In early 1978, the US Army Special Forces volunteers were put through a four-phased specialized selection/assessment process dubbed the “Robert Redford Paper.” The HQ was set in the former prison of Fort Bragg (North Carolina). 19, 1977, by Colonel Charles Beckwith and Colonel Thomas Henry. The United States Army originally planned Delta Force as “an organization which can be deployed worldwide and has the capability to provide an appropriate response to highly sensitive situations including acts of international terrorism,” explains a 1977 analysis of the proposed unit held by the Army’s Center of Military History.ĭelta Force was then established on Nov. Watts had made it clear to Beckwith that it would take eighteen months to build a squadron but advised him to tell the Army leadership that it would take two years and not to “let anyone talk (him) out of this.” Beckwith’s estimate came from a conversation he had had earlier with Brigadier John Watts in England in 1976. Beckwith’s estimated time for a new unit to be mission-ready was 24 months. In the mid-1970s, Beckwith got the green light from the Pentagon and Army senior leadership. He wanted such unit and men as tough or tougher than the members of Delta’s inspiration, the British Special Air Service. He briefed military and government figures who were resistant to creating a new unit outside of Special Forces or changing existing methods.īut Beckwith keeps pushing it. It was crucial when Charlie Beckwith recognized and pointed out the need for “not only teachers but doers.” He envisioned highly adaptable and autonomous small teams with a broad array of special skills for direct action (DA) and counter-terrorism (CT) missions that can strike without warning and with maximum efficiency. Army Special Forces were up-to-date with world trends but focused on unconventional warfare. Norman Schwarzkopf’s protective detail during the Persian Gulf War. A Delta Force operator wields a CAR-15 while serving on Gen.
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