is Rainbow Six real?

OK guys i don’t actually mean a unit that is called “rainbow six” rather a group like it. For those of you who don’t read or never play video games let me explain who “Rainbow six” are. “Rainbow six” is a multinational counterterrorist unit comprising of mostly Americans and British but there are few Germans, French as so on toughen into the mix. Whenever there is a terrorist attack on a country they send in Rainbow Six. I don’t mean like any of the coalition task forces that multiple SF units are involved in Iraq or Afghinstan i mean something more permanent stationed in a western state.

Now i know this has some problems of course a group like Rainbow Six could almost never exist firstly it might take them a who day to get to the scene of a terrorist attack and some would say that they may have too much power. I agree with these points, but please allow childish fantasy to continue. What about a counterterrorist group within NATO that SF units form the member states go out on secondments to, that might be possible. I concede this may not be the case I am on the fence so to speak

Any the point of this thread is to ask ATSters the following. Do any of you think a Rainbow Six unit could exist and your reasons for whatever side of the fence you fall on? Also please I really don’t want any macho types saying “when I was in **insert random military intelligence unit here**, unless you can give details and take criticism.



[edit on 9-7-2010 by kevinunknown]

[edit on 9-7-2010 by kevinunknown]

I don't know about an international counterterrorism unit, but there is the secretive Task Force 121:

In the December 15, 2003, issue of The New Yorker magazine, Seymour M. Hersh wrote about a "new Special Forces group, designated Task Force 121, [which] has been assembled from Army Delta Force members, Navy seals, and CIA paramilitary operatives, with many additional personnel ordered to report by January. Its highest priority is the neutralization of the Baathist insurgents, by capture or assassination."

"'The Bush Administration has authorized a major escalation of the Special Forces covert war in Iraq,' reported The New Yorker's Hersh, who said that the proposed operation, 'called preemptive manhunting by one Pentagon adviser,' and secretly assisted by the Israeli military, worries many U.S. officials who think that it has the potential to turn into another Phoenix Program.

"Hersh called the mission a 'policy victory' for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who, according to Knight Ridder military correspondent Joseph Galloway, wants to minimize the military's post-Vietnam dependence on the National Guard and Reserve, 'so it's easier to go to war.'" [2]

Julian Borger wrote in the December 9, 2003, Guardian Unlimited (UK) article "Israel trains US assassination squads in Iraq" that:

"'This is basically an assassination programme. That is what is being conceptualised here. This is a hunter-killer team,' said a former senior US intelligence official, who added that he feared the new tactics and enhanced cooperation with Israel would only inflame a volatile situation in the Middle East. ... 'It is bonkers, insane. Here we are - we're already being compared to Ariel Sharon in the Arab world, and we've just confirmed it by bringing in the Israelis and setting up assassination teams.'"

"The new counter-insurgency unit made up of elite troops being put together in the Pentagon is called Task Force 121 ... One of the planners behind the offensive is a highly controversial figure, whose role is likely to inflame Muslim opinion ..." Lieutenant General William G. Boykin ('Jerry').

Allegedly, Task Force 121 is run from the Fort Bragg-based Joint Special Operations Command...

"Right now, today, there was a story in the New York Times that if you read it carefully mentioned something known as the Joint Special Operations Command -- JSOC it’s called. It is a special wing of our special operations community that is set up independently. They do not report to anybody, except in the Bush-Cheney days, they reported directly to the Cheney office. They did not report to the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff or to Mr. [Robert] Gates, the secretary of defense. They reported directly to him. ...

"Congress has no oversight of it. It’s an executive assassination ring essentially, and it’s been going on and on and on. Just today in the Times there was a story that its leaders, a three star admiral named [William H.] McRaven, ordered a stop to it because there were so many collateral deaths.

"Under President Bush’s authority, they’ve been going into countries, not talking to the ambassador or the CIA station chief, and finding people on a list and executing them and leaving. That’s been going on, in the name of all of us.

"It’s complicated because the guys doing it are not murderers, and yet they are committing what we would normally call murder. It’s a very complicated issue. Because they are young men that went into the Special Forces. The Delta Forces you’ve heard about. Navy Seal teams. Highly specialized.

Investigative reporter Seymour Hersh describes 'executive assassination ring'

As for an international group, I doubt it. I imagine there are various treaties and international laws to circumvent, but I don't know for sure.

reply to post by Someone336


I did say in the OP I wasn’t talking about the varies Task Forces operation in Iraq and Afghanistan, I think you source has also exaggerated what it is TF121 does, but that is not something this thread is concerned with.

Come on guys not other takers. I have been doing some research and i can’t really find one.

reply to post by kevinunknown


Nothing like that really exists that I know of. There are joint special forces operations all the time. But no dedicated unit or task force that I'm aware of.

I think they could make units like that if they wanted to. But there really is no point complicating things with combining nationalities.

[edit on 7/9/2010 by minute2midnight]

reply to post by minute2midnight


Yeah i don’t think it does exist i was just speculating. Even if there was i doubt it would be made public. Also most states have their own CT capability, I just started reading the book again last night and it popped into my head.

reply to post by kevinunknown


Like I said, I think they could do it if they wanted to. But why? It makes for a cool story, but there's no point to it. All it would do make things more difficult.

Do you really need a demolitions expert from Germany and sniper from Spain? (I don't remember the characters, I haven't played the game in years) What good would that do?

reply to post by minute2midnight


Yeah I totally agree with you. The games are good but you should give the book a read its really good.

reply to post by kevinunknown


I like Clancy, but I just never got into any of his side projects. I haven't read any of his books that didn't have Jack Ryan, except Red Storm Rising.

Depends, on how you look at it.

There are a bunch of Rainbow six's, all over the place at any given time for one reason, to counter terrorists. Then, after the action, those teams may go back to their respective AO's. British, Canadian, Australian and American SF units, are working jointly together.

Perhaps not exactly like in the books, how they are all stationed together and such, but in the field ad hoc rainbow six's are formed, for the moment, perhaps a few follow on missions.

This thread reminded me of a recent activity, it is that time of the year and many "Miitary Exercises" have been conducted as of late. Related is one just last month.

Over 1,000 servicemen, more than 150 pieces of military hardware, L-39 combat trainers, An-2 military transport planes and Mi-8 helicopters from Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan took part in the Rubezh-2010 exercises, which started on April 22 at the Chorukh-Dairon training range.

"The exercises were a success. The units have accomplished all the set tasks," the official said.

The CSTO is a security grouping comprising the former Soviet republics of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.

Post-Soviet security bloc completes joint anti-terror drills

We know other nations have done the same thing, it is in the news. We know these forces have counter terror capabilities, and work with friendly to them nations. Yes, their are rainbow six type groups, but not as glamorised.

They are the covert types that are unpublicized, secret for a reason.

reply to post by kevinunknown


my favorite part of the book is when that centurion goes toe to toe with the terrorist in full roman relgalia i dont know if a brass or bronze sheild would realy stop a smg but the image i got when i read it was pretty cool

interesting post it wouldnt suprise me if something like this existed but i dobut we will ever find out if it exists least at this stage in the game

reply to post by ADVISOR


Hmmmm that quite interesting thanks. I really don’t think there is a Rainbow Six group in existence like i say i was just speculating. I know of quite a few instances were multinational SF units have worked to gather what i ma looking for is something permanent

Rainbow six vegas dude it's in

there is but I can't say anymore without jepordising myself and other active shooters.

I don’t suppose anyone would like to volunteer a serious answer, i know it is very unlikely but dose any ATSter know of any such group.

reply to post by kevinunknown


The NZSAS for instance cross trains with its British counterparts and American special forces for instance to ensure they are on the up keep . In return the NZSAS shares its world class knowledge of tracking . The Australian and New Zealand SAS is held in high regard overseas because they fulfill multiple roles that elsewhere are filled by different special forces groups . But to answer your question I would say no due to the problems associated with funding and other political problems such as personal being freed to serve in such a unit and when and where it would see action .

as a current member of rainbow six I'd say its very real except we are called RAINBOW and in fact we are NOT counter terrorism we do things like crime prevention, hostage rescue, and bomb desposal basically we go into situations where the SAS have problems getting in or getting hostages out. for example if there's a hostage situation the police get called in, if they deem it to risky they call in he SAS and if the SAS think the risk to life is to great they call in rainbow and rainbow get the job done know what i mean


the above link is one of our regimental logos the other one is above top secret so i can't show you

I don't know if there really is or not, but Clancy supposedly has some pretty deep contacts in the intelligence services,doesn't he? So it wouldn't surprised if it was based on an actual unit or something similar...

Very odd though...
If anyone has read Debt of Honor and Executive Orders by Tom Clancy...
His books have a funny way of mirroring the future.