The debris revealed a spider hole and as an operator prepared a grenade, Saddam poked his head out of the hole. "In May 1982, Deputy Secretary of Defense Frank Charles Carlucci III called the ISA 'uncoordinated and uncontrolled.' The breakdown of this squadron isnt known either but it likely contains logistical support for the two operational squadrons. During these operations, the ISA operated alongside other combat groups, providing them with signals intelligence support and field intelligence, including HUMINT. The unit is organized into several elements. Hostages were dispersed around Beirut and those with Jewish sounding names were being isolated. This Army Special Operations unit, goes by many names, which is indicative of the various activities, functions and environments performed by these operators. These intelligence gathering methods outline how intelligence is gathered and what is done with it afterwards. "Today, the ISA operates under the code name Gray Fox. The fleet was comprised of 15 different types of aircraft for a combined total of 40 aircraft, all decked out with SIGINT interception technology. In the aftermath, the FOG was hard at work gathering intelligence in Iran in preparation for Operation Credible Sport, the second attempt to rescue the hostages. PO Box 1077 MURFREESBORO, Tennessee 37133 United States, P.O. It was the type of mission ISA was designed for, but no agents were sent in. Green Berets are considered unique from other special operators for various reasons, most . It's a Special Mission Unit and conducts highly classified operations. In the summer of 1980, FOG agents were infiltrated into Teheran to report back on the hostages' whereabouts, movements of the Iranians, as well as to recruit local agents. The ISA agent was ordered to stop the recording, an order to which he complied. The team put together a detailed critique and proposed changes to the organization of the forces, but the document was ignored by the higher officials insisting that security was adequate. However, his several interventions and temporary blockage of many initiatives, showed that his primary intent was to arrest the development and contain the capability. They also have direct action elements within their battalions, alongside specialists in HUMINT and SIGINT. Not wishing to be a dire critic, I found it rather novice of him, but drew another pick from my kit and threw open the lock. Little is known about the organization or its activities, but it is clear that they serve as a military intelligence unit and have partaken in numerous missions around the globe. A case officer is someone who handles a foreign asset by giving them collection requirements and ensuring their safety. This site uses cookies. Case officers also target and recruit potential assets. It is not certain that ISA operators were on the scene at the moment of his capture, but the operational intelligence provided was critical to the success of the operation. Few special operations forces are clad in as much secrecy as the Intelligence Support Activity. Centra Spike agents operated all around Colombia, as well as neighbouring countries where the cartels influence extended. (Source) Operatives must not look out of placeor easily recognizable. October 16, 2020 They are known by many names: Task Force Orange; the Intelligence Support Activity; The Activity; the Army of Northern Virginia; the Field Operations Group (FOG); the United States Army Intelligence Support Activity, or just shortened to Intelligence Support Activity (USISA). By November 1993, the noose was tightening around Escobar, and Centra Spike managed to track him down to a suburb of Medellin called Los Olivos. They were never used. Initially, Delta Force turned to the CIA for information regarding the number of guards, how they were armed and what security measures they had in place. The trials of the ISA in Queens Hunter were not the only time the team was tested in South America. Special Operations Forces are the elite commandos of the U.S. military. The ISA considers ethnicity of agents when they are deployed. These are primarily preparation intelligence and tactical/ strategic intelligence for active operations. He tasked them to install a clandestine video camera (clandcam) framed such that it would record all the license plates of all vehicles turning down a specifically designated road. The United States realized that insufficient intelligence gathering was the critical point of failure in our attempt to rescue the American hostages and that there was a gap between the Intelligence and Special Operations communities. Under the umbrella group of Joint Special Operations Task Force 20, the Intelligence Support Activity helped track down and locate Saddam Hussein. Task Force Mandarin [better known as Task Force Orange or the Intelligence Support Activity (ISA)] was a support organization formed to provide signal intercept and intelligence gathering capabilities to Tier One organizations. Special Air Service (SAS) | (. "In 1984, political instability swept through the Seychelles, a group of islands off the coast of Africa. The FOG was re-named the Intelligence Support Activity (ISA), and given an initial budget of $7 million. Barrett is the world leader in long-range, large-caliber, precision rifle design and manufacturing. Two task forces of JSOC took part in the search and rescue operations, Delta Force and a detachment of the ISA. As such, the activities and specifics of Gray Fox are not widely made available. Along with Queens Hunter, ISA was involved in many operations across Central America, in Panama, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Units in Sarajevo tracked Karadzic electronically, while other agents were on the ground in Pale, Karadzic's home. "On December 17, 1981, Colonel James Dozier, the highest ranking American army officer in the NATO southern European Command was kidnapped by members of the Red Brigade terrorist faction. Bickering between the CIA and JSOC further complicated matters. The DCS, G-2 is the Director of the Operational Environment Enterprise (OEE) and author of the Army's approved current Operational Environment (OE). (Source), The tactics and techniques of the ISA are some of the most unique among all the JSOC special operations groups. "Cowan put together another five-man team, but their deployment was stalled for three weeks. A top-secret 'Army electronic surveillance team', was sent to aid the Colombians in August of 1989, as a part of Operation Heavy Shadow. Access to that road saved a considerable amount of travel time for support for an ongoing mission. The situation looked dire. The situation quickly worsened, until officials in the US embassy were in genuine concern for their lives, so much that the ambassador cabled for immediate help. Before it operated under the name ISA, the group was referred to as the Field Operations Group (FOG). This is a potentially significant compromise. the Cantor lamented in earnest. All the tools you need to an in-depth Intelligence Support Activity Self-Assessment. The simple plan called for pipe-hitters to deploy from the states and set up an ambush at a blind S-curve along the generals route. Intelligence Support Activity-Bragg developed an online tool, the pilot for which was planned to commence on June 1, 2019, to standardize the System Authorization Access Request, Acceptable Use Policy and Privileged Access Agreement for the command. Special Boat Service (SBS) |, Camouflage patterns: ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? The moronic mandarins merely blinked and nothing more. Key to the concept was that there would be a single in-house element (FOG) that either side could use e.g. The emerging problems our Nation faced in the early 1980s with terrorism, airplane hijacking, and hostage taking, created considerable challenges for the government (USG) to resolve. Colonel Jerry King retained his position as the head of the group, now 100-strong and headquartered in a nondescript building in Arlington, Virginia. ISA was allegedly co-operating with Task Force Ranger, and was responsible for tracking down Somali warlord Mohammed Farah Adid, through electronic surveillance and Somalian informants. US Air Force Pararescue | Good enough, I thought. The planners in DAMO-ODSO were acutely aware of the different legal authorities contained in Title 10 and Title 50 statutes. Escobar was shot as he was trying to escape from the roof of his house. But the poor Cantor had to suffer through the mandarin menace sure enough. . Bravo and Delta troops utilize commercial or non-official cover. ISA members conducted extensive interviews with Special Forces members in the country, Lebanese Army and CIA and embassy officials. But it had no effect on me or what I was doing not for now at least. This is especially useful in countries where men and women socializing is frowned upon outside of the family. As with both the establishment of JSOC, TF160/SOAR and Ranger SOF, the task was not easy. Once inside, Centra Spike agents would plug in laptops into the airplane's power and could simultaneously track four frequencies. They must maintain a demeanour of trustworthiness and calmness, so any approached HUMINT sources feel safe and trusted. "Also in 1989, ISA was rumoured to have taken part in the hunt for the richest drug trafficker in the world, Pablo Escobar, operating under the code-name Centra Spike. RecPak is a meal replacement for the outdoors that saves you weight, space and time in the most challenging environments, just add water. So there they were sitting in our Tactical Operations Center in Bosnia waiting to be integrated into our PIFWC hunting operations. Well, ok we arrived at just around 1630hrs and the mandarin began. Though its history is relatively brief and known missions it has undertaken even briefer, it has become one of the most interesting and influential special operations groups at the disposal of JSOC and the US military. 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. var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; In 1979 the need for a dedicated special operations intelligence unit was solidified following the overthrowing of Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza. ISA was highly classified. (Source) Once the safe house was located, using a mixture of SIGINT, GEOINT and HUMINT, a raid was initiated. 160th SOAR | Originally the unit was known as the Field Operations Group or FOG and was designed to fill the Armys need for clandestine intelligence collection. (Source). The negotiations were going so well that Iraq decided to throw in a Mil Mi-24 Hind D helicopter and a MiG-25 fighter-interceptor. It was completely hidden from view, covering its existence with a series of regularly changing code names like Centra Spike, Royal Cape, and Grey Fox. The authors note that "All information used in this article has been obtained from publicly available, open source documents." The ISA also has a direct action arm comprised of men and women recruited from the US Army Delta . The manhunt was over. They began forming their own plan for storming the airplane and liberating the hostages. Operatives can covertly enter enemy buildings to plant cameras. Well, say that was certainly good news. If they would have been caught, they were done. SMU operator (on ISA breaking into an Al-Qaeda safehouse), Additionally, HUMINT operatives working deep undercover will sometimes work in male-female teams. Stew Smith and Jeff Nichols discuss the new testosterone to epitestosterone ratio (T/E) used at BUDS to deter use Abigail Spanberger spent almost a decade as a CIA operations officer. " The Activity's primary role is to gather actionable intelligence in order to pave the way for special operations undertook by units such as Delta Force (known as 'operational preparation of the battlespace'). The Intelligence Support Activity conducts its operations during and in advance of US military operations. Its skills 'perfected during missions over El Salvador,' Centra Spike honed in on Escobar's cellular phone calls and relayed the information back to Colombian police forces. Landing zones were established, Lebanese militias contacted for help, and plans formulated for a commando force. 2023 The SOFREP Media Group. _gaq.push(['_setDomainName', '.specwar.info']); The "Pakistani cook" piece, delivered as Delta boarded the aircraft, was viewed as an implausible source though subsequent inquiry revealed that the crucial info was available much earlier, but intentionally not shared for several reasons. An operation was planned for their rescue, with Seaspray, Delta Force and the ISA all playing a role. As previously mentioned, its members cross train with the CIA, Americas most comprehensive civilian intelligence agency. The Intelligence Support Activitys operations in El Salvador, under Operation Queens Hunter, demonstrated the effectiveness of the newly founded squadrons mastery of SIGINT and cross-departmental cooperation. Delta was finally given the go-ahead and flew to Sicily and Cyprus along with Task Force 160 and Seaspray helicopters, thus ending the need for ISA's help. 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. The separation did not fit real world requirements which was finally recognized in the aftermath of the failed Iran rescue. "These commands and white Special Forces like the Green Berets, as well as Air Force combat controllers and commandos of eight different nations report to a mind-boggling array of new command cells and coordination units set up after Sept. (Source). Operators from the unit entered Nicaragua using false passports, and proceeded to photograph the embassy from every angle, record the types of locks on all doors, inside and outside, record the number of exits and windows, and finally drew up the internal layout of the building. Had the force been aware of the actual hostage location and situation, the force could have continued past Desert One and probably succeeded. These missions include finding Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, locating Army Gen. James Dozier when he was kidnapped by the Red Brigade in 1981 and taking out observation points in Afghanistan to protect friendly forces in the area. and other specialized capabilities to support Army, joint, unified action partners, and the U.S. intelligence commu-nity. (function() { Its members often use disguises to avoid detection and if they are compromised they can quickly disappear from sight and completely change their appearance. Few special operations forces are clad in as much secrecy as the Intelligence Support Activity. It built a reputation for daring, flexibility and a degree of lawlessness. var _gaq = _gaq || []; The Cantor said nothing. In addition to covert operations, it provides the war on terrorism with the kind of so-called 'close-in' signals monitoring -- including the interception of cell phone conversations -- that helped bring down Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. Traditions (religious, political, societal). All Rights Reserved. FOG became permanent and renamed ISA on March 3, 1981. (Source). The Cantor finally said something, and he said it very very loudly when the mandarins lost control of some weapons and encrypted radios. ISA operatives are masters of tradecraft. (Source). WOAH, WOAH, WOAH! the Cantor interrupted, youre telling me you put in the camera in daylight hours, and now everyone is supposed to be surprised and sympathetic that its gone?. The next morning arrived, but the moping mandarins came empty-handed: Ok, give me a rundown on the entire operation starting from when you arrived at the install site.. 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; That close-holding of his cards was typical of him. Every component of the US military was involved in the Invasion of Afghanistan, including the ISA. 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. The US recognized the usefulness of this unit and began surveying embassies across the world. Delta Force | Sadly, the team's evaluation did not serve to upgrade American security standards, and a truck bomb exploded from within 40 feet of the embassy entrance later that year. The ACSI, LTG Odom, strongly objected to the authority lines for FOG and asked Meyer to switch the Army portion from DCSOPS to the ACSI. The unit's history, the politics that have shaped it and the operations it has carried out are recounted in great and fascinating detail. The cyber operations team extends into other offsets of intelligence gathering, including OSINT, cyber threat intelligence and cyber warfare. Come again, Cantor? I was trying to make him look at me while he repeated that last instruction. For instance, while US Army Special Forces were originally created for unconventional warfare (UW) missions and gradually added other capabilities, the US Navy SEALs, and the UK Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Service (SBS) continue to perform a primary DA role with special reconnaissance (SR) as original missions. Later that same year, Delta Force and ISA operators were sent to Saudi Arabia to help organize and train a Special Purpose Detachment of the Saudi National Guard. "Perhaps the least known, and most classified unit within the realm of US special operations is the Intelligence Support Activity (ISA), a small, highly trained and capable intelligence unit. It is common for the appearance and demeanour of an agent to be the key to their success as an infiltrator. Subsequently, theyre protected by diplomatic immunity if theyre compromised during an espionage operation. The ISA has gone by many name: Intelligence Support Activity or Mission Support Activity, and nicknamed The Activity, Task Force Orange . They set up protection for the president and installed a security system. Under Operation Winter Harvest, a small team of Delta Force technicians was dispatched to Italy to provide assistance with the search for Dozier. Lets just settle on Gray Fox for now, as these operators fill in the gray area between Title 50 intelligence gathering and Title 10 unconventional warfare operations. ISA focuses on gathering human intelligence based on contact with field agents, and signals intelligence (intercepted communications) to support Delta Force and DEVGRU operations.