Military
 |
|
| Weapons
of War:
Special forces These highly trained troops operate in small, mobile groups and are experts in reconnaissance, hostage rescue and counter-terrorist operations. |
||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|||
| By the numbers | ||||||
|
2,000 |
2,000 | 5,000 | ||||
| Stationed | ||||||
| Little
Creek, Va. Coronado, Calif. |
Fort
Benning, Ga. Fort Stewart, Ga. Fort Lewis, Wash. |
Fort
Lewis, Wash. Fort Bragg, N.C. Fort Campbell, Ky. Fort Carson, Colo. |
Fort Bragg, N.C. | |||
| Primary role | ||||||
| The SEALs, which stands for sea-air-land, operate in clandestine operations around the world, participate in missions including maritime interdiction, beach reconnaissance and counter-terrorism operations. | Rangers are highly-trained in air assault and airborne operations, and typical missions include reconnaissance, ambush, airfield seizure and raid operations. | Highly-trained to operate behind enemy lines in small detachments known as A-Teams, Special Forces soldiers are experts in weapons, demolitions, communications and battlefield medical treatment. | Delta Force is the most clandestine of the forces in the U.S. Special Operations Command. Members of Delta Force are recruited from the Army's elite Ranger battalions and Special Forces Groups. | |||
| History | ||||||
| Evolved from the Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) of WWII, the Navy SEALs were formed in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy as the maritime counterpart to the Army's Special Forces. | Descended from groups of frontier fighting men who served in King Phillip's War in the late 1600s and Rogers Rangers during the American Revolution, today's Army Rangers are considered among the best light infantry forces in the world. | During World War II, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) recognized the need to field a military organization that could perform guerilla warfare operations behind enemy lines. | Created
by former Army Col. Charlie Beckwith back in the late 1970's, Delta Force
is the nation's premier counter-terrorist team. |
|||
| Deployment | ||||||
| Today the SEALs have forces deployed to support operations in the Pacific, Atlantic, Europe and Southwest Asia and have participated in every major engagement the U.S. has been in since Vietnam, as well as a number of clandestine operations. | In recent years, Rangers have participated in Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada), Operation Just Cause (Panama), Operation Desert Storm, and Task Force Ranger in Somalia. | Special Forces Groups have seen service on nearly every continent and in every major conflict the U.S. has participated in since its inception. | From information released by the military, it has been confirmed that Delta has participated in several missions in recent years, including Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada, Operation Just Cause in Panama, and were involved in hunting SCUD missile launchers during Desert Storm. | |||