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Precise, deadly and secret, special operations forces are in action in Afghanistan
By JOHN J. LUMPKIN WASHINGTON – If you think of the American war machine in Afghanistan as a chain saw, these soldiers are more like scalpels.
Their reputation springs from Vietnam, where President Kennedy authorized the Army's special forces to wear green berets. Their mission was to assemble behind-the-lines guerrilla bands and engage in other unconventional warfare operations.
The term "special operations forces" now covers U.S. commando forces from every branch of the military – the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force. And now they are on the ground in Afghanistan.
A closer look:
Q: What are "special operations forces?"
A: These are units of highly specialized warriors trained to conduct difficult, covert or unusual missions: hostage rescue, reconnaissance, psychological operations. They usually work in small teams, away from the front lines. Many are traditional commandos, but some are pilots, technical experts or psychological warfare specialists.
Q: Who are they?
A: About 46,000 people belong to U.S. special operations forces, including support staff and civilians. Each branch of the military trains its own. Relatively few are trained for conventional combat operations.
The Army has Rangers, Green Berets and Delta Force. Rangers are infantry shock troops who are usually borne by helicopter into battle. Green Berets can train resistance fighters. Delta Force is a highly secretive counterterrorist team.
The Army also has the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment – the "Night Stalkers" – to slip commandos behind enemy lines aboard MH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters.
The Navy has SEALS, an unconventional warfare unit trained to function on or in the water or near shorelines.
The Air Force has a variety of special operations forces, including cargo plane and helicopter pilots trained to drop in commandos and equipment and conduct rescues. Combat air traffic controllers from an Air Force Special Tactics Group can slip into an airport ahead of an air assault force to prepare a runway for their arrival.
Air Force pararescuemen are warrior medics who are trained to rescue a downed pilot and fight off enemy soldiers sent to capture him.
The Air Force also flies AC-130 Spectre gunships, propellor-driven cargo planes bristling with side-mounted guns. Another Air Force plane, the Air National Guard's EC-130 Commando Solo, conducts "psyops" – psychological operations – by broadcasting to enemy troops.
The Marines have Force Recon and other specialized units, most trained to support amphibious assaults.
Under a 1994 law, almost all special operations troops are men. Women serve only on the Air Force C-130s.
Q: Where are they based in the United States?
A: The Army's commandos are at Fort Bragg, N.C., and Fort Campbell, Ky. Many of the Air Force's special operations units are based at Hurlburt Field, Fla. Navy SEAL teams are based on the East and West coasts. They fall under the U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.
Q: Are units like these only in the U.S. military?
A: No. Other countries have similar forces for military and counterterrorism roles. Among the most famous is the British SAS, or Special Air Service, which is believed to participating in the operations in Afghanistan.
In addition, several civilian federal agencies have paramilitary and counterterror forces, such as the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team. The CIA's special operations groups can be deployed overseas to arm and train friendly forces and conduct raids.
Q: What special operations forces are in Afghanistan?
A: The military isn't saying much. The Air Force is flying EC-130 Commando Solos and AC-130 Spectres there. On the ground, experts say the Green Berets and CIA commandos are a good bet. Army or Air Force helicopters would be used to transport and supply them.
The aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk is on station in the Arabian Sea and is serving as a floating base for special operations forces.
Q: How might they be used in Afghanistan?
A: The Green Berets and CIA troopers can train, arm and lead indigenous forces like the anti-Taliban northern alliance. They can coordinate U.S. airstrikes when the alliance goes into battle. They, or other special operators, can conduct covert reconnaissance in the hunt for suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden and Taliban leaders. Some can be equipped with laser designators that can pinpoint targets for U.S. bombs to home in on.
They also can assault terrorist strongholds and caves, attack vehicle convoys, blow up bridges and use sniper rifles to pick off leaders from great distances.
Q: What are the risks?
A: If a team of commandos is discovered, they could be overwhelmed by a larger force, even if the opposition had only minimal training and weapons. This happened in Somalia in 1993, when a force of Rangers and Delta troopers hunting Somali warlord lost 18 people.
About 300 Somalis were killed in the same fire fight, but the American loss was considered a humiliating defeat that prompted withdrawal of the U.S. force.
AP-WS-10-19-01 1621EDT
Associated Press Writer