However, our personal favorite is a toss-up between Cemetery Wind and Gray Fox. We provided documents for viewing from both the Agency and DOD lawyers supporting the organization and outlining the rationale. The ISA specializes in gathering human intelligence, signals intelligence and combat. (Source). Almost simultaneously, another truck bomb exploded in the French barracks, killing 56. Centra Spike was known to operate under several cover names, including Torn Victor, Cemetery Wind, Capacity Gear and Robin Court, and closely matched ISA's description. They require units with combinations of trained specialized personnel, equipment, and tactics that exceed the routine capabilities of conventional military forces. So where are the pilots? Operatives tradecraft for avoiding detection is impeccable. Delta's deployment was stalled by bureaucratic dealings, so ISA mobilized its most compartmentalized unit, the direct action element, the shooters. 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. Being highly proficient in the collection of HUMINT and SIGINT has made them a very effective, yet specifically dedicated, intelligence task force. This is directed from , waaay above my pay grade yeah, I get it.. "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. While driving through northern Lebanon, Cowan and his mates suffered several close calls with Syrian roadblocks and patrols. And now somebody SOMEBODY knows that somebody is recording all the cars turning down that specific road. 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. In effect, the ISAs exploitation of signal intelligence saved the lives of 100s of US soldiers from the 10th Mountain and 101st Airborne divisions. ISA. Once admitted, candidates must pass the operations training course, which teaches infiltration techniques, advanced air operations, offensive and off-road driving, personal defensive measures and communications. "ISA's existence became public in 1982 as a result of a scandal involving US POWs in Vietnam. ISA operatives often work in disguise and undercover. The whole force drove north as planned, putting Kay and me upfront to clear ahead and report back to the assault force. It is unclear how often the ISA interrogates subjects, though given their covert operations they likely at least interrogate high-value targets. (function() { "In 1982, ISA SIGINT specialists took part in Operation Queens Hunter, a Seaspray operation in the skies above El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. Russia's Spetsnaz combines DA and SR units. It is after all, not a strictly combat-oriented role like its other Tier 1 operators. In line with their proficiency in infiltration, they had an array of passports, credit cards and falsified documents to allow easy movement between territories. Then, Delta and SEAL Team 6 operators would make their way into the city in small groups and wait at safe-houses until the time was right. Royal Cape, Granite Rock and Powder Keg were some, Centra Spike and Torn Victor being other possible cover names. It was Delta Forces first mission and a horrific failure. Green Berets are considered unique from other special operators for various reasons, most . Operationally, the ISA is a dedicated intelligence group, doing the intelligence leg work for special operations groups. 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. Know a SEAL from a Night Stalker: a breakdown of US Special - SOFREP A goodly amount of minutes went by. ISA has been known to utlizes signal skimmers to pick up enemy radio transmissions and zero in on their location. 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. Well, say that was certainly good news. Original content is published under aCreative Commons Licenseper ourTerms of Use. The situation looked dire. ODSO/FOG overcame much of this through replication of capability generously funded and supported by CIA. PDF National and Joint Intelligence Support - United States Army This Army Special Operations unit, goes by many names, which is indicative of the various activities, functions and environments performed by these operators. Moscow Should Prepare For Probable US Nuclear Aggression: Reports Russian Military Journal, Destroying American Monster Abrams: Pro-Russian Group Release A How-To Video, Dr. Mary E. Walker: The First AND Only Female Medal Of Honor Recipient, Bakhmut on the Brink of Falling to Russian Troops, Decorated Navy SEAL Died in HALO Training Accident, Adam Brown: A SEALs Life of Courage and Redemption, Complete List: Ticonderoga-class Missile Cruisers To Retire By 2027, Nuclear Close Calls That Nearly Caused World War III, Russian Sausage Millionaire and Putin Critic Falls to His Death in India, Deadly Russian Rifle Brigade Wiped Out During War in Ukraine. Are you one of them? As such, the activities and specifics of Gray Fox are not widely made available. With the expansion, the FOG has renamed the ISA and officially established as a unit on January 29th, 1981. At one point during the Global War on Terror, ISA along with a component from the Airforce and Delta began to build a fleet of ISR aircraft. 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. US Air Force Pararescue | They are called upon to perform the toughest duties in the armed forces, and their actions directly affect the protection of America's freedom. One of their major tasks was to create 'pathfinders'. US News & World Report 7/6/98 - "Hunting war criminals: The first account of secret U.S. missions in Bosnia" by Richard J. Newman, https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Intelligence_Support_Activity&oldid=305336, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. PDF (U) Results in Brief - U.S. Department of Defense Authors cartoon depicting the mandarins installing the soon-to-be compromised surveillance camera. 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. The OSS was a direct action "group" that was directly involved in sabotage, infiltration, combat and even assassination. Cowan and another ISA agent managed to drive through every sector of Beirut, even the Shiite suburb, a dangerous practice at the time. The Intelligence Support Activity conducts its operations during and in advance of US military operations. Barrett products are used by civilians, sport shooters, law enforcement agencies, the United States military, and more than 75 State Department-approved countries around the world. Special Air Service (SAS) | 2e Rgiment tranger de Parachutistes | The United States Army Intelligence Support Activity (USAISA), frequently shortened to Intelligence Support Activity or ISA, and nicknamed The Activity, is a United States Army Special Operations unit originally subordinated to the US Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM). "Also in 1982, an ISA team was sent to Sudan to provide protection to Sudanese President Gaafar Nimeiry and his vice president. _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); The Activity grew out of the need for specialized intel support for US Special Operations that was highlighted by the failed US attempt to rescue American hostages from Iran in 1980. At last, he came back, and, handing me the tools lamented: I couldnt get that fucker!. Under the US Central Intelligence Agency's National Clandestine Service, there is a Special Activities Division to operate without apparent national identification for plausible deniability. His elements were being heavily tasked, and a directed intelligence pipeline was established to FOG. find out more A top-secret 'Army electronic surveillance team', was sent to aid the Colombians in August of 1989, as a part of Operation Heavy Shadow. Political bickering stalled the deployment of the agents, and finally, the operation was approved. The ISA consistently attaches itself to other units, either as a temporary or more permanent component. 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 most important thing to know is that intelligence drives "direct action" operations. Immediately after, he would be dropped off in a city, and asked to perform clandestine activities. Nowadays the ISA focuses on the preparation of the battlespace for military operations across the globe. As they soundly slept in the reverie of their grand plan, the Sandman and the Tooth Fairy happened by and found the car unlocked. >Develops and . When government officials found out, they were horrified, they seemed to have a rogue agency within its ranks. That night, the mandarin and I stashed our car and cut through an orchard whose northwest corner gave way to the bollards and the chain barricade. 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. (Source), The failure of Operation Eagle Claw was a turning point for US special operations. Under the guiding hand of JSOC, the ISA operated alongside other JSOC and CIA elements, under the codename Gray Fox. This Army Special Operations unit, goes by many names, which is indicative of the various activities, functions and environments performed by these operators. 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. 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 ISA also has a direct action arm comprised of men and women recruited from the US Army Delta . Working closely with Special Forces and the CIA, Gray Fox also places operatives inside hostile territory. There are also teams within the ISA who can conduct direct action missions should the need arise. Wickham did transfer authority to the ACSI with predictable and less than beneficial results. Highly recommended. My team, me and happy-trigger-fingered Kay-Kay, were to position north of the ambush site, report the approach of the Generals car, then pull our car out onto the highway to block traffic for the hot minute it took the assault force to stop Klandanjs car and scoop him up. All information and multimedia on Specwar.info comes from a wide number of sources. The amount of accurate and up-to-date information about the ISA is very small, due to the extremely high secrecy surrounding the unit, but over the years, various books and reports have gleamed some information about the ISA. "Today, the ISA operates under the code name Gray Fox. "Apparently, ISA's direct action element was also put on alert during the hijacking of the Italian cruise ship, Achille Lauro. During Anaconda, ISA intelligence helped save both the 10th Mountain Division and 101st Airborne Division at Takur Ghar. Featured Book: 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 CIA proved unable to provide the critical intelligence Delta Force needed, such as the number of guards, the type of weapons they were using and what kinds of locks were on the doors. Intelligence Support Activity - Wikipedia Since its inception, the Activity has been providing invaluable intelligence and support to many United States operations. In Evaluating Immunities before a Special Tribunal for Aggression Against Ukraine, the Type of Tribunal Matters, Chinas Ferry Tale Taiwan Invasion Plan Is A Legal Nightmare, China Maritime Report No. Upon return to the Pentagon, he re-assigned the ACSI POC out of FOG-related issues. The ISA initially had only support activity and HUMINT gathering functions. Due to their specialization in intelligence, they can operate as vanguard teams to support another units operations. Good enough, I thought. and other specialized capabilities to support Army, joint, unified action partners, and the U.S. intelligence commu-nity. 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! On the ground, these operatives can use a directional antenna programmed to pick up a specific cellphones signal, even if it was turned off, providing Delta Force with a target building to raid. "When TWA Flight 847 was hijacked on June 14, 1985, America's counter-terrorist forces went on full alert. (Source) Operatives must not look out of placeor easily recognizable. Highly recommended. Subsequent, Task Force 121, a collection of special mission units and conventional forces organized a raid on a small farming compound in rural Iraq. Now, shes a third-term Virginia congresswoman. [2] Unconventional warfare, special reconnaissance and direct action roles have merged throughout the decades and are typically performed primarily by the same units. > Role: HUMINT (human intelligence), SIGINT (signals intelligence), direct action. 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. I could tell by her skunk-eye that she had a dagger in the pipe ready to launch, so I lightened up. Unfortunately, the hostages were dispersed throughout the country, and the chance never came for a second attempt, but the seeds were planted for the Intelligence Support Activity. 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. Army did likewise through DAMO-ODSO. On December 2, 1993, with help from Centra Spike and a mobile Colombian surveillance team, Escobar's hideout was pinpointed, and Colombian police moved in. (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. The forms of intelligence gathered by the Activity include: HUMINT (HUMan INTellgence) 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) 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. Understanding all the following is necessary for successful infiltration: (Source). He would be given instructions and equipment along the way, and was required to perform certain assignments, for example, setting up a SATCOM system. Cake duty! The ISA comprises 5 primary elements: administration, training, SIGINT, HUMINT and direct action. In 1979 the need for a dedicated special operations intelligence unit was solidified following the overthrowing of Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza. But it had no effect on me or what I was doing not for now at least. Join SOFREP for insider access and analysis. 160th SOAR | Initially, the raid appeared to be a bust until a Delta operator kicked some debris on exfil. The ISAs HUMINT collectors gather information from human sources via coercion and interrogation depending on the asset. "The government realized the importance of the FOG. 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. 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. by Michael Smith Most officials disliked the unit's head, Jerry King, and thus, JSOC did not send the unit in. ISA has gone by many names over the years but its current one is not public knowledge. Talk about close target recce. Thats pretty frickin ballsy. Two people with a lockpick kit and a camera.