The ISAs HUMINT collectors gather information from human sources via coercion and interrogation depending on the asset. ISA operators would infiltrate either Beirut or Algiers on commercial flights to avoid tipping off the terrorists or the authorities. They require units with combinations of trained specialized personnel, equipment, and tactics that exceed the routine capabilities of conventional military forces. While the nerdiest Green Berets and special operators comprise the bulk of ISA, there are also non-traditional operatives who have not passed the selection course. Its purpose is unlike many other special operations forces of the US military, not dedicated to direct combat, and more towards secretive and clandestine actions necessary to support other military operations. It is unclear how often the ISA interrogates subjects, though given their covert operations they likely at least interrogate high-value targets. During the 1990's the unit was known as Capacity Gear. The unit was raised in 1979 as the Foreign Operating Group (FOG), who was created to overthrow the Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza. These deployments include Operation Winter Harvest, Operation Queens Hunter and their role in Operation Anaconda. All Rights Reserved, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window). Part of a Delta-DEVGRU task force, ISA provided intelligence on the whereabouts of Bosnian Serb war crimes suspects. Army did likewise through DAMO-ODSO. Delta troop is tasked with countries that are a softer target for infiltration such as the Philippines or Morocco. This was never forthcoming despite the greatest pressure upon the Agency. 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. Secret Warriors: Inside the Covert Military Operations of the Reagan Era by Steven Emerson Developed hunt methodology for Albuquerque-based Counter Human Traffic organization DeliverFund llc as an Intelligence Analyst and Network Disruption Team Leader in the Get The Daily Situation. "In and around Afghanistan, Gray Fox was part of a secret sphere that included the CIA's paramilitary Special Activities Division and the Pentagon's Joint Special Operations Command. When government officials found out, they were horrified, they seemed to have a rogue agency within its ranks. (Source). However, Operation Anaconda is one of few of the ISAs Afghanistan operations known to the public. Such as procuring equipment, getting funding for operations/training, and human resources functions. If some elements (especially photos) were originally yours please consider Specwar.info to host for free. Additionally, ISA recruits from other branches of the US military and potentially elsewhere in the intelligence community. They marked secret infiltration routes and bases American forces could use if they were ever sent into the country. Smith's book lifts the lid of secrecy on the Activity, one of America's least well known Special Ops units. Along with reviewing the security and organization again, ISA was also tasked with formulating plans for reprisals against the Syrians who had shot down two US fighters. Or these operatives can clone a cellphone, allowing them to send and receive communications to and from the phone from a remote locations. Law and the killing of a Russian propagandist: Some Q & A BY CHARLIE DUNLAP, J.D. Delta Force and SEAL Team 6 operators on the loose? The raid was cancelled over fears that the French and Italians tipped Karadzic off. His elements were being heavily tasked, and a directed intelligence pipeline was established to FOG. It built a reputation for daring, flexibility and a degree of lawlessness. a Title 10 operation or a Title 50 operation. US Army Intelligence Support Activity (USAISA), also known as ISA, The Activity, GREY FOX and, in recent times, the Mission Support Activity (MSA), is a top secret Army intelligence unit. Electronic specialists and SIGINT operators comprised part of the force. 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. It is known that the unit has changed its codename over the years. He commanded airborne battalions in both the 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment and the 82nd Airborne Division. (Source). More technical training on SIGINT, such as transmission and signals interpretation is also a component of the training. The capture was to happen as he would be heading south to the city of Vlasenica. Spec Ops Profile: Intelligence Support Activity, Paris Davis, Black Green Beret in Vietnam, Finally Awarded Medal of Honor at White House, Navy SEAL Dies in Parachute Mishap, 4th Training Death in 14 Months, Special Operations Commander Fired After Being Arrested for Alleged Drunk Driving, Hit and Run, 8 Fun Facts About the USO to Celebrate Its Birthday. He had literally tried to muscle open the lock with tools designed for a sincerely delicate operation. 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), Additionally, the ISA has acted as a pseudo-security element for the CIA. 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We locked the chain back up behind it and returned to base. Feeling the working end of my pick with my fingers I could tell that it was destroyed; the neck had a corkscrew twist in it and it was staved to shit. Praesidus brings homage to the military watch tradition. It was provided with a cover name, Tactical Concept Activity, and would never be acknowledged by the Pentagon. (Source). (Source). Read Next: Delta Force and SEAL Team 6 operators on the loose? Killer Elite 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. While Delta and DEVGRU focus on direct engagement and specialized combat tactics, the ISA conducts intelligence and espionage operations at a tactical level. 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. As such, the activities and specifics of Gray Fox are not widely made available. Once they arrived they took pictures of the embassy from every angle, recorded the types of locks on all doors, inside and outside, recorded the number of windows and exits, and created a blueprint of the building. Unfortunately, the police were either heavily corrupted or unwilling to arrest Escobar, and the intelligence went to waste. A goodly amount of minutes went by. Featuring 931 new and updated case-based questions, organized into seven core areas of process design, this Self-Assessment will help you identify areas in which . During the period leading up to the engagement, as well as potentially during the infamous Battle of Takur Ghar (aka the Battle of Roberts Ridge), ISA operators conducted aggressive SIGINT operations, intercepting enemy communications and feeding them to allied forces. Few special operations forces are clad in as much secrecy as the Intelligence Support Activity. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Tracking dummy targets over Medellin, Centra Spike managed to pinpoint their locations within 200 meters, while Majestic Eagle came no closer than four miles. This intelligence then triangulated the possible location of Dozier. Intelligence Support Activity > Service branch: Army > Also known as: Gray Fox, ISA, USISA, The Activity . Operatives tradecraft for avoiding detection is impeccable. The debris revealed a spider hole and as an operator prepared a grenade, Saddam poked his head out of the hole. Tools like radios, computers and lockpicks are much more crucial to the success of its missions. Stationed in the fifth floor of the American embassy, and operating from specially outfitted Beechcraft 300 and 350 aircraft, Centra Spike tracked Escobar around the country. Exactly who would execute the direct-action operations, would be determined after the intelligence determine the situational necessities. ". The US Department of Defense has defined direct action as "Short-duration strikes and other small-scale offensive actions conducted as a special operation in hostile, denied, or politically sensitive environments and which employ specialized military capabilities to seize, destroy, capture, exploit, recover, or damage designated targets. (. The FOG was able to clandestinely enter Tehran and gather the required intelligence. "In 1982, ISA SIGINT specialists took part in Operation Queens Hunter, a Seaspray operation in the skies above El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. SIGINT operations extended to areas with overlapping guerrilla operations, such as Nicaragua, which was facing the increased foe of the Contras. USSOCOM receives, reviews, coordinates and prioritizes all Defense Department plans that support the global campaign against terrorism. This time, the manhunt for Escobar was being led by Col. Hugo Martinez, who did not intend to let Escobar get away, and who operated with ruthless efficiency, aided by Centra Spike's intelligence. Under Operation Winter Harvest, a small team of Delta Force technicians was dispatched to Italy to provide assistance with the search for Dozier. and other specialized capabilities to support Army, joint, unified action partners, and the U.S. intelligence commu-nity. Two task forces of JSOC took part in the search and rescue operations, Delta Force and a detachment of the ISA. The operation, code-named Great Falcon, made a deal with the Iraqi government for a T-72, in exchange for 175mm cannons. Its budget would be carefully concealed so that it never made a paper trail, and only a dozen officials would know the names and locations of all of ISA's agents and safehouses. Intelligence picked up reports that the two, along with other Sudanese officials were the targets of Libyan-sponsored terrorist assassinations. (Source) This indicates that members of the primary four battalions who are combat specialists will have a wide range of skills, and therefore a high range of weapons they utilize. Direct action (DA) is a term used in the context of military special operations for small-scale raids, ambushes, sabotage or similar actions. World conditions in the early 1980s suggested that some capability was required to address the ambiguous conflicts of each Title authority into some form of credible operational capability. The ISA is perhaps the most major outlier doctrinally from its other, better known, counterparts within JSOC and SOCOM as a whole. A key driver for the meeting was the recognition that quality operational intelligence was virtually non-existent. I pulled out a pick and tension bar and handed them to him. The Cantor said nothing. 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. })(); Intelligence Support Activity provides US special forces with intelligence gatherers, man hunters, assassins and deep penetration agents. [2] Unconventional warfare, special reconnaissance and direct action roles have merged throughout the decades and are typically performed primarily by the same units. Subsequently, theyre protected by diplomatic immunity if theyre compromised during an espionage operation. 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. The trials of the ISA in Queens Hunter were not the only time the team was tested in South America. action is "necessary to support identifiable foreign policy objectives of the United States, and is The ISA also has likely integrated other new intelligence fields into its scope. "Also in 1982, an ISA team was sent to Sudan to provide protection to Sudanese President Gaafar Nimeiry and his vice president. 2023 The SOFREP Media Group. From 5 miles away and 4,575m above the ground, operatives could target insurgents communications via cellphone. His areas of focus are extremism in the Western world, military privatization and the impact of climate change on global security. (Source) Training involves different espionage and intelligence methods that allow ISA members to carry out their essential HUMINT operations. When the CIA took credit for Centra Spike's work, the Army became furious and a competition was arranged between the two units. ISA. They skillfully pushed the car down the dirt driveway and out onto the hardball road a-ways where they could hot-wire and start the car without being heard by the slumbering princesses in the safe house. Lgion trangre (French Foreign Legion) | It has since changed names several times to avoid media publicity, having been alternately known as the Tactical Concept Activity, the Tactical Coordination Detachment, the Tactical Support Team, and the Studies and Analysis Activity (SAA), among other designations.