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Almost simultaneously, another truck bomb exploded in the French barracks, killing 56. The United States Army Intelligence Support Activity (USAISA), frequently shortened to Intelligence Support Activity (ISA), also known at various times as Joint Reconnaissance Evaluation Group (JREG), Mission Support Activity (MSA), Office of Military Support (OMS), Field Operations Group (FOG), Studies and Analysis Activity (SAA), Tactical I grabbed assault rifles and ammo can from our stash in the attic of the safe house and reluctantly handed one to Kay-Kay: You keep this damned thing on safe at all times! 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. This is a potentially significant compromise. the Cantor lamented in earnest. As an ancillary, but crucial action during this period, LTC Bruce Mauldin and I, with the CSAs concurrence and support, visited the Hill and had several closed-door sessions with appropriate committee Chairs and Ranking Members regarding the unit's establishment, roles and missions, and funding lines. Guerrilla insurgents in Nicaragua composed only one part of the multitude of threats facing the US With cartels all over South America creating chaos for pro-US forces, Pablo Escobar and his cartel were the targets of several US government agencies and departments, including the ISA. The mission criteria were pretty simple: we would fail our mission if we missed reporting the generals car, or if we allowed someone to get around our blocking position and into the ambush site. Barrett is the world leader in long-range, large-caliber, precision rifle design and manufacturing. 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. One such organization, the Red Brigades, composed of far-left communist-leaning extremists, kidnapped U.S. Brigadier General James Dozier. US Army Special Forces | "Also in 1982, an ISA team was sent to Sudan to provide protection to Sudanese President Gaafar Nimeiry and his vice president. But it had no effect on me or what I was doing not for now at least. Everyone in the unit is on on the Department of the Armys Special Roster, which means they dont exist. For obvious reasons, the unit doesnt exactly publicize their makeup. He would be given instructions and equipment along the way, and was required to perform certain assignments, for example, setting up a SATCOM system. 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. (Source). (amazon.com), " Veritas Omnia Vincula Vincit In 2003 the CIA and ISA conducted a joint operation in Somalia. The unit's history, the politics that have shaped it and the operations it has carried out are recounted in great and fascinating detail. Initially, the raid appeared to be a bust until a Delta operator kicked some debris on exfil. The selection process and training for special operations groups are secret. During the operation, a rivalry developed between Centra Spike, and a CIA intelligence unit named Majestic Eagle. Under the umbrella group of Joint Special Operations Task Force 20, the Intelligence Support Activity helped track down and locate Saddam Hussein. 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). Well, ok we arrived at just around 1630hrs and the mandarin began. Immediately after, he would be dropped off in a city, and asked to perform clandestine activities. Like many special operations groups, their active arsenal is not likely a small rigid loadout, it is a range of various weapons that are available to suit the units needs. The Department of Defense in 1965 outlined its need to be more involved with collecting intelligence, supported by Robert McNamara. Smith's book lifts the lid of secrecy on the Activity, one of America's least well known Special Ops units. 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. ISA recommended covert deployment of its operatives to both airports to secure landing zones and infiltration routes. In 1979 the need for a dedicated special operations intelligence unit was solidified following the overthrowing of Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza. 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. (Source). But, it was also clear that some form of operational melding was essential to effectively address operational requirements. The unit conducts close survelliance with cameras, even going as far as covertly entering terrorists safe houses and planting hidden cameras. Covert operations are shrouded in plausible deniability. The following article on the Intelligence Support Activity was copied from Specwarnet.net online. Cake duty! Federal Bureau of Prisons Special Operations Response Team (SORT), " Veritas Omnia Vincula Vincit "ISA was divided into branches of signals intelligence (SIGINT) specialists, human intelligence (HUMINT) specialists, and a highly compartmentalized direct action element, the 'shooters'. 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. to FOG, SOG, SAD, SMU, ISA, and, FID, the focus of which is the ISA through 2015. Subsequent, Task Force 121, a collection of special mission units and conventional forces organized a raid on a small farming compound in rural Iraq. 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. ISA has been known to utlizes signal skimmers to pick up enemy radio transmissions and zero in on their location. But the poor Cantor had to suffer through the mandarin menace sure enough. Direct action differs from conventional offensive actions in the level of physical and political risk, operational techniques, and the degree of discriminate and precise use of force to achieve specific objectives."[1]. (Source), Under the operational codename Centra Spike, the Intelligence Support Activity operated alongside CIA and local police elements to track down Escobar. Be sure to get the latest news about the U.S. military, as well as critical info about how to join and all the benefits of service. 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?. (. })(); Intelligence Support Activity provides US special forces with intelligence gatherers, man hunters, assassins and deep penetration agents. "Apparently, ISA's direct action element was also put on alert during the hijacking of the Italian cruise ship, Achille Lauro. ISA operatives are highly skilled in the various arts of HUMINT gathering including: (Source). A critical component of clandestine activity is the ability to infiltrate enemy territory ahead of more formal military action. The Cantor said nothing. 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. It built a reputation for daring, flexibility and a degree of lawlessness. "In 1981, the Central Intelligence Agency, along with a covert helicopter unit, Seaspray, was involved in the secret transport of Lebanese Christian leader Bashir Gemayel back to Beirut after a round of secret talks with the President Ronald Reagan. For a Tier 1 group dedicated primarily to intelligence collection and support, the equipment of the ISA cannot be completely verified, nor can any weapons or equipments continued use be verified. The CIA would talk directly to the warlords while the ISA provided SIGINT support and ground security for them. Candidates then are put through a battery of assessment and selection courses as well as background checks and psychological testing. "In 1984, political instability swept through the Seychelles, a group of islands off the coast of Africa. (Source). It was a body of men and women first sent to Japan to study Ninjitzu, then on to Chinas Shao Lin Temple to study Kung Fu, then finally to Iran to study the ways of the Immortals under the former King of the Persian Empire, Xerxes the Great. 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. When Escobar surrendered in 1991, Centra Spike was pulled out, only to return a year later, when Escobar escaped from his comfortable prison. The OSS was a direct action "group" that was directly involved in sabotage, infiltration, combat and even assassination. Political bickering stalled the deployment of the agents, and finally, the operation was approved. The unit is organized into several elements. They began forming their own plan for storming the airplane and liberating the hostages. 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. "The government realized the importance of the FOG. 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 FOG was able to clandestinely enter Tehran and gather the required intelligence. A case officer is someone who handles a foreign asset by giving them collection requirements and ensuring their safety. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING VETERAN JOURNALISM - JOIN SOFREP+ They marked secret infiltration routes and bases American forces could use if they were ever sent into the country. 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. 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. From 5 miles away and 4,575m above the ground, operatives could target insurgents communications via cellphone. The monitoring of guerilla factions allowed the Salvadoran Army to successfully defend against their attacks. 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; The Headquarters element of ISA is located in Fort Belvoir, VA but the squadrons and supporting elements are scattered across the Maryland/D.C./Virginia area. 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. (Source) Once the safe house was located, using a mixture of SIGINT, GEOINT and HUMINT, a raid was initiated. As with any clandestine unit, only so much can be known about any of the JSOC special mission units. Failed Clandestine operations, usually result in some form of USG explanation. 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. Most officials disliked the unit's head, Jerry King, and thus, JSOC did not send the unit in. They must maintain a demeanour of trustworthiness and calmness, so any approached HUMINT sources feel safe and trusted. Nowadays the ISA focuses on the preparation of the battlespace for military operations across the globe. USSOCOM receives, reviews, coordinates and prioritizes all Defense Department plans that support the global campaign against terrorism. "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. Primarily acting as enablers for JSOC special mission units. In effect, the ISAs exploitation of signal intelligence saved the lives of 100s of US soldiers from the 10th Mountain and 101st Airborne divisions. One problem that plagued the first attempt was the lack of valuable intelligence. Unless you plan to body-check those cars I would junk up.. Both were doing the same thing in Colombia, except Centra Spike was doing a better job, at a much lower cost. For the four main battalions, numbering in total over 300 operators, there are different roles members could fall into. The trials of the ISA in Queens Hunter were not the only time the team was tested in South America. Working closely with Special Forces and the CIA, Gray Fox also places operatives inside hostile territory. 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. The authors note that "All information used in this article has been obtained from publicly available, open source documents." There are also teams within the ISA who can conduct direct action missions should the need arise. var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; 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 TRADOC DCS, G-2 develops, describes, and delivers the OE in order to support the Army's preparations to fight and win the nation's wars. Geo, take a mandarin with you, the Cantor directed without looking at me. >Develops and . All the tools you need to an in-depth Intelligence Support Activity Self-Assessment. The mandarins decided they were much too tired and sleepy to unload their car to safekeep all of their sensitive items in the house with them. What is the difference between the Seasonal Tactical Fitness Periodization programs recently developed vs. previous years? These operatives mirror the function of CIA case officers and even go through CIA training at the Farm in Virginia. The US military and many of its allies consider DA one of the basic special operations missions. To operatorsnot so much. Its worth noting that Bravo troop was never compromised while conducting espionage against the Assad regime in Syria. US Air Force Pararescue | Me, I dont like to be on the delivery end of harsh criticism; however, I do find that whole situation with the mandarins to be just ever so slightly south of sensational, and fairly fundamentally novice! The ISA consistently attaches itself to other units, either as a temporary or more permanent component. Since its inception, the Activity has been providing invaluable intelligence and support to many United States operations. The capture was to happen as he would be heading south to the city of Vlasenica. FOG became permanent and renamed ISA on March 3, 1981. The exact breakdown of this squadron isnt known, however it is a reasonable assumption that its divided into troops based on the specific mission, such as airborne SIGINT or ground SIGINT. A key driver for the meeting was the recognition that quality operational intelligence was virtually non-existent. Unfortunately, the police were either heavily corrupted or unwilling to arrest Escobar, and the intelligence went to waste. One selection exercise involved dropping a candidate off in the desert without food, water or means of communication. Its members often use disguises to avoid detection and if they are compromised they can quickly disappear from sight and completely change their appearance. Based on photos of ISA operatives and reasonable assumption, they are most likely to carry: For a unit like ISA, firearms are not its primary weapons. non-covert action intelligence activityoften a collection programto be of such sensitivity that 1 Oral notifications shall be followed by a written notification.
