Operation EAGLE CLAW marked the beginning of intelligence as an integral part of Special Operations. The unsuccessful attempt to rescue hostages at the United States Embassy in Tehran, Iran, revealed the need for Intelligence integration into the tactical arm of the United States Military. Intelligence personnel needed training on tactical level clandestine operations and terminology, extending past the basics of regular warfare. A makeshift organization after Operation EAGLE CLAW, called the Field Operation Group (FOG), fulfilled that need, and later became the United States Army Intelligence Support Activities (USAISA). USAISA created the standards for intelligence Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP) currently used in support of Special Operations Forces today. In November 1979, a group on Iranian militants took over the United States (US) Embassy in Tehran, Iran taking 72 hostages. The US devised a plan to rescue the hostages called Operation EAGLE CLAW, which combined elements of Special Operations Forces (SOF) across all four …show more content…
FOG addressed the obvious need for intelligence integration into the mission by providing tactical level collection and analysis. Iranian militants released the hostages prior to the operation. (Brief History of Unit) Had the operation occurred, the probability of success would have been much higher due to the addition of intelligence. The SOF units would have gained a much clearer picture of the operational environment allowing them to anticipate potential risks. Human intelligence could have provided information on the civilian population to avoid detection and interference, as well as firsthand knowledge of sandstorms in the area. Analysts could have provided pattern analysis on physical and human terrain, in addition to an overall mission
During this time, the people of this time became stricken with unprecedented gasoline and energy shortages and lost their jobs. Despite the previous political issues between Iran and the United States intelligence came up with plans to rescue 52 Americans from the United States embassy in Tehran, Iran. The Americans were taken by Iranian radicals in the attempt to enforce the patriotism and the release of assets. This not only caused economic hardship, military, and presidential conflict between the United States and Iran. It also brought forth the leadership of calling rescue mission by Jimmy Carter and the legacy Jimmy Carter and the legacy of the military officials fearlessness of negotiation and a surge of patriotism throughout the United States the legacy Jimmy Carter and the legacy of the military officials fearlessness of negotiation and a surge of patriotism throughout the United
5. Incident intelligence is the information necessary to establish probable cause and to show the chronlogy of the incident. Tactical intelligence is the information for the tactical team to plan their operation. This includes information in containment, security, and/or interdiction and or assault. Lastly, there is person intelligence which includes information about the hostage taker and or suspect necessary to understand motivation, degree of risk to self or others, etc.
On November 4th, 1979, a group of enraged of Islamic revolutionists invaded the United States Embassy in Tehran. They had taken 60 Americans hostage for 444 days until President Ronald Reagan had taken Oath of office. It was nearly minutes after Reagan had taken office that they were released. Ayatollah Khomeini enforced an anti-Western Islamic theocracy, overrode the pro-Western monarchy of the Shah of Iran. Iran had felt that the United States was interfering with their internal affairs. They feared that they would return the Shah to power. The Shah had fled to mexico and the doctors there had uncovered that he was suffering an aggressive cancer. With this recent discovery they pushed the Shah to be admitted into a
Iranian students rioting outside the embassy, jumped over the gates of the embassy and took over. Every news station was counting the days the U.S. diplomats were hostages, almost every day the newspaper cover showed the days since Americans were taken hostage. Never in history had the American people experienced a situation like this. If this fact was not embarrassing enough for the president, he had planned and executed a failed rescue mission to retrieve the hostages. Operation Eagle Claw was a dismal failure, and made the United States appear weak and shameful. On April 10, 1980, this public debacle damaged the United States’ reputation around the world. The operation had encountered many obstacles, and eventually had to be aborted. Eight helicopters were sent on the mission and were to meet at Desert One, however, only five helicopters had arrived. Not only had the mission been aborted, but one helicopter crashed in the desert and killed eight service men. This gave the American people a sense of post-Vietnam nostalgia. The American people have lost faith in their president and saw him as weak leader. Many historians believe this entire fiasco to be the main event that cost Carter reelection in
On David Farber 's book Taken Hostage, Farber informs us about the Iran Hostage Crisis and America 's First Encounter with Radical Islam. This book tells us how the United States and Iran got into conflict, leading to the Iranians holding American Embassy members hostage as revenge for them feeling betrayed by the United States. It also informs us about other events that occurred in a decade that caused the United States many problems. Farber talked about all the events that lead to the Iranian Hostage Crisis. November 4, 1979, seizure of the United States embassy in Tehran and the hostage of four hundred and forty four days following, were the first steps leading up to the perpetual War on Terror. Farber believes the failure from American policymakers and more specifically from President Carter, to identify the severity of the crisis made for the prolonged crisis. The sheer ineptitude of Carter administration was the cost of the US to lose it’s way economically, culturally, politically and even military. Carter struggled to respond to the impulses of Islamic fundamentalism within the prevailing Cold War paradigm. They saw the real battle as against secular modernism and they recognized that the US was the major force spreading this cultural and political belief throughout the world. The media misrepresentations of the struggle and mass media manipulation of Americans played on the peoples emotions. Although Carter was popular at the beginning of his presidency, this began
Intelligence gathering and collection in the United States has significantly increased over time. This paper examines how intelligence reporting and pre-mission planning was crucial to the success of the United Nations involvement at The Battle of Inchon during the Korean War. By examining how intelligence played a role in this battle, you will be able to understand why it is important to gather and collect intelligence prior to every mission executed. Intelligence collection should be the baseline for all military operations. Inchon Landing has an ample amount of actionable intelligence; collected and disseminated appropriately we will discuss how it played a role in a low probability mission accomplishment to the last great amphibious assault in history. This paper provides detailed explanations on why The Battle of Inchon was a success and what could have been the outcome had it gone the other way.
In late 1979, Iranian militants seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran. They trapped ninety hostages. The Iranian militants demanded the return of Shah Reza Pahlavi. Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the Iranians, released some of the hostages but held 52 of them to use as pawns to get Pahlavi. In the Middle East, most hostages are released after a few days, but Carter was forced to start negotiations for their release.
Iran took 52 Americans hostage on November 4, 1979. The resulting failed rescue attempt, Operation Eagle Claw, was an international embarrassment for the United States. No single event or decision resulted in the mission’s failure; instead, the failure resulted from a chain of poor decisions. This single operation highlighted the need for a dedicated special operations aviation unit dedicated to the rescue of American citizens and their repatriation. This paper discusses the global situation and some of the poor decisions that were made throughout the entirety of the mission from planning through the crash at Desert One.
On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian students barged inside the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took more than 60 Americans hostages. This gave the Ronald Reagan the opportunity and the advantage of President Carter’s difficulties. There were rumors that circulated that the Reagan campaign staff negotiated with the Iranian people to be sure the American hostages not be released before the election which Ronald Reagan was running against President Carter. On Election Day, it has been one year and two days since the Americans were captive, Ronald Reagan defeated Carter in the presidential by a landslide. On January 21, 1981, just a few hours after the new President Ronald Reagan delivered his inaugural speech, the remaining American hostages were released. President Reagan has always denied the allegations with the negotiation with the Iranian people.
Tragedy stuck America on November 4th of 1979, when 52 hostages were seized at the American Embassy in Iran during the midst of the Iranian Revolution. Different policy approaches prompted a vast range of potential actions, and ultimately “Operation Eagle Claw” was carried out between April 21st and 25th of 1980. The two primary executive divisions in dispute during decision process were the National Security Council (NCS) and its advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski and Secretary of the Department of State (DOS), Cyrus Vance. The decision for the use of military force, rather than continuing economic sanctions and diplomacy, was due to Carter’s attempt at re-election and a lack of resistance from Congress.
Intelligence gathering operations is vital to any operation and the same holds true to border and coastal security. While the question pertains mostly to Post 9/11, the DOD provided intelligence and manpower in support of border security and in the war against drugs. In the mid1990s, I was assigned to a Joint Task Force (JTF) with several missions within the United States. One such operation was in Arizona providing over watch for specific areas the United States and Mexican border. Our role was strictly intelligence gathering for US Customs and Border Protection (CFB) and they acted upon the information gathered. We had the man power, experience, and more importantly stealth to carry out the missions while the CFB could concentrate on other areas until our surveillance and information gathered led to the arrest of individuals who were leading the border
On 30th April 1980 six terrorists entered the Iranian Embassy in London and took 26 people hostage, which included the embassy staff, visitors, and the security guard. The terrorists demanded the release of Arab prisoners jailed in Khuzestan along with a safe way out of the UK. However, the government denied their demands, but accomplished the release of 5 hostages through minor concessions. After a few days, when the terrorist demands were not met they killed one hostage. The British government then instructed its Special Air Services (SAS) to launch an operation called Nimrod to rescue the hostages. The SAS rappelled down the embassy building and entered through its windows. The raid lasted 17 minutes in which the
In February 2002, Special Forces intelligence agents along with Advanced Force Operations (AFO), and the Central Intelligence
In January 1979, Iranians opposed to the Shah’s rule invaded the American embassy in Tehran and held a group of 52 American diplomats and other hostages for 444 days. The Shah left Iran and the victorious Ayatollah Khomeini returned that February. Of the approximately 90 people inside the embassy, 52 remained in captivity until the end of the crisis. The reputation of the Ayatollah Khomeini and the hostage taking was further enhanced with the failure of a hostage rescue attempt that cost lives. The Ayatollah Khomeini set forth several demands to be met prior to the release of the hostages. The US had options of their own; however, the risk to the hostages required the utmost consideration. In order to secure their freedom, outgoing
The analysis is then given to consumers and policy makers, once it is checked by the analyst supervisor and peers. The analyst should also be ready to give a briefing on short notice. But both the analyst and the policy maker or consumer have to be aware of at all times, is that the intelligence field does not know everything. “On any given subject, the intelligence community faces what is in effect a field of rocks, and it lacks the resources to turn over every one to see what threats to national security may lurk underneath” (Pillar).