Shaping the World from the Shadows: The (Open) Secret History of Delta Force Post-9/11

By Chris Martin

While the raid that killed Osama bin Laden cemented SEAL Team Six as the American military's reluctant media darling, a broader look at the Global War on Terror suggests that it's been the Army's Delta Force that has quietly spearheaded the most ambitious special operations campaign in modern history.

Formerly a highly trained but seldom used tool in America's arsenal, over the past decade 'the Unit' has been unleashed on the nation's enemies the world over. In SHAPING THE WORLD FROM THE SHADOWS the post-9/11 activities of Delta Force have finally been assembled and put into context, providing a wide-ranging look into the staggering secret history of the world's leading special operations force in their defining hour.

"Chris Martin has written an astonishing account of special operations activities around the globe. Someone at the Pentagon should check for any missing keys..." - D.B. Grady, co-author of THE COMMAND: DEEP INSIDE THE PRESIDENT'S SECRET ARMY

"Chris does an amazing job compiling open source information about this often misunderstood special operations unit, a job that journalists and researchers should have done a long time ago. Delta Force is one of the most secretive organizations in the U.S. military but by aggregating information from dozens of sources Chris has put together a big picture that will give readers an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at this unit. For sure this is just a small sampling of what is really going on behind the curtain, but until these missions are declassified, this is the best information you are likely to find on the topic." - Jack Murphy, former Ranger and Special Forces Sergeant.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chris Martin
• Release date: Apr 28, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476290898

Chris Martin

Chris Martin is a screenwriter specializing in historical fiction, action, and romance. He graduated from Full Sail University with a BS in Film and is currently pursuing a BFA in Creative Writing. He has published works on Potato Soup Journal and Webtoon. He is a member of Full Sail's Creative Writing Club and also served as a member of the U.S. Army.

Book preview

Shaping the World from the Shadows

The (Open) Secret History of Delta Force, Post-9/11

Chris Martin

Copyright 2012 Chris Martin

Smashwords Edition

Also by Chris Martin

Beyond Neptune Spear: The (Open) Secret History of SEAL Team Six, Post-9/11

Contents

Spotlight ST6

The Specter of Operations Past

Setting the Unrecorded Record Straight

Bubba's (Prophetic) Big Idea: Throw Some Ninjas at 'Em

New Threat, Old Mindset

Enter Iraq (One Day Early)

The Deck of 55

The Industrial (Counterterrorism) Revolution

In Who's Image?

JSOC is Awesome

Team of Teams or Tribe of Tribes?

Back in the Shadows

Connect

Notes

Spotlight ST6

The elimination of Osama bin Laden by SEAL Team Six inside his walled-off compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, wasn't so much a watershed moment for America's special operation forces as it was the culmination of decades of experience, innovation, and progress. In particular, the May 2, 2011 raid served to demonstrate the remarkable capabilities that had been developed in the years following 9/11.

The nation celebrated the much-needed victory of Operation Neptune Spear, and the black-ops SEALs of the enigmatic Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) were made instant (if nameless and faceless) celebrities. The term 'SEAL Team Six' made its way into the popular lexicon; an internet search returns such references as the SEAL Team Six of electricians, …pest control, …dentistry, and …special education. And in an overnight development that can only be described as surreal, ST6 joined politicians, actors, and professional athletes as regular late-night monologue fodder.

That celebrity status hasn't dimmed; three major motion pictures featuring the Navy's counterterrorism unit are in production and Jerry Bruckheimer has a SEAL-based drama in development for the small screen at ABC.¹

Meanwhile, as phrases like most elite and best of the best are casually tossed around in reference to SEAL Team Six,² their Army equivalents have been allowed to move even deeper into the shadows despite a multitude of world-altering achievements of their own.

The Specter of Operations Past

Operation Neptune Spear was more than just a success; in many ways it was vindication -- for the nation, for the special operations community in general, and for the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) in particular.³

Throughout the lead-up to the bin Laden raid, three previous failures informed -- or perhaps more accurately, haunted -- the operation and its ultimate approval. Indeed, President Barack Obama specifically cited all three in a CBS 60 Minutes interview discussing Operation Neptune Spear.⁴

The first was Operation Eagle Claw, the failed attempt to rescue more than 50 Americans held hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran in 1980. Parked at a desert rendezvous point, running late, and down to five from its original eight helicopters, a bold rescue mission was aborted. Things only got worse when a USMC RH-53 helicopter collided with an USAF EC-130 transport plane while attempting to move into position to refuel and exfiltrate Iran. Eight servicemen were killed and four more injured. The debacle at Desert One delivered a heavy blow to America's reputation and the resultant political fallout was considerable.

The concern of a Desert One repeat left many of the President's political and military advisors skeptical about launching an unannounced raid into Pakistan, especially with widely varying estimates concerning whether the al-Qaeda leader would even be found in the Abbottabad compound.⁵

The Battle of Mogadishu -- more popularly known as 'Black Hawk Down' -- was also on the minds of the President and his inner circle. Operation Gothic Serpent, the attempt to capture Somali warlord Mohammad Farrah Aidid, was cut short in 1993 in the wake of a bloody battle in which 18 American serviceman were killed and one captured (with estimates claiming an additional 500-3000 killed on the other side).⁶

The inclusion of a quick reaction force consisting