Federal Bureau of Prisons Special Operations Response Team (SORT), " Veritas Omnia Vincula Vincit 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 forms of intelligence gathered by the Activity include: HUMINT (HUMan INTellgence) "When TWA Flight 847 was hijacked on June 14, 1985, America's counter-terrorist forces went on full alert. The cover of these operatives is typically much harder to develop since it requires a reason to be in and out of the target country on a frequent basis, and to have inauspicious ties to the target country. 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 guiding hand of JSOC, the ISA operated alongside other JSOC and CIA elements, under the codename Gray Fox. They also provided protection for numerous Arabian princes, and established good contacts while down there. The Pentagon frequently disavows knowledge regarding their activities or even their existence, and they've been given different names multiple times to misdirect any probes into their identity or activities. Given the nature of their operations and the close work and training they receive alongside other US special operations forces, much of their equipment is likely to mimic that of the special mission units they support and work alongside. This Army Special Operations unit, goes by many names, which is indicative of the various activities, functions and environments performed by these operators. So there they were sitting in our Tactical Operations Center in Bosnia waiting to be integrated into our PIFWC hunting operations. A simultaneous raid on the targets was to be made. Sound Like You? Bravo troop tackles the extremely difficult target countries like Syria which had a sophisticated counterintelligence network. Talk about close target recce. Thats pretty frickin ballsy. Two people with a lockpick kit and a camera. Killer Elite: The Inside Story of America's Most Secret Special Operations Forces are the elite commandos of the U.S. military. "In late 1981, ISA agents were involved in the attempt to acquire a Soviet T-72 tank, which had obsessed intelligence analysts. [2] Unconventional warfare, special reconnaissance and direct action roles have merged throughout the decades and are typically performed primarily by the same units. FOG was developed because of a perceived need for greater intelligence-gathering capabilities for the U.S. military. Small Wars Journal is published by Small Wars Foundation - a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. The CIA was leading extraordinary rendition operations in Somalia in conjunction with the ISA and the help of local warlords. Featured Book: Gen Meyer, Gen Vaught (DAMO-OD), and LTC Jim Longhofer (DAMO-ODSO), traveled to Langley and met with the new Director and his operational elements director. The examples and perspective in this article, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Joint Publication 1-02 Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms", United States Army Special Operations Command, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Direct_action_(military)&oldid=1081847487, This page was last edited on 10 April 2022, at 01:40. The Invasion of Iraq was an extremely complex time for the US military with units scattered across the country conducting a wide variety of missions. Dream of Becoming a Navy Seal or Part of Delta Force? Here is the However, Operation Anaconda is one of few of the ISAs Afghanistan operations known to the public. The raid was cancelled over fears that the French and Italians tipped Karadzic off. Killer Elite 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. If an operative is in a country with an official cover, possessing a firearm can mean being sent to prison or death. by Michael Smith From 5 miles away and 4,575m above the ground, operatives could target insurgents communications via cellphone. Now, shes a third-term Virginia congresswoman. "Known as the Intelligence Support Activity, or ISA, when it was established in 1981, this unit fought in drug wars and counter-terror operations from the Middle East to South America. to FOG, SOG, SAD, SMU, ISA, and, FID, the focus of which is the ISA through 2015. 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]. ISA operators were said to be so skilled that they could tell whether a tank needed a tune-up from background noise of transmissions. 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. 75th Rangers Working for CIA : Military - reddit (Source) Once the safe house was located, using a mixture of SIGINT, GEOINT and HUMINT, a raid was initiated. 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. The ISAs HUMINT collectors gather information from human sources via coercion and interrogation depending on the asset. The following article on the Intelligence Support Activity was copied from Specwarnet.net online. However, through OSINT collection we know that there are three primary squadrons: Sometimes referred to as HUMINT or Ground squadron, Operations Squadron functions as ISAs HUMINT collection squadron. Enterprise Scalable Data Center Groundbreaking Ceremony As such discussing their capabilities is frowned upon. The exact makeup of ISAs force structure is hard to determine. US Army intelligence defines HUMINT as including: The sources of this information can come from enemy combatants, including regular armed forces, and civilian sources. These operatives have a cover in the commercial sector, typically as an international businessperson. Codename: Gray Fox - Sicarius Due to their specialization in intelligence, they can operate as vanguard teams to support another units operations. (. This extends beyond knowledge of things like general location, language and culture. However, the CIA couldnt provide these answers so Delta turned to the FOG. Gaining entry into the ISA is not easy; candidates already must be part of a special operations forces group. Little is known about the organization or its activities, but it is clear that they serve as a. (Source) Sending agents that not only act, but look like the people of the country they seek to infiltrate makes for an even more effective cover. Box 378 Red Hook, New York 12571 United States. The strategists decided the best option would be to send an ISA team in to provide accurate intelligence on the situation, and to prepare to secure landing zones for a Delta rescue force. " As such, the activities and specifics of Gray Fox are not widely made available. This Intelligence Support Activity All-Inclusive Self-Assessment enables You to be that person. find out more action is "necessary to support identifiable foreign policy objectives of the United States, and is The DCS, G-2 is the Director of the Operational Environment Enterprise (OEE) and author of the Army's approved current Operational Environment (OE). ISA. After a massive effort, including remote viewers from the United States, turned up nothing, a team of ISA signals intelligence specialists was also sent over to Italy to provide any assistance they could, along with sophisticated equipment and specially outfitted helicopters. A declassified document provides background information about the Intelligence Support Activity (ISA ), a little known intelligence gathering unit that collects tactical intel for Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and other Special Operations units. (Source). (Source) Gray Fox operators and intelligence specialists operated alongside other special operations units, including Delta Force and DEVGRU, as well as other components of the US Army. "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. The separation did not fit real world requirements which was finally recognized in the aftermath of the failed Iran rescue. There was a chain barricade that the Serbian police (MUPs) used to block access to a side road that junctioned with highway M4. ISA would operate under a host of cover names to confuse anyone without the need to know. His elements were being heavily tasked, and a directed intelligence pipeline was established to FOG. The Intelligence Support Activity (ISA), the 1st Capabilities Integration Group (Airborne), or simply The Activity is a component of the US Army and acts as a dedicated intelligence group for SOCOM. In all cases, the Congressional members voiced support. Case officers also target and recruit potential assets. At the point of execution, the road became bureaucratically bumpy. All rights reserved. The ISA is perhaps the most major outlier doctrinally from its other, better known, counterparts within JSOC and SOCOM as a whole. He seemed equally satisfied when they reported the next morning that the clandcam was up and recording and that they would have the product with them when they returned the next morning. The cyber operations team extends into other offsets of intelligence gathering, including OSINT, cyber threat intelligence and cyber warfare. Eliciting information from select sources, The exploitation of documents, media and materials. 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. USSOCOM receives, reviews, coordinates and prioritizes all Defense Department plans that support the global campaign against terrorism. Spec Ops Profile: Intelligence Support Activity | Military.com 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. . Read Next: Delta Force and SEAL Team 6 operators on the loose? 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 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. Check, chief! and she yanked the gat our of my hand. The SIGINT group of the ISA gathered signal intelligence via aircraft, that was then passed on to NSA analysts. (Source). Special Operations (SO) encompass the use of small units in direct or indirect military actions focused on strategic or operational objectives. The most important thing to know is that intelligence drives "direct action" operations. Years before its actual formation, the need for the ISA, or an operational entity like it, was already being examined. The Cantor sent me out as usual to throw the lock, wait for our operational vehicle to pass, then shut it again. Working alongside SEASPRAY, a specialized aviation unit that would later form a part of Delta Force, the ISA would conduct aerial SIGINT operations to assist the Salvadoran Army against guerrillas. Officials developed a contingency plan for the new situation: ISA operators were to infiltrate the city and confirm the locations of the hostages, as well as make contact with the Lebanese Christian militia. (Source), Under the operational codename Centra Spike, the Intelligence Support Activity operated alongside CIA and local police elements to track down Escobar. Intelligence Support Activity - Role 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'). It was late in the evening after a long day and long drive for the mandarins, who finally stopped to stay the night in one of the many safe houses we had scattered throughout the country. 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). non-covert action intelligence activityoften a collection programto be of such sensitivity that 1 Oral notifications shall be followed by a written notification. As the name implies, SIGINT Squadron is responsible for ISAs signals intelligence mission. "ISA was divided into branches of signals intelligence (SIGINT) specialists, human intelligence (HUMINT) specialists, and a highly compartmentalized direct action element, the 'shooters'. "In 1984, political instability swept through the Seychelles, a group of islands off the coast of Africa. Unless you plan to body-check those cars I would junk up.. Mission. A vehicle on time and on target rolled through the barricade. However, the ISA intercepted Iraqi communications that corroborated intelligence collected from his family members. Geo, take a mandarin with you, the Cantor directed without looking at me. It is known that the unit has changed its codename over the years. Immediately after, he would be dropped off in a city, and asked to perform clandestine activities.