Los Angeles Times: Elite Military Forces to Get a Major Test

[url]http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-092301special.story[/url]

Elite Military Forces to Get a Major Test
Strategy: In the looming war on terrorism, special operations units trained in
sabotage and guerrilla warfare are likely to play a big role, experts say.
By EDMUND SANDERS
Times Staff Writer

September 23 2001

The Bush administration, confronted with a stealthy enemy in unforgiving
terrain, is embarking on the biggest mobilization of the military's elite
special operations units since the Vietnam War, experts say.

If successful, the use of these soldiers--highly trained in sabotage, kidnapping
and guerrilla warfare--could significantly bolster the role of special
operations in future U.S. military strategy, some experts add.

"This is the biggest test of special operations since Vietnam," said John Pike,
director of GlobalSecurity.org, a defense policy organization. "This mission
isn't just about capturing one guy. It's a long campaign with thousands of
combatants."

The role of special operations--which include the Green Berets, Navy SEALs and
Air Commandos--in the new war on terrorism has so far been uncharacteristically
high-profile, particularly because the military doesn't even officially
acknowledge the existence of some units, such as the counter-terrorist Delta
Force.

Last week, military officials announced that special operations would play a key
role in defeating Osama bin Laden and other terrorists. "These are people who
operate in the shadows and we have to deal with them in the shadows," said
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

A spokeswoman for the special operations command at Ft. Bragg, N.C., confirmed
that the unit received a deployment order, but would not say how many of its
46,000 active and reserve troops were being called into action.

In any given week, experts estimate, about 3,000 special operations soldiers are
deployed on 150 missions in 70 countries, conducting covert operations, training
foreign soldiers and forging ties with various factions. The $4-billion annual
budget for special operations represents less than 2% of Defense Department
spending.

Most Missions Never Revealed

Officials have stressed that the war on terrorism will be much larger and longer
than the quick in-and-out missions that have characterized special operations in
recent years, such as the 1989 capture of Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega.

Special operations units played only a minimal role in the Gulf War, tracking
down Scud missiles and putting laser targets on enemy equipment so laser bombs
could destroy them.

Because of their covert nature, most missions are never revealed. There is
speculation that special operations took part in the 1993 assassination of
Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.

"The failures are more likely to become known than the successes," said retired
Col. Daniel M. Smith, a former Army intelligence officer in Vietnam who heads
research at the Washington-based Center for Defense Intelligence, a nonprofit
think tank.

High-profile flops have included the aborted Delta Force attempt during the
Carter administration to rescue the hostages in Iran, and the Delta Force and
Army Rangers' failed kidnapping of Somali warlord Mohammed Farrah Aidid, in
which 18 U.S. soldiers were killed.

Military experts say the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were a reminder that the
nation faces unconventional threats that cannot always be addressed with
conventional forces or airstrikes from afar.

"Sometimes a scalpel works better than a sledgehammer," said Andy Messing Jr.,
who spent 17 years in Army Special Forces before founding the National Defense
Council Foundation, a right-leaning think tank.

Terrorizing the terrorists will be a top aim of the special operations forces,
many of whom are probably already working underground in Afghanistan and
surrounding countries to destabilize and demoralize Bin Laden's followers,
outside experts have speculated.

'The Perfect War for Special Operations'

It's familiar turf. Special operations forces have worked in both Pakistan and
Afghanistan, assisting rebels--possibly including Bin Laden--during the Soviet
invasion in the 1980s.

Locating and capturing Bin Laden himself will probably fall to the prestigious
Delta Force, which specializes in daring hostage rescues and kidnappings, said
Pike of GlobalSecurity.org.

Army Rangers would prove useful in attacking and destroying Bin Laden's desert
training camps and other targets, while Green Berets will probably provide
assistance and training to local rebels, such as the Northern Alliance.

Air Force Air Commandos specialize in reconnaissance flights and will be key to
evacuating other units in difficulty or after missions are completed.

Psychological warfare and propaganda is another focus of special operations.
During the Gulf War, special operations smuggled printing presses into Kuwait to
assist rebels, and in Panama, Rangers tried to prevent Noriega from sleeping by
blaring heavy metal rock music at the Vatican Embassy, where he took refuge.

"This is the perfect war for special operations," said Carlos Moleda, a former
Navy SEAL who participated in the Noriega mission. "This is going to be more
like a cat-and-mouse game. And special operations are great hunters."

Training for the command is legendary. More than 70% of volunteers fail.
Recruits learn to survive for weeks in hostile environments, eating bugs and
rodents to survive. They scale oil rigs carrying 100 pounds of gear, parachute
from 30,000 feet and learn to operate without sleep for up to a week.

Various Units Operate Under Single Command

Members of these units have skills ranging from foreign languages to
bomb-building to hot-wiring trucks.

"Even in training we use real bullets and real bombs," said Moleda, who was shot
in the back during the Noriega raid and was paralyzed from the waist down.

Even within the military, the loyalty and commitment in special operations is
unparalleled, former members say. "It has the highest divorce rate in the
military," Messing said. "That speaks volumes."

Moleda said he has one thought as he watches preparations for military action:
"I would hope for a miracle so I could stand up and walk and go back in."

Though covert operations date back to the American Revolution, modern-day
special operations began to emerge in the 1960s under President John F. Kennedy.
Today the various units operate under a single command, based at MacDill Air
Force Base in Florida. Much of the training still occurs at John F. Kennedy
Special Warfare Center and School at Ft. Bragg.

Smith, the former Army intelligence officer, predicted that the importance of
such units will continue to increase.

"I wouldn't be surprised when this is over that there will be more interest in
the special operations community," he said. "We are forecasting a continuing
decline in the kinds of conventional encounters we saw in the Gulf War and more
along the lines of [the current action] or Vietnam."

Some Friction With Mainstream Military

A larger role for special operations could stir controversy within the ranks,
according to some experts. Though special operations relies heavily on
conventional forces and intelligence agencies, there has historically been
friction between the mainstream military, which receives the bulk of the money,
and special operations, which enjoys an elite status.

Still, a higher profile is something such units are unaccustomed to.

"Special operations is known as the quiet professionals," Messing said. "They
are not the chest-beaters. But they are a heroic bunch."

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