Sergeant: Master Sergeant Intelligence & Operations NCO: Sergeant First Class Weapons NCO: Sergeant First Class Assistant Weapons NCO: Staff Sergeant Engineer NCO: Sergeant First Class Assistant NCO Engineer: Staff Sergeant Medical NCO: Sergeant First Class Assistant Medical NCO: Staff Sergeant Communications NCO: Sergeant First Class Assistant Communications NCO: Staff Sergeant Missions: Unconventional Warfare (UW) Direct Action (DA) Special Reconnaissance (SR) Foreign Internal Defense (FID) Counter-Terrorism (CT) Psychological Operations (PSYOP) Civil Affairs (CA) Coalition Warfare/Support - -Special Projects Teams: These teams are not on declassified Special Forces TOEs (Tables of Organi= zation and Equipment). SF troops assigned to them are removed temporaril= y from the SF command structure and placed under other DoD departments. = Known in SF as "long hair teams" due to their relaxed grooming standards.= They provide various Black and Grey operational services. Training: The Q (Qualification) Course Special Forces Assessment and Selection (21 days)- A 3-phase battery of t= ests to determine intelligence, aptitude, foreign language ability, physi= cal endurance and mental stability. Phase 2/ MOS Training (approx. 2mos.)- This is where the trainees learn t= heir specialty. There are courses for SF Officer, SF Weapons, SF Communi= cations, SF Medical (the longest at 23 weeks), SF Engineering and SF Inte= lligence and Operations Phase 13- This puts the team together for training in field craft, advanc= ed specialties, etc. It culminates with "Robin Sage," a 2-week guerrilla= wargame to show what has been learned. Note: The SF Q Course is constantly undergoing refinement and this is th= e current incarnation. Few older SF vets went through this. Phase 13 is= so called because it incorporates elements of the old Phase 1 & 3. Some= training has been dropped/moved in this layout (Such as most of the surv= ival training, which now resides at the SERE [Survival, Escape, Resistanc= e and Evasion] School/Course) - -Unit identification: A-Teams are numbered as ODA-### (Example-ODA-345). This stands for- Oper= ational Detachment Alpha, with the first number represent the group, the = second and third representing battalion and team designation. ODAs endin= g in 4 designate a HALO group and ending in a 5 designate a Combat Diver/= SCUBA team (This is true in 3rd Group, anyway, and the numbers are probab= ly true SF-wide). - -A soldier must be an E-4 or higher to apply for SF - -When talking to members of SF remember they are Special Forces, not "Gre= en Berets." You will be informed that they are troopers, not hats! 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment- Delta Organization- 3 Squadrons, broken down into an unknown number of Troops. Each Troop has 16 men. These are further broken down into 4 4-man squads= . Each squad is color-coded for organizational and control purposes. There are about 800 members of Delta, with about 225 "shooters". Of the = 225 operators, 1/3 are snipers. Detachment designations: D- Command and Control (The Headquarters) E- Communications, Intelligence and Administrative Support (includes fina= nce, logistics, medical detachment, research and development, technology = and electronics, etc.) - -The medical detachment maintains special doctors at Fort Bragg and vario= us other bases around the country secretly, to provide medical assistance= as needed. - -"The Funny Platoon": This is the in-house Intelligence arm of Delta. Th= ey grew out of a long-running dispute/rivalry with ISA. They will infilt= rate a country ahead of a Delta intervention to gather intelligence. The= y are the only US Special Operation Force to employ woman in a combat rol= e (the only other SOF that has employed women at all has been Army Specia= l Forces, and then, only in a training role). F- Operational Arm (The operators themselves) - -Delta has acquired a small Aviation Squadron for limited in-house use. = This consists of 12 AH-6 Attack and MH-6 Transport helicopters. These ha= ve been painted in civilian colors and have fake tail number Ids. They s= till rely on the 160th SOAR and USAF for larger operations. - -All Delta members have pagers for 24-hour call-ups. - -All operators in Delta have been issued Federal Weapons Permits, which a= llow them to travel anywhere armed. They are ALWAYS armed. - -Delta has relaxed grooming standards (long hair, earrings, etc.) to assi= st in undercover ops. - -All members of Delta and their families are given cover stories to preve= nt their unit affiliation from leaking out. - -Delta is almost all US Army, but members of the Reserves, National Guard= , and the other services can also apply. They will be placed on duty wit= h the unit if selected and serve a 3-year tour with the unit. - -UNCONFIRMED: I have come across several times the statement that Delta a= nd SEAL Team 6 no longer go by those names. They are left on for dealing= with the public but are referred to by some other designation in officia= l communications. This, as I said, is unconfirmed, so use at your own di= scretion. Missions: Counter-Terrorism (Note: In the military, Counter-terrorism and anti-terr= orism are not the same thing. Counter-terrorism is the actions taken aft= er a terrorist action has begun. Anti-terrorism are measures taken to ke= ep terrorist actions from occurring in the first place.) POW recovery ops during wartime Strategic Reconnaissance Proactive Counter-terrorism (Hunting individual terrorist leaders, attack= s on terrorist camps, etc.) Special Assault Security Assist in Nuclear terror threats/recovery of nuclear devices 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) - - Task Force 160 was reorganized and designated as the 160th SOAR and ass= igned to US Army Special Operations Command in May 1990 - - Known as "The Night Stalkers" Organization- 1st Battalion- Located: Fort Campbell, Kentucky. 18 AH-6, 18 MH-6 and 30= MH-60 helicopters. Some elements forward deployed in Panama. 617th Aviation Detachment ( 2nd Battalion- Located: Fort Campbell, Kentucky. 24 MH-47 Helicopters. 3rd Battalion- Located: Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia. 10 MH-60 and 8 MH-= 47 helicopters. Directly supports the Rangers. 245th Aviation Battalion (Oklahoma National Guard). 25 AH-6, 15 UH-60 (t= o be replaced by MH-60) and 23 UH-1 Helicopters. Training- Officer/Pilot- 14 Week Qualification Course, followed by two other qualif= ication levels: Fully Mission Qualified (progression time: 12-18 months) = and Flight lead (progression time: 36-48 months) Enlisted/Support- 3 week Qualification Course ISA Note: The Army did not disband the ISA in 1983. They are still active today. = The group was working on a plan for securing hostages held in Beirut in t= he 80s. This plan fell through (and the chosen course of action by the g= overnment became known as the Iran-Contra Affair). It was this op that a= lso led to the rivalry between the ISA and Delta (and the creation of Del= ta's "Funny Platoon"). The ISA conducted classified but acknowledged act= ions during the Gulf War. Most of the ISA's operatives are former Army S= F and should use their template. U.S. Navy: Underwater Demolition Teams The UDTs were disbanded in 1983, absorbed into the Navy SEALs. They had = undergone the same training as SEALs, with their mission ending at the wa= terline. They conducted operations dealing with hydrographic survey, obs= tacle clearance, general dive operations and assisted with space capsule = recovery. Since the training was considered to be redundant with the SEA= Ls, the UDTs were reorganized as SEALs and the SEALs took on their old mi= ssions. =09Before their disbanding, the UDTs consisted of: UDT 11 Located at Coronado, California. Became SEAL Team 5 UDT 12 Located at Coronado, California. Became SDV 1. UDT 21 Located at Norfolk, Virginia. Became SEAL Team 4. UDT 22 Located at Norfolk, Virginia. Became SDV 2. Each Team consisted of 15 officers and 111 enlisted men. SEAL Teams Organization- SEAL Team 1- Area of Operation: Southeast Asia SEAL Team 2- Area of Operation: North Europe SEAL Team 3- Area of Operation: Middle East SEAL Team 4- Area of Operation: South America SEAL Team 5- Area of Operation: South Korea SEAL Team 6- Area of Operation: Counter-terrorism (Worldwide) (Many of th= e special notes/provisions that apply to Delta above apply here) SEAL Team 8- Area of Operation: Africa (Each Team consists of 30 Officers and 181 enlisted men, with a headquart= ers and 14 platoons of two officers and 12 enlisted each. Each platoon i= s further divided into 2 squads of one officer and seven enlisted men.) SDV Team 1 (20 officers and 120enlisted men) SDV Team 2 (24 officers and 159 enlisted men) Special Boat Squadron 1 Special Boat Squadron 2 Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 4 (HAL-4) (The Redwolves) Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 5 (HAL-5) (the Blue Hawks) Forward Deployed Units: Kodiak Alaska Detachment Naval Special Warfare Unit 1- Subic Bay, Philippines Naval Special Warfare Unit 2- Machrihanish, Scotland Navy Special Warfare Unit 3- Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico (These NSWUs consist of command and control elements of 17 officers and e= nlisted men, to which SEAL units are attached) Plus a forward-deployed platoon in Panama Missions: Direct Action Special Reconnaissance Unconventional Warfare Foreign Internal Defense/Counterinsurgency Provide guides for intelligence agents during infiltration/exfiltration Service Escape and Evasion networks during wartime Counterterrorism Training: BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL) Training-Coronado, California Fourth Phase (Yes, this is first)-A newer, pre-BUD/S training and conditi= oning program to better prepare applicants for BUD/S and lessen the drop-= out rate. Phase One (7 weeks)-Physical conditioning and basic skills. The fourth w= eek is the infamous "Hell Week" which runs from Sunday night to Friday. = Those that survive Hell Week gain 3 weeks of hydrographic survey, beach r= econnaissance and underwater mapping training. Phase Two (9 weeks)-Land Warfare and Demolitions Phase Three (7 Weeks)-SCUBA and Underwater Techniques US Army Basic Airborne (3 Weeks) After this, the trainee is considered a SEAL. He will join a team for 6 = months of probation and additional training (known as SEAL Tactical Train= ing [STT]) U.S.M.C.: Recon Battalion Each Marine Division has a Recon battalion of approx. 500 men (including = HQ and support services). They are trained to operate just forward of th= e frontlines or directly in front of/alongside conventional Marine units.= (These are the Marines in the movie Heartbreak Ridge). These are diffe= rent from the Force Recon Marines below. There training is still fierce = and many later move into FR. Not all members are SCUBA and/or Airborne q= ualified. Force Recon Note: There has been considerable reorganization of the Force Recon Marine stru= cture recently. In the 2nd Division, both 2nd Force Recon and 2nd Recon = Battalion have been merged. They have developed a structure where you mo= ve through a series of platoons based on experience and training. These = platoons are gathered into 3 companies. The first company (A Company) is= for Marines in various stages of training. The next company (B Company)= is for Marines who deploy for tactical recon (just beyond the frontlines= ). The final company (C Company) specializes in Deep/Strategic recon. T= he 2nd is based at Camp Lejune, North Carolina. The other Force Recon co= mpanies survived and are organized as follows: 1st Assigned to 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendelton, California 3rd Assigned to 3rd Marine Division, Camp S.D. Butler, Okinawa, Japan 4th Assigned to 4th Marine Division (Reserve), New Orleans, Louisiana 5th Assigned to III MEF (Marine Expeditionary Force), Camp S.D. Butler, O= kinawa, Japan Each FR Company consists of: Headquarters (5 officers and 26 enlisted men) Supply Services Platoon (1 officer and 35 enlisted men) 6 Recon Platoons (1 officer and 14 enlisted men) Recon teams operate usually in teams of 4 men (some experimenting is goin= g on with six man teams) Missions: - -Primarily Deep/Strategic Recon - -Despite many years of resisting (often unsuccessfully) being used for ot= her SpecOps missions (Direct Action and so on), FR has been incorporating= training for these missions. They now have a counterterror and direct a= ction capability. The 5th specializes in these sorts of ops, also. Training: All Recon- RIP (Recon Indoctrination Phase)-Selection and Assessment Amphibious Recon School (9 1/2 Weeks) Force Recon- US Army Basic Airborne SCUBA School NOTE: Until recently (1997), Recon/FR were considered Secondary MOS (Spec= ialized training, essentially). This meant you could not spend your enti= re career with the unit, instead serving 2-3 year tours. This has been c= hanged, however, allowing continual service and a primary MOS. ANGLICO (Air-Naval Gun Liaison Company) ANGLICO companies function much as Force Recon Marines above, receiving v= ery similar training, but with the key difference being their mission. F= R is there to gather data, sometimes staying in place for weeks. ANGLICO= gets into position and once targets have been observed, begins directing= aerial and naval gunfire onto targets. There is an ANGLICO unit with ev= ery SRIG. Training: US Army Basic Airborne SCUBA Ranger ANGLICO in-house tactical training (ongoing) Security Force Battalion (Not to be confused with the Marine Security Gua= rd Battalion, which provides embassy security) Organization: 2 Battalions (Atlantic-based at Norfolk, Virginia and Pacific- based at M= are Island, California) 59 Officers and 2004 Marines Commanding Officer- Major Each battalion has six companies and various Mobile Training Teams (MTTs)= and sub-units Mission: - -Both Antiterrorist, Counterterrorist and Security for US Navy and Marine= Corps ships and bases FAST Company (originally one per Security Battalion) Organization: 321 Marines, Task organized based upon mission. Includes: Headquarters element Four-five "guard" platoons (one officer and 49+ enlisted men) Weapons platoon (29-man MG section, 7-man 60mm Mortar section and 13 man = SMAW section) Each Platoon has 2-man HQ and 3 16+ Man squads (divided into Team Leader = and two guard teams) Recently, several more FAST Companies have been brought online from Secur= ity Force Detachments reassigned, each beginning to practice further spec= ialization. Note: Both units have Designated Marksmen (DM)-sniper-trained individuals Mission: Various tasks concerning security and antiterrorism missions directed at = the United States Navy, USMC and sensitive facilities and persons (recent= ly deployed to Saudi Arabia to test security in the wake of the bombings = there and providing security for the US ambassador to Somalia during the = intervention there). Counterterrorist response force for the Navy/Marine Corps Nuclear safe-guarding for the United States Navy Training: Both Security Forces and FAST- (All members must have completed SOI [School of Infantry]) Security Force School (22 Days-Longer for NCOs and officers)-Teaches Comb= at marksmanship (Shotgun and pistol-all Security Forces are dual armed), = Room Clearing, etc. FAST Training (5 weeks)-Additional training in Close Quarters Battle, Sub= machine gun employment (MP-5), etc NOTE: Security Forces/FAST is a Secondary MOS. Essentially, this means s= pecialized training. Members do not spend their entire career in the uni= t, instead doing 2-3 year tours before returning to other units. Reappli= cation to the unit after a "normal" tour often happens. Scout/Snipers =09These are small, two man teams organized and placed into the SRIGs of = various units. They are used to interdict key personnel and materials du= ring wartime/operations. There are several teams attached at both the ba= ttalion and regimental level. Training: A several week selection and training process that develop additional mar= ksmanship and advanced fieldcraft. NOTE: Several times I have noticed that a reference to Marine special operation= s forces being gathered into a unit known as 2nd Recon. I find no backin= g for this. I feel that this is a misrepresentation of the fact that the= various specops units assigned to the Fleet Marine Forces are placed und= er an administrative umbrella in each division known as SRIG (Surveillanc= e, Reconnaissance and Intelligence Group). This provides headquarters an= d logistical functions to units such as Force Recon, Scout-Snipers and so= on. Each division has a SRIG, not just 2nd Division. U.S. Air Force: Air Force Special Operations Command Organization- AFSOC Headquarters. Located at Hurlburt Field, Florida. 16th Special Operations Wing. Located at Hurlburt Field. MC-130 E/H (8t= h Special Operations Squadron flies the E, 15th SOS flies the H), AC-130 = H/U (4th SOS flies the U, 16th SOS flies the H), MH-53J (20th SOS), MC-13= 0P (9th SOS-prepositioned at Eglin AFB, Florida), MH-60G (55th SOS), C-13= 0 E, UH-1 N, (the 6th SOS is the Wing's combat aviation advisory unit) 352nd Special Operations Group. Located at RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdo= m. MH-53J (21st SOS), MC-130 H (7th SOS), MC-130 P (67th SOS), MC-130N (= Also contains 321st Special Tactics Squadron- see units below) 353rd Special Operations Group. Located at Kadena AFB, Okinawa, Japan. = MC-130H/P (1st SOS flies the H, 17th SOS flies the P), MH-53J (31st SOS, = located at Osan Air Base, Korea) (Also contains the 320th Special Tactics= Squadron- see units below) 193rd Special Operations Wing (Air National Guard). Located at Harrisbur= g IAP, Pennsylvania. EC-130E. Contains 123rd Special Tactics Flight (St= andiford Field, Kentucky), 107th Air Weather Flight (Selfridge ANGB, Mich= igan), 146th AWF (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 181st AWF (Dallas, Texas) 919th Special Operations Wing (Air Force Reserve). Located at Duke Field= , Florida. MC-130 E/P. Contains 711th SOS (MC-130 E) and 5th SOS (MC-13= 0 P). 720th Special Tactics Group. Located at Hurlburt Field Florida. Contains= the 10th Combat Weather Squadron, 21st Special Tactics Squadron (Pope AF= B, North Carolina), 22nd Special Tactics Squadron (McChord AFB, Washingto= n), 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, 24th Special Tactics Squadron (Pope AF= B, North Carolina) USAF Special Operations School. Located at Hurlburt Field, Florida. 18th Flight Test Squadron. Located at Hurlburt Field, Florida. AFSOC Air Support Operations Squadron. Located at Fort Bragg, North Caro= lina. Total Aircraft: 8 AC-130H Spectre gunships 13 AC-130U Spooky gunships 36 MH-53J Pave Low helicopters 10 MH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters 8 MC-130E Combat Talon I 21 MC-130H Combat Talon II 5 EC-130E (PSYOP aircraft) 8 EC-130 Airborne Command, Control, and Communications 24 MC-130P Combat Shadow (Refueling) 2 UH-1N helicopters Mission: - -Provide infiltration/exfiltration for agents and special operations forc= es. - -Provide resupply to forces in the field - -Provide aerial fire support/fire support control for special operations = forces - -Other special operations (PSYOPS support, BLU-82 operations, etc.) Combat Controller Teams Organization: Organized into the same units as Pararescue below. Additional members ar= e tasked to various special operations units to provide coordination. Me= mbers may be further tasked to deployed teams to provide on the ground as= sistance. Training: Combat Control/Pararescue Selection- Lackland AFB, Texas (12 Weeks) Special Forces Combat Diver- Key West Naval Air Station, Florida (5 Weeks= ) US Army Basic Airborne- Fort Benning, Georgia (3 Weeks) US Army Basic Military Freefall (HALO)- Fort Bragg, North Carolina (4 Wee= ks) US Air Force Combat Survival- Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington (3 Wee= ks) US Air Force Air Traffic Control- Kessler Air Force Base, Mississippi (10= Weeks) Combat Control- Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina (12 Weeks) Mission: - -Provide forward Air Traffic Control Zones in combat areas (Drop Zones, L= anding Zones, Extraction Zones, Recovery Zones) - -Provide ground based fire control for AC-130 operations - -Command and control, surveying capabilities, limited weather observation= s, demolitions to clear obstructions - -Scarlet Beret Para-Rescue Organization: Active- 720th Special Tactics Group. Located at Hurlburt Field, Florida 21st Special Tactics Squadron. Located at Pope AFB, North Carolina 22nd Special Tactics Squadron. Located at McChord AFB, Washington 23rd Special Tactics Squadron. Located at Hurlburt Field, Florida 24th Special Tactics Squadron. Located at Pope AFB, North Carolina 320th Special Tactics Squadron. Located at Kadena AFB, Okinawa, Japan. 321st Special Tactics Squadron. Located at RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdo= m. 41st Rescue Squadron. Located at Moody AFB, Georgia. 66th Rescue Squadron. Located at Nellis AFB, Nevada. Kirtland AFB Detachment, New Mexico Lackland AFB Detachment, Texas 56th Rescue Squadron. Located at Keflavik Naval Air Station, Iceland. Kadena AFB Detachment, Okinawa, Japan Guard/Reserve- 106th Rescue Wing. Located at Suffolk County, New York. Moffett Field Detachment, California. Portland IAP Detachment, Oregon. 301st Rescue Wing. Located at Patrick AFB, Florida. 210th Rescue Wing. Located at Kulis ANGB, Alaska. 305th Rescue Wing. Located at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. Training: Combat Control/Pararescue Selection- Lackland AFB, Texas (12 Weeks) Special Forces Combat Diver- Key West Naval Air Station, Florida (5 Weeks= ) US Army Basic Airborne- Fort Benning, Georgia (3 Weeks) US Army Basic Military Freefall (HALO)- Fort Bragg, North Carolina (4 Wee= ks) US Air Force Combat Survival- Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington (3 Wee= ks) Special Operations Combat Medic Course- Fort Bragg, North Carolina (22 We= eks) Pararescue Recovery Specialist Course- Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexic= o (20 Weeks) Mission: - -Search and Rescue (SAR) - -Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) - -Recovery support for NASA - -Other limited operations as applicable - -Maroon Beret Special Operations Meteorologists Organization: AFSOC Units: 10th Combat Weather Squadron HQ- Located at Hurlburt Field, Florida Detachment 1- Located at Fort Lewis, Washington. Supports 1st Special Fo= rces Group. Detachment 2- Located at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Supports 5th Special F= orces Group and 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Detachment 3- Located at Fort Carson, Colorado. Supports 10th Special Fo= rces Group. Detachment 4- Located at Fort Benning, Georgia. Supports 75th Ranger Reg= iment, 2nd & 3rd Ranger Battalion. Detachment 5- Located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Supports 3rd Specia= l Forces Group, 7th Special Forces Group. OL-A,(Operating Location-Alpha) 10CWS- Located at Fort Bragg, North Carol= ina. Located at Hunter Army AirField, Georgia. Supports 1st Ranger Batt= alion. OL-A, 321st Special Tactics Squadron- Located at Panzer Kaserne, Germany.= Supports 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group. OL-A, 320th Special Tactics Squadron- Located at Torii Station, Japan. S= upports 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group. 720th Special Tactics Squadron- Located at Hurlburt Field, Florida. Staf= f position. ACC Units: 18th Air Support Operations Squadron- Located at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.= Supports 101st Airborne Division 18th Weather Squadron- Located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Supports X= VIII Airborne Corps, 82nd Airborne Division, 18th Aviation Brigade. Training: Air Force Forecasting Training Jump School Limited tactical training Mission: - -Provide meteorological and oceanographic information in/for special oper= ations theaters, including tactical infiltration, forecasting, working wi= th host nations personnel, mission tailoring and data collection/analysis= . - -Operate in either forward bases or behind enemy lines. - -Grey beret. THE MISSIONS: Counterproliferation: Seize, recover, disable, render ineffective or dest= roy weapons of mass destruction. Counterterrorism: Provide counterterrorist and antiterrorist capabilities= to detect, deter and/or respond to terrorist threats. Foreign Internal Defense: Work with host nations to assist in organizing = and training military forces. Work in an advisory/assistance role. Special Reconnaissance: Deep surveillance/reconnaissance missions well be= hind enemy lines or into denied areas. Direct Action: Short-duration raids, strikes, attacks, etc. to capture/re= cover/damage/destroy enemy personnel, material or sites. Psychological Operations: Weaken enemy resolve to continue operations and= weaken morale or induce/reinforce friendly attitudes/morale Civil Affairs: assist/advise friendly host nations on maintaining infrast= ructure (repair roads, dig wells, train police, etc.) and assist commande= rs in establishing/maintaining relations in combat zones. Unconventional Warfare: Organize, train and assist guerrilla forces Information Operations: Attacks on enemy information-systems and defense = of friendly ones Coalition Support: Assist multinational operating forces, coordinate betw= een national forces and aid in communications, operations and training. Humanitarian Assistance: Assist relief organizations in providing aid in = natural or man-made disasters and war zones. Security Assistance: Assist in training, development, etc. in DoD securit= y programs and training Combat Search and Rescue: Penetrate combat zones/air defense networks to = rescue pilots and deny downed technology to enemies. Humanitarian Demining Operations: provide training to host nations in red= ucing or eliminating threats posed to noncombatants by mines/explosive de= vices. Counterdrug Activities: Assist or train host nation's counterdrug forces = to monitor and counter drug trafficking. Special Activities: Conduct actions abroad in support of national policy = that keeps the role of the US secret. Peace operations: Assist peacekeeping operations and forces. Some Observations: =09One of the things that many will ask is who is the best. The answer i= s-none of them is "the best." Every member of one of these units, both i= n America and around the world is a professional. They receive training = and gain experience that makes each one very special. In terms of being = the best, this is like measuring sports teams. Armchair generals will sc= ream for their "home teams" based on pride (and many times misconceptions= from too many movies/books). With any success, they will point and shou= t about their team. With any defeat, many will scream that the unit is b= roken and needs major fixing. =09Talk to almost anyone that is truly within the community. Most have s= erved alongside members of the other units and have the highest respect f= or them. I've talked to SEALS and Force Recon men who have nothing but p= raise for the other. I've talked to SF men who thank god for their AF an= d SOAR comrades. It is usually the want-to-be who engage in this best th= ing. =09Also, the training that each member undergoes is very similar. A Forc= e Recon member will have many of the same skills as SEALs or SF. After a= FR member has been through Marine Basic Training, School of Infantry, an= d Recon School, there will be next to no difference between him and a SEA= L or so on. As anyone of these men advances through his career, they wil= l undergo further training and experience that will refine them. With cr= oss-training between units and schools, many will serve together and grow= . The lines will blur. Who would be better-a USAF Pararescue or SF medi= cal NCO? They both receive almost identical training and the Pararescue = probably will get more real-world experience in his field dealing with mo= re mundane ops such as aircraft crashes. Who would be better-a Marine NC= O with 20 years under his belt, several real world deployments/actions, a= nd a host of schools under his belt but never deployed with a specops uni= t or a 20 year old Ranger with a few months in his unit, with training bu= t little experience? How would any of these units do their jobs properly= without USAF, SOAR, SDV and so on? =09Even looking at training provides little true insight despite surface = appearances. Looking at SEAL training, 26 weeks of intensive "fun" for e= xample, doesn't show the real picture. Other training may seem shorter, = so it must be lesser, right? Wrong. Units in the USMC and Army already = have much of the basic skills taught to them that SEALs have to learn. I= n Rangers, SF and Recon, for example, they have already learned weapons h= andling, land navigation, tactics, and so on. The Navy men going into SE= ALs have to learn this and more. All these units have very tough selecti= on and training, with none being truly better than any other. =09Looking at missions doesn't provide the answer either. Most of these = units have specializations that they are very good at. But years of misu= se and misunderstanding, coupled with changing world roles, have caused m= ost units to learn the skills used by the others. Force Recon has been c= onstantly misused to the point that it just developed and accepted missio= ns beyond its recon role. There are SF teams that are SCUBA qualified th= at are easily the equal of a SEAL diver. There are SEALs that are easily= the equal of SF members when it comes to guerrilla warfare. It goes on = and on. Even a failure in mission doesn't paint a picture of a lesser un= it. When the SEALs failed at Paitilla Air Field in Panama, while attempt= ing a large unit operation to take the area, it really doesn't say the un= it was bad. Bad luck, misuse and a mission that they were not really tra= ined to do is what hurt the operation, not a lack of individual skill or = daring. The SEALs attempted a Ranger type op that was never part of thei= r bag of tricks before. The mission may have failed but lessons were lea= rned and the force as a whole grew. =09Even overseas, the distinctions are blurred. A third world nation's s= pecops might not have the money or fancy equipment others have. Still, w= hen you get them in their backyard, they have many advantages to offset t= hat. =09Traditionally, the SAS was considered (and still is considered by many= ) to be the best. At one time, when others specops were in their infancy= , this had merit. With the degree of training, cross-training and experi= ence, this is not the case. Just like the reasons listed above, the curr= ent force is the equal of any other, neither better nor worse than their = brothers are. =09To be honest, many civilians could receive the exact same training, if= they want to pursue it (and have the money). Parachuting and SCUBA are = available. Firearms and fieldcraft schools exist. What really matters i= n training, is the intensive training that is carried out under brutal co= nditions. This crams a lot of info into a small package in a short perio= d of time and allows deployment. It is not so much the training that is = special, but the men. It is really a mixing of apples and oranges in many cases, and purely aca= demic rambling to decide who is best. These are special men with special= training and missions. They are all fantastic warriors in their own sen= se. Another general note, for role-playing, is the general attitude produced = within these units. These are broad generalizations, not applicable to e= very member if the unit. SEALs tend to be the most elitist of the specops. They tend to be the mo= st clannish and aloof. Marine Recon and the USAF Ground elements (Pararescue, etc.) tend to be t= he most approachable. In FR, this tends to be because their belonging to= Recon is played down. The USMC has always sort of had a love-hate relat= ionship with the "elite within an elite." Most FR Marines play up the fa= ct that they are Marines first, with a special job to do. In the USAF, t= his trend seems to be because of the non-specops side of their work. The= se men do jobs every day that don't involve specops and it seems to dilut= e their elitism (not their skills, their attitudes). Rangers hold a special pride in their unit and its history/tradition/disc= ipline. This manifests itself in different ways for different men. They= are all professional and carry themselves as such, sometimes clannish an= d proud, sometimes not. SF has had an up and down history. Each member considers themselves elit= e and professional. Being in the limelight the most has softened their a= ccessibility. While still clannish, they have been trained to deal with = people and have faced much public interest or scrutiny. This manifests a= s sort of limited trust/mistrust way of dealing with outsiders. SpecOps pilots tend to have the same attitude as fighter jocks. They are= "the best of the best top gun types." They have a sort of controlled re= cklessness that shows through. As I have said, these are very broad generalizations. There are quiet SE= ALs and brash SFers. I have included the above for a general way of port= raying members for role-playing. With the exception of certain elements of Delta, remember that SpecOps tr= oops are NOT intelligence agents. They may gather battlefield intelligen= ce but they are not trained for undercover intel ops. Sometimes, they ar= e misused, however... Forget the lone wolves you see in the movies. SpecOps troops are trained= to operate as part of a team. You will almost never see one deployed al= one for anything. They will usually have at least one other trooper with= them for any mission. SpecOps troopers are almost never betrayed and left behind as shown in th= e movies. The only time this will happen is when they are operating in a= Black Op in an area the US cannot send support. The team will be aware = of this fact ahead of time, however. Many areas of the world have been rumored to have been the target of spec= ial recon missions by these units. The other side of the Iron Curtain (w= hen it existed), the Soviet Union, North Korea, Cuba, areas of the Middle= East and so on are supposed to have been the target of missions. While the practice has been discontinued, select older members of Army Sp= ecial Forces and Navy SEALs have received training in the use of ADMs (At= omic Demolition Munitions-"Backpack nukes"). Older characters could have= skills/experiences to reflect this. Delta, also, probably has specially= trained teams to help deal with these munitions. SpecOps members make great additions to DG. Forget what you saw in the m= ovies or read in action books. These men (women are allowed only into De= lta and some have gone through SF but only to be trainers then, not opera= tors) have great amounts of mental stability (high SAN). That is a prere= quisite. They are highly skilled and their abilities have been enhanced.= Members of these units have intelligence and academic skills to rival t= heir civilian counterparts. Many hold degrees and advanced degrees. The= amount of planning and research that goes into their operations hones th= eir research capabilities. They have access to equipment, resources, and= contacts to enhance their personal network and DG as a whole. Small tea= ms can be put together on a relatively permanent basis to support DG. Th= ese units can be formed with an exterior mission, such as Marchinko's Red= Cell, while really serving as a research team or strike force. Revised Templates: NOTE: The number in parenthesis is the minimum a member of that unit must= have in that skill. If you want to run with the big boys, well, you got= to pay the cost... =09Also, characters should have Attributes of at least 12 or above. Cust= omizing of these templates should occur to take into account a PC's backg= round, other military training and experiences. These Templates only ref= lect the Unit in questions training program Ranger- Demolitions (25), Hide (30), Navigation/Land (50), Parachuting (25), Spot= Hidden (50), Special Operations, Rifle (40), Machine Gun, Electronics (2= 5-Commo Gear), Sneak Special Forces- Bargain, Demolitions (25), Navigation/Land (50), Parachuting (25), Specia= l Operations, Other Language (25), Fast Talk, Persuade, plus the followin= g based on specialty: Officer- add Military Science (50) Intelligence/operations- add Intelligence, Intelligence Analysis, Photogr= aphy Weapons- all Firearms Skills must be at 30+ and add mechanical repair (40= ) Communications- add Cryptography, Electronics (40), Mechanical Repair, El= ectrical Repair (30) Engineer- increase Demolitions to (40), Architecture, Carpentry, Mechanic= al Repair Medical- add First Aid (60), Medicine (35), Surgery (20), Pharmacy SFOD-Delta Operator- Demolitions (30), Disguise, Drive Auto, Electronics, Parachuting (50), SC= UBA (25), Special Operations, Sneak, Spot Hidden, Navigation/Land (60), H= ide plus Rifle/Submachine Gun (60), Pistol (50), Shotgun (50) Security Force Guard- Spot Hidden, Special Operations, Rifle (30), Shotgun (45), Pistol (45), M= echanical Repair FAST Trooper- Same as Security Force Guard above plus Submachine Gun (45) Recon Marine- Parachuting (25), SCUBA (25), Cartography, Spot Hidden (50), Navigation/L= and (40), Boating (25), Demolitions (25), Hide (40), Sneak (40), Special = Operations, Photography, Swim (40) Force Recon- ANGLICO- Use Force Recon above plus Electronics (30) Scout/Sniper- Special Operations, Hide (50), Sneak (50), Spot Hidden (50), Track, Rifle= (60) SEAL Boating (25), Cartography, Hide, Sneak, Spot Hidden, Parachuting (25), SC= UBA (40), Special Operations, Navigation/Land (35), Navigation/Sea, Air (= 35), Swim (45) CCT- Parachuting (25), SCUBA (25), Special Operations, Navigation/Land, Naviga= tion/Sea, Air (30), Swim (30), Climb, Spot Hidden, Electronics (30), Elec= trical Repair, Mechanical Repair Pararescue- Use CCT above, replacing Electronics, Electrical Repair and Mechanical Re= pair with First Aid (60), Medicine (35), Surgery (20) and Pharmacy SO Meteorologist- Use CCT above and add Art-Meteorology (45) SOAR Pilot Use Template in DG book (Pilot Helicopter-50) USAF SOC Pilot- Use Template in DG book (Pilot Aircraft-50) New Skills/Mechanics Special Operations (Base-Special) =09This "Skill" is a special case. It is bought at a fixed cost of 50 Po= ints. It represents the collection of Special Ops Skills that are not al= ready covered but would be a waste of space to break down into individual= skills. The character with this skill is allowed either a Know/Idea rol= l to represent this specialized training or can use it as a Specialized S= ub-skill of another existing skill. Some common uses and mechanics follo= w: Rappelling- Can use Climb normally to represent. Fast Rope- Can use Climb normally to represent. Knowledge of proper tactical responses (properly planning raids, ambushes= , etc.)- Can use Know roll (This does not mean that the action itself is = successful, that should be played out. It only allows the character to k= now the proper action for his character to take) Survival Skills- can use Know Roll Area/Cultural/Military knowledge of a Foreign operating area- Allows a Kn= ow roll (keepers may wish to limit this to the unit's area specialty) Forward Observing- Allows a Know Roll to call in Artillery support. An a= dditional Luck roll for it to hit on the Target (Deviate the miss by how = much the roll is Failed, a 99-00 represents a "short round on/near the te= am) Forward Aerial Observing- As Forward observing above but deals with Aircr= aft. =09This list is by no means exclusive. The skill can be used for any suc= h situation that arises. Intelligence (Base-Special) =09As Special Operations above, this skill is bought for 50 Points and re= presents specialized training and knowledge of Intelligence Gathering and= Intelligence operations. Intelligence Analysis (Base-0%) =09This Skill allows a character to analyze various incoming intelligence= sources and draw a coherent idea of the big picture. If successful, the= roll will give the character as much information about the situation as = allowed. The information may be lessened if sources are inaccurate or in= complete coming in (keeper's choice). Also, the information will only be= as good as the amount received. Simple satellite pictures might show mi= litary movements or new constructions. Their purpose could then be deter= mined but not what the intent of the owner's is. Add in reports from age= nts and informants and the potential analysis grows. Failure indicates f= lawed information of some variety. The Keeper has the final say concerni= ng the amount and quality of information. Skill Proficiency- The following Skills should be considered at 25% to have a basic proficie= ncy. If used in their normal state, a Skill roll is not made. Instead, = make a Luck roll. If the Luck roll is successful, the skill is successfu= l. If the Roll is failed, the Skill fails in some way. A roll of 99-00%= represents a catastrophic failure. For example, the PC has a 25% in Dem= olitions. Using the skill to place a standard package of assortment of e= xplosives to destroy something, it would be a Luck roll. If failed, the = charge may fail to blow, delay its explosion or so on. A 99-00 might rep= resent it going off in the character's hand. The Skill list is as follows: Boating Demolitions Parachuting (every additional 20 Points placed into the Skill will allow = an additional specialty: HALO, LALO, HAHO) SCUBA =09This rule only applies to standard operating use of the skill in quest= ion. The use of more advanced methods will require a skill roll. Advers= e conditions might also require a Skill roll. Examples would include: Boating in a heavy storm, HALO jumps, underwater demolitions, specialized= SCUBA suits, and so on. Friction: =09A final rule I use is Friction. Simply put, Friction is the fancy, mi= litary term for Murphy's Law. Before a mission, make a Luck roll versus = the Luck of the lowest member of the team. If failed, something will go = wrong on the mission. Some possibilities include: Faulty intelligence (empty or stronger than expected) Loss of supplies during infiltration (lost during jump or swamped boat, e= tc.) Communications (or some other important piece of equipment) failure Unexpected premature enemy contact =09Well, that is all for now. If anyone is interested, I can prepare add= itional posts in the following subjects: OSS History, Organization, Training Special Operations Training (in depth) Special Operations Tradecraft Special Operations History Special Operations Terminology/Lingo/Slang Related Special Ops Topics =09So if anyone is interested in the above let me know. They would take = a little while, but if the interest is there, I'll get to work. Thanks, Dave K. - --part0_922853011_boundary-- ------------------------------ End of deltagreen-digest V1 #380 ********************************