This post was originally published on Athlon Outdoors.
The almost mythical unit referred to as “Delta” is more technically known as the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta, or 1st SFOD-D. This group falls under the control and administration of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Delta is based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Delta – A Look at 48 Years of Elite Counter Terror Operations
The unit came to be in 1977 at the hands of Colonel Charles Beckwith. Beckwith was a Special Forces officer who had spent extensive time with the British Britain’s 22nd SAS. He recognized the need for the US to have a dedicated counterterrorism and hostage-rescue unit within the Army. The SAS would be the role model that Beckwith would use.
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The first major mission for Delta came in 1980 with the Iran hostage rescue attempt. It was named Operation Eagle Claw and was ultimately aborted after a catastrophic aircraft collision and massive sandstorm. Lessons were learned there and it sparked the creation of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). This new command would streamline future operations and coordinate with units like the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
Building a Modern Record
The first publicly acknowledged success of Delta took place in 1989. During the early hours of the invasion of Panama, Operation Acid Gambit, took place. A small team of Delta members rescued U.S. citizen Kurt Muse from a Panama City prison. They fought their way out after a crash-landing on extraction. This operation would become a template for rapid hostage rescue under fire.
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Blackhawk Down
In 1993, the unit deployed to Somalia as part of Task Force Ranger in Operation Gothic Serpent. Delta operators conducted a series of daylight raids to capture lieutenants of warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. The October 3–4 Battle of Mogadishu, immortalized as “Black Hawk Down,” was a costly fight. It also showcased the unit’s urban assault skill set and its integration with Rangers, aviation, and support elements.
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This battle shined a light on the courageous nature of the men in Delta. The world watched as Delta Force snipers SFC Randall Shughart and MSG Gary Gordon were inserted into a crash site to save the crew of a downed Black Hawk. They were told No multiple times but insisted even knowing that the odds of survival were minimal. They were killed while defending the crew. Lessons from Mogadishu drove changes in equipment, tactics, and inter-service coordination across JSOC.
After 9/11, Delta was among the first on the ground in Afghanistan, then shifted to Iraq in 2003. The most famous early-Iraq moment came on December 13, 2003, when Task Force 121, including Delta’s C Squadron and other JSOC elements, supported the 4th Infantry Division in Operation Red Dawn to capture Saddam Hussein near Tikrit. The mission highlighted JSOC’s fusion of human intelligence, persistent surveillance, and fast, precise action.
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Operations Against ISIS
Operations against ISIS renewed that pattern. On October 22, 2015, Delta operators accompanying Kurdish counter-terror forces assaulted an ISIS prison near Hawija, Iraq. They freed roughly 70 hostages. Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler was killed in action during the fight, the first U.S. combat death against ISIS. Years later, a teammate, then-SFC Thomas Payne, received the Medal of Honor for his role.
In October 2019, U.S. forces executed Operation Kayla Mueller in Syria. The raid ended with ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi detonating a suicide vest while fleeing into a tunnel. Open reporting identifies the assault force as Delta operators supported by the 160th SOAR and interagency partners. This action was again under the auspices of JSOC.
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What Delta is Today
Much about 1st SFOD-D remains classified, which is by design. Public sources consistently describe it as a “Tier One” special mission unit. It stands alongside the Navy’s DEVGRU and the Air Force’s 24th Special Tactics Squadron. This unit focuses on the most complex counterterrorism, hostage rescue, high-value target raids, and sensitive reconnaissance missions directed at the national level. Day to day, this means small assault teams that can move worldwide on short notice. They integrate seamlessly with aviation, intelligence, and cyber assets, and work inside joint task forces. Here, legal, diplomatic, and tactical seams are tight.
The unit draws heavily from the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment and Special Forces Groups. However, it is open to qualified soldiers from across the Army and, occasionally, other services. Selection and training are arduous by any standard. They emphasize land navigation, stress inoculation, problem-solving, and precision marksmanship. The specifics evolve and are not officially published, but the pipeline is designed to produce quiet professionals. These professionals can think and act independently in ambiguous situations.
Fort Bragg
Geographically, Delta remains based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Operationally, it continues to work under JSOC for missions that require presidential or secretary-level approval. This arrangement dates back to the post-Eagle Claw reforms and has only deepened in the decades since.
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Delta
From Beckwith’s SAS-inspired blueprint to hostage rescues in Panama, hard lessons in Somalia, manhunts in Iraq and Syria, and today’s quiet taskings, 1st SFOD-D has been the U.S. government’s go-to Army unit. They handle the most challenging, most time-sensitive missions. The public will only ever see a fraction of what it does. Images of Delta operators are rare. That is the point. The unit’s purpose is to be ready when the stakes are highest. They hit fast and leave little behind but an outcome. That has been their standard operating procedure in the past, and it is certain to continue going forward.
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