OMEGA is a Joint CIA-JSOC unit of “Hunter/Killer Teams.” It’s essentially a combination of the best of the best in military operations and intelligence, with the CIA providing targeting intelligence, and JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command) providing Special Ops soldiers to do the heavy lifting. It’s the elite teams and individuals involved in these operations that have inspired NBC’s new badass series, The Brave, Premiering September 25th.The primary purposes of OMEGA is capturing and killing High Value Targets, conducting vehicle interdiction, and gathering intelligence. The CIA and JSOC can gather information independently of one another, but rather than having these two bureaucracies competing for the same missions, they work together to access a broader, deeper range of information under the joint umbrella of OMEGA.
(Creative Commons/PH2 JEFFREY LOSHAW)SEAL Team Six – Navy’s DEVGRUSEAL Team Six (DEVGRU) is the U.S. Navy component of JSOC. This is the squad most Americans are familiar with due to their reputation as the toughest soldiers and involvement in high profile operations. Referred to within JSOC as Task Force Blue, SEAL Team Six is administratively supported by Naval Special Warfare Command and operationally commanded by the JSOC. Most information concerning the team is classified, and details of its activities are not usually commented on by either the White House or the Department of Defense.DEVGRU and Delta Force make up the tip of the U.S. military spear – they are our primary counterterrorism units. Although DEVGRU was created as a maritime counterterrorism unit targeting high-value targets, it has become a multi functional special operations unit with several roles that include: hostage rescue, special reconnaissance, personal security, and other specialized missions.
(Creative Commons/Sgt. Eric Rutherford)Army’s 160th SOARThese are the best helicopter pilots in the land, who bring SEALs and Delta to engage High Value Targets. The 160th SOAR, also known as Night Stalkers, or Task Force Brown, is a special operations force of the Army that provides helicopter aviation support for general purpose forces and special operations forces. Its missions have included attack, assault, and reconnaissance, and are usually conducted at night, at high speeds, low altitudes, and on short notice. The Regiment is headquartered at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
(Creative Commons/U.S. Air Force)Air Force’s 24th Special Tactics SquadronThe 24th Special Tactics Squadron is the Special Tactics unit of the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), and the Air Force component to JSOC. These are the combat controllers who put laser dots on targets for Air Force pilots. In recent years, the squadron has been heavily involved in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan where the unit was part of the JSOC groupings Task Force 121, Task Force 6-26 and Task Force 145.
(Creative Commons/Fish Cop.)Fort BraggThe headquarters of Special Operations Command (including SEAL Team Six real name DEVGRU) is located at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
(Creative Commons/U.S. Air Force)Why a Joint Unit?The military holds Title 10 authorities related to war time deployments, and the CIA holds Title 50 authorities which allow for covert operations. Combining the two authorities by “sheep dipping” active duty military personnel allows for the best of both worlds. The U.S. is able to disguise operatives with different identities, placing them within legitimate organizations so they can infiltrate, extract, eliminate, and get out when necessary.Conducting many of these operations is something that the CIA and JSOC can do independently of one another, but rather than having two bureaucracies competing for the same missions, it is much more sensible and successful to work in a joint environment.This article originally appeared on The Chive
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