intelligence support activity direct action

US Air Force Pararescue | An ISA agent was secretly infiltrated into Beirut where he provided real-time intelligence on the location of the hostages. It was provided with a cover name, Tactical Concept Activity, and would never be acknowledged by the Pentagon. A key driver for the meeting was the recognition that quality operational intelligence was virtually non-existent. Failed Clandestine operations, usually result in some form of USG explanation. 2023 The SOFREP Media Group. Special Operations Forces: ISA focuses on gathering human intelligence based on contact with field agents, and signals intelligence (intercepted communications) to support Delta Force and DEVGRU operations. On December 2, 1993, with help from Centra Spike and a mobile Colombian surveillance team, Escobar's hideout was pinpointed, and Colombian police moved in. Delta Force and SEAL Team Six were scrambled in preparation to liberate the hostages if needed, as the airplane hopped back and forth from Beirut to Algiers. It is after all, not a strictly combat-oriented role like its other Tier 1 operators. The unit has been under command of the US Army but some time after September 11th 2001 command was placed under direct control of the Joint Special Operations Command or JSOC at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, United States. The CIA proved unable to provide the critical intelligence Delta Force needed, such as the number of guards, the type of weapons they were using and what kinds of locks were on the doors. Case officers also target and recruit potential assets. Under the umbrella group of Joint Special Operations Task Force 20, the Intelligence Support Activity helped track down and locate Saddam Hussein. The vast majority of their operations are clouded not just in shadow, but in complete darkness. (Source). It's a Special Mission Unit and conducts highly classified operations. Are you one of them? They require units with combinations of trained specialized personnel, equipment, and tactics that exceed the routine capabilities of conventional military forces. by Michael Smith (Source). This was the birth of the Field Operations Group (FOG)-later ISA/Secret Army of Northern Virginia. However, Operation Anaconda is one of few of the ISAs Afghanistan operations known to the public. and other specialized capabilities to support Army, joint, unified action partners, and the U.S. intelligence commu-nity. In short order, Langley provided people, training, and a conduit to its various intelligence and planning aspects. Nonetheless, it is known that these operators have shown their indispensable worth to both the intelligence and SOF communities in matters of national security, supporting Delta and SEAL Team Six operations by hitting the ground first to prep the environment: gathering actionable intelligence, pathfinding, and performing a broad range of operational support. Since incorporating under JSOC in 2003, Gray Fox has expanded into direct action and hostage rescue, showing that they may be the most diversely equipped, trained and adaptable Special Missions Unit in the SOF community. Most ISA trainees are from Army Special Forces, meaning many have skills in CQC, sniping, counter-sniping and general tactical engagements. The FOG was able to clandestinely enter Tehran and gather the required intelligence. USSOCOM receives, reviews, coordinates and prioritizes all Defense Department plans that support the global campaign against terrorism. The Cantor said nothing. Im telling you, they are packed parachutes for you; all you have to do is jump they dont need any training or preparation they can do it all!. The ISA's HUMINT collectors gather information from human sources via coercion and interrogation depending on the asset. But if the copyright owners want to get in touch to have them immediately removed from this site then please contact our webmaster. Typically the ISA pulls from the Green Berets due to their prior special operations experience, language skills, and autonomy. Exactly who would execute the direct-action operations, would be determined after the intelligence determine the situational necessities. Not only did this demonstrate that the ISA was functionally effective, it showed that it could operate alongside not only various elements of the US military, but foreign military elements as well. But, ISA also sponsored a private rescue mission by Vietnam War veteran Bo Gritz, providing him with thousands of dollars worth of communications equipment, cameras, along with plane tickets and intelligence photos. Authors cartoon depicting the mandarins installing the soon-to-be compromised surveillance camera. Centra Spike was withdrawn in 1993 for a temporary assignment in Somalia to aid US special forces there, but resumed the hunt later in the year. Establishing cover as husband and wife to live in and conduct intelligence collection missions within a target country. find out more Unit Profile. (Source) These collectively will compose some of the roles within a primary battalion of the ISA. action is "necessary to support identifiable foreign policy objectives of the United States, and is Centra Spike agents operated all around Colombia, as well as neighbouring countries where the cartels influence extended. Russia and Ukraine battle daily in the sky. (Source). Additionally, ISA operates a number of fixed and rotary wing aircraft and these pilots fit somewhere into the puzzle that is ISA. While driving through northern Lebanon, Cowan and his mates suffered several close calls with Syrian roadblocks and patrols. Unless you plan to body-check those cars I would junk up.. The United States Army Intelligence Support Activity (USAISA), frequently shortened to Intelligence Support Activity or ISA, and nicknamed The Activity, is a United States Army Special Operations unit originally subordinated to the US Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM). Some solid intelligence gleaning prompted the community into action to capture PIFWC Serbian General S. Kladanj on his scheduled move out of Serbia proper into the Republic of Serbia. Boss Cantor seemed satisfied with how the mandarins gathered the necessary hardware for the mission and then marched smartly out the door. Operation Anaconda highlights how vital of a role the ISA plays in the battlespace. Electronic specialists and SIGINT operators comprised part of the force. Bravo and Delta troops utilize commercial or non-official cover. })(); Intelligence Support Activity provides US special forces with intelligence gatherers, man hunters, assassins and deep penetration agents. People know ISA mostly for its involvement in Operation Anaconda. A vehicle on time and on target rolled through the barricade. An operation was planned for their rescue, with Seaspray, Delta Force and the ISA all playing a role. Its members often use disguises to avoid detection and if they are compromised they can quickly disappear from sight and completely change their appearance. Hostages were dispersed around Beirut and those with Jewish sounding names were being isolated. Sound Like You? ISA. 25: More Chinese Ferry Tales: China's Use of Civilian Shipping in Military Activities, 2021-2022, Hospital Ships: A Vital Asset for SOUTHCOM and South American Navies, The Goshen Massacre and the Specter of Cartel Spillover Into the US, Dangerous Alliances: Russias Strategic Inroads in Latin America, Year Ahead Emerging Technologies and the Collection of Battlefield Evidence, How Does Matter Matter In International Conflict and Security? ISA operators would infiltrate either Beirut or Algiers on commercial flights to avoid tipping off the terrorists or the authorities. Both sides would work together on developing the intel, and then a decision would be made regarding a specific operational tasking to avoid statutory conflict. Fort Belvoir, North Virginia, United States. Approval was given for ISA's deployment, and operators flew to Frankfurt, where some stayed in case the airliner, now back in Beirut, flew back to Algiers. Human intelligence (HUMINT) and signals intelligence (SIGINT) are the most common products of their operations. Delta's deployment was stalled by bureaucratic dealings, so ISA mobilized its most compartmentalized unit, the direct action element, the shooters. >Develops and . A case officer is someone who handles a foreign asset by giving them collection requirements and ensuring their safety. Intelligence Support Activity The Army's most obscure special-ops unit is the roughly 300-strong Intelligence Support Activity, formed in 1981, which has gone by various codenames over the years. At one point during the Global War on Terror, ISA along with a component from the Airforce and Delta began to build a fleet of ISR aircraft. A DOD lawyer was assigned to the development planning, and Col Jerry King (MG Vaught's Chief of Staff for the Iran JTF) became the first head of the FOG. Smith's book lifts the lid of secrecy on the Activity, one of America's least well known Special Ops units. Italian forces conducted the raid itself; rescuing Dozier and returning him to the US without a single casualty. HUMINT collection cant be done without boots on the ground, so members of the main battalions are likely conducting field operations. The forms of intelligence gathered by the Activity include: The Activity is thought to made up of around 300 operators and is under the command of JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command). Once admitted, candidates must pass the operations training course, which teaches infiltration techniques, advanced air operations, offensive and off-road driving, personal defensive measures and communications. Each chapter of the book brings a new chapter of the Activity's operations like Lebanon, where its efforts to rescue US hostages was stymied by its own government or Bosnia where it hunted down war criminals. RecPak is a meal replacement for the outdoors that saves you weight, space and time in the most challenging environments, just add water. Operatives must also go unnoticed, being able to blend into crowds and not draw attention. non-covert action intelligence activityoften a collection programto be of such sensitivity that 1 Oral notifications shall be followed by a written notification. In sum, Uniforms do Clandestine, Civvies do Covert. "When the first rescue attempt of the hostages in Iran failed, a second attempt, code-named Honey Badger, immediately started. What is the difference between the Seasonal Tactical Fitness Periodization programs recently developed vs. previous years? Special Recon, Direct Action. To lawyers, this is a distinction with a difference. On Gen Meyer's departure, his successor, John Wickham, attempted to disband the unit, but Jack Marsh, in his role as ASD SO/LIC prevented it, and required it be retained, and resourced. We provided documents for viewing from both the Agency and DOD lawyers supporting the organization and outlining the rationale. Key was the requirement to develop a competent counter resolution force. Intelligence picked up reports that the two, along with other Sudanese officials were the targets of Libyan-sponsored terrorist assassinations. Law and the killing of a Russian propagandist: Some Q & A BY CHARLIE DUNLAP, J.D. ISA operators were said to be so skilled that they could tell whether a tank needed a tune-up from background noise of transmissions. geo sends. Since its inception, the Activity has been providing invaluable intelligence and support to many United States operations. Its scope is quite large, and it often works in support of JSOC, SOCOM and even other intelligence agencies. This page was last edited on 1 April 2008, at 06:57. . According to The Secret War by William M. Arkin, published in the Los Angeles Times on October 27, 2002, "The Army created a highly compartmentalized organization that could collect clandestine intelligence independent of the rest of the U.S. intelligence community and follow through with covert military action. The situation looked dire. Retired Army Col. Paris Davis stood in the White House as President Biden draped the Medal of Honor around his neck, nearly Chief Special Warfare Operator Michael T. Ernst died following a "military freefall training accident" on Feb. 19 in Marana Lt. Col. Collin Charlie Christopherson, the commander of the 1st Special Operations Maintenance Squadron, was arrested How much do you know about the morale machine that's been deploying with U.S. troops since WWII? "In 1983, a five-man ISA unit led by Lt. Col. William Cowan was dispatched to Beirut, Lebanon to deal with the increasing threat to American interests in the area. Candidates pulled from computer records, or by word of mouth were required to pass a tough selection course, physical and psychological tests. Praesidus brings homage to the military watch tradition. There are also teams within the ISA who can conduct direct action missions should the need arise. 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