In the dramatic US operation “Operation Absolute Determination”, which led to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, a key role was played by Delta Force – the most elite unit of the US Army, specialized in high-risk special operations.
Delta Force is the colloquial name for the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (SFOD-D), a special operations group of the US Army created to handle the most critical missions, including counter-terrorism operations, hostage rescue, precision direct strikes, and capture of high-profile targets.
The unit was founded in the late 1970s under the influence of the ideas of Colonel Charles “Charlie” Beckwith, who during his service in the US Special Forces and cooperation with the British SAS advocated the formation of an elite unit that would be capable of responding to global terrorist threats and crisis situations beyond the reach of conventional forces.
Secrecy and selection
Delta Force is characterized by extreme secrecy and tightly controlled information. The public rarely receives confirmed information about its operations, training procedures or structure. Many details about the unit come from retrospective reports and analyzes by veterans and from informal military sources.
Selection and training to enter the Delta are considered extremely demanding. Candidates go through a rigorous process that tests physical endurance, mental resilience, tactical skills and the ability to act in extreme situations. Covert training prepares them to work in a hostile environment, often in isolated or extremely dangerous conditions, with minimal support and information visibility.
The most famous operations
Delta Force has gained a worldwide reputation through a series of high-profile operations. One of the most famous is the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993, part of the Somali mission in which Delta soldiers participated, which later became the subject of the movie Black Hawk Down.
The unit is also active in numerous other missions around the world, including the pursuit and capture of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, the hunt for Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, and participation in operations against the Islamic State.
Delta Force has also been involved in operations such as the capture of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2019, although in those cases the cooperation sometimes includes other special forces such as the Navy SEALs, the elite Navy SEALs.
Delta Force and the operation in Venezuela
According to American sources reported by CBS News, it was Delta Force that carried out the operation to arrest Maduro and his wife and transported them from Venezuela, where they are now facing charges in federal court in New York.
The operation is part of a larger US military campaign in the region and included precision air strikes, ground and helicopter elements, as well as long-term intelligence planning that took months before action.
Delta Force remains one of the most prestigious, but also the least transparent military formations in the US armed forces, known for its ability to carry out extremely complex missions in the most difficult possible conditions – often without any public confirmation of its actions until the results become indisputable, writes Index.hr.
(TYPE/Photo: Wikipedia/Public Domain)
