posted on Jan, 18 2006 @ 12:19 AM
Sorry if this has already been posted, I didn't look at all the pages of the thread.
The 1st Special Forces Opertional Detatchment - Delta, or commonly reffered to as Delta Force, is a highly specialized and highly motivated group of
soldiers. It is the U.S. Army's unit specifically charged with combatting terrorism. The size is fairly small by military standards. Last I knew
it consisted by 3 squadrons, a,b, and c. It was created on November 19, 1977 by Col. Charlie A. Beckwith after training with the British SAS and
seeing the need of type a unit to combat the rise of terrorism. The selection course consists of psychological tests, obstacle courses, swims, and
the notorios 40 miler. There is a 7% passing rate of the selection course. They get most of their recruits from either the Army Rangers, Green
Berets, or other sections of the Army. They recruit twice a year and sometimes pick selected individuals based on their specialties. After the
selection course begins the 6 month training program where they are chosen to be part of team 1 (assault group) or team 2 (sniper group). They train
with demolitions, close quarter combat, hand to hand fighting, marksmanship, hostage rescue, and room clearing, counter terrorism. They excell at
freefall parachuting and amphibious landing techniques.
They provide bodyguard services for senoir military personnel. In addition, Reconaissance and target spotting in support of air strikes and
laser-guided missiles have become a major function for delta.
Their headquarters is located in a remoted section of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It contains numerous shooting facilities (both for close quarter
battle and long range sniping), an olympic-size swimming pool, dive tank, three-story climbing wall, and CQB shooting house. The nickname of the CQB
killing house is "the house of horros". It is designed to teach teams and individuals how to assault buildings that have been captured by
terrorists. Each operator has to act as the hostage in live fire room clearing excercises. The rest of the facility contains mock ups of trains and
buses for tubular assaults, and there is reported to be a section of a wide-body jet in the units of the "aircraft room."
They are considered to be the best trained and best equipped counter-terrorist unit in the world. Delta maintains close links with the 160th Special
Operation Aviation Regiment for full helicopter support. Delta Force engages in frequent personnel exchanges with the British SAS and other special
forces teams of other U.S. allies.
In 1979 they worked with the FBI at the Pan American Games in Peurto Rico as part of an anti-terrorist team set up to anticipate possible terroris
activity at the event.
1980- Deployed to Iran to rescue American hostages who were being held by Iranian fundamentalists in Tehran.
1983- Participated in Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada including the air assault of Richmond Hill Prison to free hostages, as well as assisting in the
seizure of a key airfield.
1984- Deployed in Middle East in response to the hijacking of a Kuwait Airlines airliner, during which 2 Americans were killed.
1985- Again deployed in response to a hijacking, this time to Cyprus in anticipation of an assault on a TWA airliner.
1987- Sent to Greece to secure U.S. Army Col. James "Nick" Rowe in response to reports that Vietnamese communist agents were planning an action
against him.
1989- Successfully rescued an imprisoned U.S. citizen during the opening minutes of Operation Just Cause in Panama and participated in the widespread
search for Gen. Manuel Noriega and his advisors.
1991- deployed to Gulf to serve as bodyguards for senoir U.S. officers and later as part of a massive effort to locate and destroy mobile SCUD missile
launchers in Iraq's northern desert.
1993- As part of Task Force Ranger, took part in numerous operations to apprehend warlord Muhammad Farah Aidid in Mogadishu, Somalia. Gary Gordon and
Randy Shugart received the medal of honor for trying to protect the crew of the downed Blackhawk helicopter Super Six Four.
1995- Deployed to Bosnia as part of an interational effort to locate Serbian war criminals.
1997- Small advanced team sent to Lima, Peru immediatly following the takeover of the Japanese Ambassadors residence in January 1997 along with six
members of the British SAS.
1999- Deployed to Kosovo in support of U.S. forces operating against the Federal Republic of Yugoslovia.
2001- Following events of September 11, Delta is deployed to Afghanistan in search of Al Qaeda forces, in particular their leader Osama Bin Laden.
2002- Operation Anacondas.
They have been involved in numerous other operations including Operation Iraqi Freedom and the situation in Haiti in 1993.
I hope this answers some questions and if there are anymore feel free to ask and i'll do my best to answer.