Anti-Terrorist Hostage Rescue,
a Modern Parable
This report compares the organizational style and effectiveness
of two modern anti-terrorist units, Rangers and
Special Forces, within the current U.S. Army
structure, as applied to a standardized testing scenario.
Therefore, if a hijacked Boeing 747, together with its passengers
and crew, was being held hostage at an airport by fanatical
revolutionaries, would an anti-terrorist unit formed for a
rescue and recovery mission by Rangers
or Special Forces succeed better?
Ranger Option
-
Forces / Equipment Committed:
-
If the Rangers went in, they would send a regular Ranger company
of 120 men with standard Army-issue weapons and equipment.
-
Mission Preparation:
-
The Ranger company First Sergeant would conduct a hair cut,
uniform and boots inspection prior to deployment.
-
Infiltration Technique:
-
The Rangers would insist on double-timing in company formation,
wearing their combat equipment, and singing Jody cadence all the
way to the site of the hijacked aircraft.
-
Actions in the Objective Area:
-
Once they arrived, the Ranger company would establish their ORP,
put out security elements, conduct a leaders recon, re-apply
their face cammo, and conduct final preparations for sustained
actions on the OBJ.
-
Results of Operation:
-
The rescue / recovery operation would be completed within one
hour; all of the terrorists and most of the passengers would have
been killed, the Rangers would have sustained light casualties,
and the Boeing 747 would be worthless to anyone except a scrap
dealer. All of the soldiers would receive a promotion and an Army
Commendation Medal with Valor device, while the leaders would
receive Bronze Stars with a Valor device.
Special Forces Option
-
Forces / Equipment Committed:
-
If Special Forces went in, they would send only a twelve man team
(due to some obscure mystical or arcane historical reason, all SF
units are divisible by 12), however, due to the exotic nature of
their highly specialized weapons and equipment, the SF team would
cost as much to deploy as the entire Ranger company.
-
Mission Preparation:
-
The team Sergeant would immediately request relaxed grooming
standards for the SF team so as to enable assimilation.
-
Infiltration Technique:
-
The SF team would insist on separate travel orders with maximal
per diem allotments, and each team member would get to the
hijacking site by his own means. At least four-twelfths of the
team would insist on a HALO infiltration, and probably another
two-twelfths would expect a FRIES or SCUBA insertion.
-
Actions in the Objective Area:
-
Once they arrived , the SF team would cache their military
uniforms, establish a top-secret Team Room in a safe house, use
their illegal slush fund to stock the unauthorized armory and
barroom with non-appropriated essentials, check-out the situation
by interviewing the locals in their own language, and then
conduct a team meeting to discuss the merits of the terrorists'
cause.
-
Results of Operation:
-
The rescue / recovery operation would take two weeks to complete,
and by that time, all of the terrorists would have been killed
(leaving signed confessions), the passengers would be ruined
psychologically for the remainder of their lives, and all of the
women passengers would be pregnant. The Boeing 747 crew would be
traumatized but essentially unharmed, and the airplane would be
undamaged, needing only a good cleaning. The SF team would have
taken no casualties, but would have used up, lost, or stolen all
of the high speed equipment that had been issued to
them. At least four-twelfths of the team would write bestselling
books about the daring operation, and another four-twelfths would
compose popular songs about the classified action or the
beautiful women they encountered. The Army would reassign all
team members to other groups in hopes of quashing rumors and
disguising fiscal losses. Everyone would receive Silver Stars and
an expeditionary medal.
|