History of creation
In the early 60s, the command of the American "green berets" concluded an agreement with the British SAS on the mutual exchange of people. In accordance with it, each of the parties had to send one officer and one sergeant for an internship for a year. The first American to go to England was the commander of the 7th group of "green berets" Colonel Edwards, the next year Captain Charles Beckwith went there. In July 1962, he arrived at the 22nd SAS regiment, where he experienced on himself the entire complex system of selection and training of personnel, developed by the British 21 years ago and improved in the subsequent period.
The first discovery he made was this: the right to wear a beret with the CAC emblem must be earned by shedding a lot of sweat and blood. Suffice it to say that verification tests are divided into five stages and take six months. Beckwith appreciated the SAS rule - never let go of a weapon. The gun belt was canceled here back in 1948 to eliminate the temptation to hang a machine gun on the shoulder …
Returning from England in 1963, Beckwith began to convince his leadership of the need to create a special unit similar to the SAS. His initiative was supported by the head of the instructor department at Fort Benning, an American of Georgian origin George Shalikashvili
Beckwith's proposal developed in two ways. First, a small detachment (40 people) was created from among the former rangers and "green berets", which received the code name "Blue Light". His only goal was the fight against terrorists in the United States. Secondly, the stubborn captain was sent in June 1965 to the war in Vietnam. There he was allowed to form a detachment on the basis of the 5th group of special forces, modeled on the SAS.
The goal is to conduct deep reconnaissance and raids on territories controlled by partisans, check the results of bombing strikes by aircraft, search for the corpses of dead American pilots, and release prisoners.
Beckwith led the B-52 squad, codenamed Delta. But when he announced his requirements for personnel, only seven of the 30 fighters allocated to him decided to stay. Then he sent his announcement to 90 divisions of American special forces: "Volunteers are required for the Delta Detachment, a medal or a coffin is guaranteed, perhaps both at the same time." As a result, he managed to recruit 40 people, whom he divided into links of four people each. However, he did not have to fight for a long time. In May 1966, he was wounded in the stomach.
After being cured, Beckwith trained the rangers at Fort Benning. Then he went to Vietnam again. There he fell three times in downed helicopters, but survived. On November 21, 1970, he took part in a large-scale operation to free 350 American prisoners from the Son Tai camp near Hanoi. Having landed from five helicopters, 60 "green berets" killed over 60 Vietnamese in 27 minutes, but there were no prisoners in the camp. In 1973, Beckwith was sent to Thailand to the so-called Loss Analysis Center. There he led special forces groups that were sent to free the Americans who were captured by the partisans or who were in camps on the territory of the DRV and Laos. In 1974, Beckwith was promoted to colonel and head of the Fort Bragg instructor department. However, three more years passed before the Pentagon leadership decided to implement the "Delta Project".
In this regard, Colonel Charles Beckwith had to defend several fundamental theses in a sharp polemic with the highest army ranks. First, he argued, terrorists should not be fought by conscripts, but professional volunteers who have been on contract service for a long time. Second, they must be ready for action around the world, since the strategic interests of the United States are threatened not so much by internal as by external factors. Therefore, thirdly, they must be able to operate in territory controlled by hostile forces, in the same way as army reconnaissance and sabotage units, thrown into the deep rear of the enemy, operate. Actually, the training of such professionals should be carried out according to a universal principle. Hence the fourth thesis: it is necessary to take as a basis the experience of the organization and actions of the British SAS, and not their own rangers or "green berets".
On June 2, 1977, the Pentagon hosted a meeting of the top US military leadership on the Delta project, at which the organizational and staffing schedule of the special squad was approved, the list of property and weapons was approved, the name was given: "The first operational unit of the US special forces", and the code designation - Delta Force. However, the birthday of the detachment is a different date - November 19, 1977. By this day, it was possible to complete the formation of the first group of fighters in the amount of 30 people.
It turned out that it was difficult to select the right people, although there were quite a few willing ones - 150 volunteers on the first list of candidates. Almost all of them passed Vietnam as part of the special forces, however, Beckwith's requirements were able to satisfy only 20%. The second qualifying course took place in January 1978. This time, out of 60 applicants, only 5 people successfully passed all the tests. It was necessary for Beckwith and two other officers who fought with him in Vietnam to go around all America in search of suitable guys. They also visited Europe, in the 10th special forces group, which was commanded by a supporter of Beckwith's ideas, American Georgian George Shalikashvili. At first, Beckwith believed that it would take about a year and a half to recruit the squad with people and their initial training. It actually took almost three years.
The group's "baptism of fire" took place in the early 1980s, an operation codenamed "Eagle Claw." 50 people. The group was given the task of freeing the hostages. Due to the extreme complexity of the task and unfortunate coincidence of circumstances (helicopter crash, detection of the detachment by local residents) Beckwith decided to stop the operation. It was a failure, however, at least managed to avoid losses of personnel In the future, "Delta" managed to rehabilitate itself, repeatedly proving its high fighting qualities. Unfortunately, Beckwith himself was not given such a chance - because of the international scandal that arose, he was early retired.
Selection of candidates and combat training
The basis of the system for the selection, assessment and training of Delta personnel was the CAC program. However, over the 18 years of the detachment's existence, it has undergone a number of changes. Now this system looks like this.
- Firstly, each candidate must meet certain formal requirements.
- Secondly, he needs to pass a special preliminary qualifying course.
- Thirdly, it is necessary to get the go-ahead from psychologists and experienced commanders-practitioners.
- Fourth, it is required to successfully complete a 19-week basic training course.
The formal requirements are as follows: only volunteers with US citizenship, at least 22 years old and not older than 35, with at least 4 years of service in the American armed forces and the rank of sergeant, have excellent health and a normal psyche, who are less than 110 points on the general aptitude test. Officers must have the rank of captain or major, a college degree (i.e., a Bachelor of Arts or Science degree), and at least one year of successful military command. In addition, all volunteers undergo a secret security check and admission to secret work. Persons who have had disciplinary penalties in military service are not accepted into the American special forces. Moreover, the road there is closed to those who broke the law. And two more important requirements: volunteers must have experience in skydiving, as well as highly qualified in two military specialties.
The preliminary qualifying course consists of a test in general physical fitness and a march on rough terrain with orientation using a map and compass.
The RP test includes six tests:
push-ups on the hands in the lying position - forty times in one minute;
squats - forty times in one minute;
cross-country run for two miles (3.2 km) in no more than 16 minutes;
crawling on the back 20 meters feet forward, then 20 meters head first, while keeping within 25 seconds;
running 48 feet (14.6 meters) in 24 seconds, not in a straight line, but overcoming wooden gates set in zigzags and jumping over ditches 5 feet (1.52 meters) wide;
swimming in clothes and army boots for 100 meters excluding time.
Candidates perform march with backpacks weighing 40 to 50 pounds (18-22, 7 kg) and a rifle in their hands. Their path lies through hills, forests and rivers, and the distance of this path varies between 18 and 40 miles (29-64 km). On the road, every 8-12 km there are control points where they must go out and where the observers sit. To successfully overcome this test, you must withstand an average speed of at least 4 km per hour and be well oriented in unfamiliar terrain. Not everyone succeeds in both, the elimination rate reaches 50% of the total number of those who start at the start.
A huge number of psychological tests and interviews help determine whether the candidate will be able to combine the opposite qualities. The candidate is bombarded with a flurry of various questions, then his answers and reactions are carefully studied, and the properties of his personality are determined. It is necessary that he possesses iron restraint and … aggressive insolence; could act in strict accordance with the order and … independently made responsible decisions; unquestioningly obeyed the commanders and … confidently led others; was not devoid of compassion and … was able to kill without the slightest hesitation; constantly expanded the boundaries of his physical and mental capabilities and … did not consider himself a superman. Experience has shown that, to a greater extent, such complex requirements are satisfied by people with a certain type of character - passive-aggressive. But only if they are guided by some idea of a higher plan - the idea of serving the Fatherland, law, justice, God, etc.
After testing and interviewing, the candidate is awarded a three-year contract. After this period, the contract can be renewed if the service was successful. However, otherwise, you have to say goodbye to her long before the end of the three-year period.
To successfully solve the assigned tasks, the Delta fighters must be snipers and demolition parachutists and rock climbers, radio operators and drivers, trackers and translators, scuba divers and doctors. They must act equally energetically day and night, in the mountains and on the seashore, in urban areas and in the forest, be able to penetrate buildings and aircraft, feel free in civilian clothes and in the uniform of a foreign army or police.
Therefore, immediately after the recruits are enrolled in the detachment, their training begins, consisting of two parts: a six-month initial course, the purpose of which is to improve individual combat skills and the main course, during which actions are practiced as part of the unit. In the course of it, recruits learn methods of fighting terrorists and partisans, the tactics of assault, airmobile and airborne operations. The program also includes fire training, mine explosives, hand-to-hand combat, the study of modern observation and communication devices, high-speed driving of vehicles (including tanks, helicopters and light aircraft), rock climbing, medical training.
Both during and after this course, the closest attention is paid to firepower training. It is allocated five days a week. The shooting regulations are very strict. For example, a rifle requires a bull's eye (target center) to be hit with one shot from 100 yards (91.4 meters) and no more than three shots from 600 yards (548.6 meters). With a Remington sniper rifle with a 12x telescopic sight, a maximum of one miss is allowed when performing an exercise on a height target at a distance of 1000 yards (914.4 meters).
Throughout their further service, the Delta personnel continue to improve their professional skills. Combat training sessions include parachute jumping, operations to free hostages in buildings, airplanes, carriages, shooting in the so-called "house of horrors" (a special training complex equipped with original simulators), marches with orientation on the ground, landing from helicopters, rock climbing and more. The fighters of the group regularly go on training to the anti-terrorist units of the states friendly to the USA - Germany, Great Britain, Israel. Often they participate in special forces competitions at home and abroad.
All this makes it possible to expand experience and maintain a high readiness for action in a real combat situation.
Delta cooperates with foreign military associations such as the Australian SAS, the British SAS, the Canadian JTF-2, the French GIGN, the German GSG9, the Israeli SM, often their training is combined with the training of other American counter-terrorist entities, such as the HRT FBI and DEVGRU, known as Navy SEAL Team Six (the team is disbanded and the SEAL Team Six employees are currently at the disposal of USSOCOM).
Delta operatives pay great attention to fire training and spend 8 hours a day at specially equipped shooting ranges. Delta soldiers hone their shooting skills from all positions to perfection.
The former Delta operator said: “We have reached perfection. Every time we shot, we tried to hit straight into the black mark, but then the progress of shooting began to decline, then we needed to study the intricacies of mechanics and ballistics of shooting. Soon we could hit a hair.” Members of the Delta unit first learn to shoot at short distances, bringing it to perfection, then increase the distance and continue to work at the same pace. Over time, they learn to shoot exactly in the head while walking, and perfection comes when the operators, already in full running, shoot directly into the head of a moving target.
Unit structure and functions
The main location of the "Delta" is Fort Bragg (North Carolina). There are headquarters, a training center, living quarters for personnel, warehouses, and a technical park. The total area is approximately 4 hectares. The pride of the group is the avenue of roses, which is looked after with the care inherent in a rare professional gardener. For a number of special training, other training centers can also be used, for example, Fort Greely in Alaska (in the Far North), Fort Gulik in Panama (in the jungle).
The "Delta" fighters who directly conduct special operations are called operators. The command is trying to hide the personal composition of the detachment, as well as the belonging of a particular soldier to the detachment. On duty, they may even wear civilian clothes, beards, long hair, and so on. The military uniform does not bear signs identifying the soldier's belonging to the Delta Detachment.
Detachment "Delta" consists of the following parts:
D - headquarters;
E - intelligence, communications and administrative support. In particular, this includes:
- a special medical unit;
- operational intelligence (the so-called "Funny Platoon");
- an aviation squadron (12 helicopters);
- research department;
- preparation department.
F - directly operators.
Thus, the personnel of the "Delta" are divided into combat and auxiliary. The requirements for the auxiliary personnel are not as stringent as for the operational ones. The main thing here is to meet the formal requirements (especially in terms of admission to secret affairs and discipline) and be highly qualified in your specialty. The combat composition is three companies, each of which has 6 operational detachments of 16 people each. Operational detachments are the main combat units of the Delta group. Depending on the problem being solved, such a detachment can be divided into eights, fours and pairs. The total number of combat personnel is about 300 people.
According to official documents, the Delta group is intended for covert military operations outside the United States, in other countries. Among the tasks it solves are the following:
the release of hostages and captured US military personnel;
the fight against terrorists and partisans both in the city and in the countryside;
the capture or destruction of military and political leaders hostile to the United States;
seizure of secret documents, weapons, military and other secret equipment of interest to the American military and industrial leadership.
The unofficial commander of the US special forces, General Karl Steiner, says the following: “Ethnic conflicts, Islamic fundamentalism, nuclear proliferation, drug trafficking, coups d'etat, terrorism - these guys with their capabilities are the best suited to eliminate these and other threats. In general, they operate where there is still no war, but no longer peace. " He is echoed by Nade Livingston, an expert at Georgetown University: "Special Forces have always been the best way to avoid large-scale interstate conflicts."
Armament
The Delta fighters have a wide variety of rifles, machine guns, machine guns, grenade launchers, pistols, rockets, mines and land mines of American and foreign production. Among them there are also experimental samples made in the amount of only a few copies.
The main armament of the detachment is the 5, 56-mm automatic rifle M 110, 5, 56-mm carbine HK 416, Glock 17-18 pistol. However, when planning and conducting specific operations, the detachment's personnel are practically unlimited in the choice of the necessary weapons and special equipment, produced both in the United States and in other countries.
The arsenal of hand-to-hand combat is small - about three dozen of the most effective techniques. But although the fighters of "Delta" are able to kill several people with their bare hands in a matter of seconds, the ability to shoot accurately and quickly is valued much higher than any kind of martial arts.
Combat operations
As part of the US Special Forces, Delta carries out its combat operations around the globe. Many of them are classified. However, some are reported in open sources.
In 1983, Delta participated in the invasion of Grenada, an island in the Caribbean ruled by the anti-American regime of President Bishop. The fighters of the special group landed there two days before the landing of the main forces began. They captured all key targets, thereby ensuring a successful air and sea landing. However, due to a communication failure, they came under fire from their ships' guns and lost several people killed and wounded.
In 1989, the Panamanian dictator and drug business owner Manuel Noriega had the "pleasure" to meet her fighters. It was the Delta fighters who seized him at the residence of the papal nuncio, where he was hiding, preparing his escape from the country.
In El Salvador, they trained local commandos in anti-guerrilla warfare.
In Colombia, they search and find drug mafia bases disguised in the mountain jungle.
In 1991, they took part in Operation Desert Storm, where they hunted Iraqi Scud missiles.
In 1993, warlord Aidid was hunted in Somalia as part of Operation Gothic Serpent. This ultimately led to a bloody battle on October 3, known as Ranger Day. Delta has lost five operators, which is quite a lot for such a unit.
In 2001, its fighters hunted Taliban leaders as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
In 2003-2004, they took part in Operation Iraqi Freedom. They were preparing an invasion through reconnaissance and sabotage in Iraq, participated in the destruction of Saddam Hussein's sons Uday and Qusay in Mosul, and also managed to catch Saddam himself.
This list is far from complete. Even if we recall Delta's failures, hardly anyone would doubt that today it is a team of top-class professionals and an effective weapon of American foreign policy.
