Special Forces: A Guided Tour of U.S. Army Special Forces Read online

  To give you a quick story, General Peay, who I worked for in the desert, found out that General Vuono [the Army Chief of Staff] was coming over to Saudi to visit. The way you get to command a division depends a lot upon who recommends you among the senior officers. Well, General Peay said he’d really like to see me replace him as commander of the 101st. I was by then [already] on the promotion list to major general, and he tells me, “When the chief comes tomorrow, I can either try to get you the 82nd [Airborne Division] or the 101st to be my replacement. Which one would you rather command?”

  General Hugh Shelton and other dignitaries at a ceremony to dedicate the Arthur “Bull” Simons memorial at Fort Bragg. Though he heads the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he often can be found supporting Special Operations events like this.

  JOHN D. GRESHAM

  Of course, here I am in the middle of the desert with the great Screaming Eagles, and nobody can complain about that. I looked back at him and said, “That’s like asking me to tell you which son I love the best. They’re both great! But I would never forgive myself if I did not choose the 82nd. I like to jump out of airplanes! I like the exercises they go on. I like the level of readiness they have. And, of course, they’re from North Carolina, my home state. I even went to ROTC summer camp with the 82nd, which sponsored the camp. I had admired the 82nd since my days in ROTC.”

  After two years commanding the 82nd Airborne Division, Shelton, now a lieutenant general, moved down the road at Fort Bragg to command the XVIII Airborne Corps. There Hugh Shelton inherited problems that would define much of his career in the next few years. First was to deal with the simmering political problems in Haiti. Second was to make XVIII Airborne Corps ready for the challenges of the post—Cold War world.

  Tom Clancy: You have a reputation—not unlike that of the Special Forces—of being a quiet man. What do you think of that assessment?

  General Shelton: That ties into the SOF community—“quiet professionals.” They are nice people, very competent, and [also] professional. I think it serves them well to be “quiet professionals,” because they just add to the great capabilities that are resident in their parent services. The various services now are beginning to love the capabilities that they provide. Along with that, they don’t come around looking for glory or fame. They just say, “What do you want done?” and “Here’s what we can do ...”

  One of my favorite SOF/“joint” operations stories involves Admiral Jay Johnson, who commanded the naval task force for me down in Haiti in 1994. One of the things that really impressed Jay was when the Army SOF aviators [from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment—the Nightstalkers] came to pick him up to take him over to a JSOC [Joint Special Operations Command] change of command ceremony over aboard the USS America [CV-66].19 General Brown was coming out of command, and he sent a 160th chopper over to pick us up, as I was the JTF [Joint Task Force] commander. It landed on the Mount Whitney [LCC-20—the Haiti JTF flagship], and as they landed, the crew chief jumped out to come get us, and the guy was dressed in solid black. He had kneepads on, elbow pads, a black helmet and flight suit, and a smoked face shield. As he walked over, he motioned for us to follow, and then turned around. As he did that, we saw in big words on his back, “NO FEAR!” I remember Jay looking over at me, and it clearly made a big impression!

  Tom Clancy: You took over XVIII Airborne Corps in 1993, and you had to deal with the crisis in Haiti for much of your tenure there. Can you please give us some general impressions of Operation Uphold Democracy, and what you had originally planned if General Cedras (the Haitian dictator) had not resigned and gone into exile?

  General Shelton: When I took over XVIII Airborne Corps, I remembered that as a brigade commander for the 82nd Airborne during the 1983-1985 timeframe, I had been told that some day we might have to do a parachute operation with a brigade-sized element into Haiti. We would have jumped into Port-au-Prince Airfield to either rescue the Americans that were there or to help stabilize the situation until other forces could arrive. So in ‘93 when we were asked by ACOM [Atlantic Command—now Joint Forces Command] to take a look at our plans for Haiti, I was quite surprised to see that it was the same contingency plan I had been asked to do some eight years earlier. I looked at it and I said, “There has got to be a better way to do this.”

  So we put together what eventually became the Uphold Democracy plan. It involved an amphibious landing by the Marines, a large parachute operation by the 82nd Airborne Division, and a reserve consisting of the Joint Special Oper-ationsCommand. We knew we were up against about 7,000 members of the Haitian Defense Forces, which included not only military but also the police. Our goal was to hit them in the middle of the night, take over every one of their police stations and all of their key military installations, so that by the time daylight came we basically would be in charge. If they wanted to fight, they would have to do that in a very disorganized manner.

  To execute Uphold Democracy, we had the capabilities resident within XVIII Airborne Corps, with some augmentation with the Marines. We had trained hard with the 2nd Marine Division and II MEF down at Camp LeJeune, along with the 2nd Fleet in Norfolk, and felt very comfortable that in a joint environment this would be a relatively easy operation.

  Tom Clancy: As the Uphold Democracy Joint Task Force Commander you had control of a wide variety of units, including a large Special Operations Forces component. Would you please describe those units and how you eventually wound up using them?

  General Shelton: As a result of my prior training and of knowing a lot of the individuals in Special Operations (Fort Bragg20 is a very tight community), I was well aware of what they did, who they were, and how they did their jobs. Therefore, when we put the plan together, one of the first units I got involved in it was the Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg. At the same time, Special Forces teams were designed to be spread throughout the country in about twenty key towns and villages, and to show that we had a presence all over the island, not just in Port-au-Prince. They had tremendous capabilities, and we had planned to use all of these, including the hostage rescue element, as a part of our backup plans in case things did not go as planned.

  Tom Clancy: Haiti eventually evolved into a long-term peacekeeping and nation-building effort. How did the particular capabilities and skills of Army Special Operations units make this easier for the U.S., and what special contributions did you see them make?

  General Shelton: Special Forces have contributed immensely from day one in the operation, right up through and including the recent days there. For a long time, a lot of our humanitarian efforts (such as the building of schools and medical treatment facilities) were directed at Port-au-Prince. These were done for the most part by conventional units, but our Special Forces soldiers for a long time continued to operate out in the hither and yon. They were out in some of the more desolate places in Haiti, and the U.S. presence they showed added to peace and stability within the region.

  Among the seldom mentioned groups that played a major role from day one were the civil affairs and psychological operations (CA and PSYOPs) troops that came in. The CA did everything from helping open schools to the PSYOPs that helped tell the Haitian people why we were there and what we wanted them to do in support of Operation Uphold Democracy. Those efforts continued for a long time.

  Almost across the entire spectrum of operational capabilities, the Special Operations community has been a key part not only in Haiti but in many other areas throughout the world.

  General Shelton’s command tour of XVIII Airborne Corps provided him with a high level of visibility. He was seen as having handled the difficult and potentially embarrassing Haiti problem successfully, and thus worthy of greater rank and responsibility. Thus, when it came time to pick a new head for the U.S. Special Operations Command in 1996, he was given the nod.

  Tom Clancy: In early 1996 you were promoted to general and given the job as Commander in Chief of Special Operations Command. At the time some obs
ervers considered this an unusual move, given the credentials of your predecessors, General Carl Stiner and General Wayne Downing. Both had been longtime SOF professionals, while your career had followed a more conventional track. What do you feel made you the logical candidate for this position, and what were your early goals once you took command of SOCOM?

  General Shelton: First, I would say that I considered my nomination and eventual selection to be CINCSOC as one of the greatest honors that has ever been bestowed upon me. This is a community of great Americans, who bring to this nation a great deal of capabilities. They are great force multipliers for our conventional forces. As we have already seen, I had been involved in Special Forces early on as a young officer and gone through qualification, spent a year in combat with the 5th SFG, and then worked as a joint forces commander having SOF units under my command.

  My predecessors, Wayne Downing, Carl Stiner, and before him Jim Lindsay, all had served in Special Operations, but to some degree had had very similar types of experiences to mine. Jim Lindsay and Carl Stiner, for example, had both joined Special Forces early on, yet their careers had also followed a more conventional pattern until they were selected from XVIII Airborne Corps to command SOCOM. Wayne Downing had not been in Special Operations until he joined the Rangers. Of course after that he commanded the 75th Ranger Regiment and then went into JSOC and ultimately into the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. So his experience was on the “Black Hat”—or the Ranger side of Army SOF—and not so much on the Green Beret side.

  I felt fortunate in my case to have been both in the Rangers as well as the Green Berets, so I understood the abilities that the Special Forces troops brought, along with the capabilities of the Rangers, and therefore felt very well-prepared to take Wayne Downing’s place at SOCOM.

  To be very frank, my goal when I went into SOCOM was to try to extend the role of Special Operations Command. I needed to tell my fellow CINCs about the great capabilities that Special Operations Command provided so Special Forces units would be properly integrated into future contingency operations. This was so that the tremendous talent that SOF units could bring to bear could be applied in a correct manner by our conventional force commanders. That meant that I had to be a “quiet professional” who educated the conventional side of U.S. forces into all the capabilities of the unconventional side of the military, so to speak.

  At the same time I felt it was incumbent on me to look ahead, to see where we needed to head as a command and as a community in the future. That led me to publish Joint Vision 2020 for Special Operations Command, which would leverage off of the conventional version of Joint Vision 2010. Our goal was to look much further into the future for Special Operations Command, so we could make sure that we always were on the leading edge, both in terms of technology and preparation, to make a difference in today’s environment or in a future conflict.

  Those were the two goals that I set out. The first one being the enhanced integration of SOF into conventional operations; and second, preparing for the future of Special Operations Command.

  Tom Clancy: How did you go about educating your fellow CINCs in the capabilities of the units in SOCOM?

  General Shelton: As I indicated previously, this was one of my key goals as CINCSOC, because I felt that this was where our greatest effort was needed. Frankly, my efforts were supported by my credentials on the conventional side of the military profession. Having established my credentials as a Joint Task Force Commander, XVIII Airborne Corps Commander, 82nd Airborne Division commander, and also having a Special Operations (Green Beret) background, allowed me to bridge the gap. Approaching the conventional side of the armed forces in that manner showed that we had great capabilities and were there to support them. It was not a matter of choosing between Special Ops or conventional forces, but a matter of integrating them to achieve the complementary capabilities for the joint warfighters.

  Tom Clancy: You took over SOCOM during a time when the early gains made by the community under the 1980 Goldwater-Nichols and Nunn-Cohen legislations were being consolidated, and procurement efforts began to result in deliveries of aircraft and other hardware. Can you talk to us about how these events and new systems affected your ability to conduct operations as well as your ability to support your fellow CINCs?

  General Shelton: I don’t think there’s any question that the arrival of new platforms and new technology into the community began to show the conventional side of the armed forces just how effective the SOF elements could be and what they could provide for them. Capabilities ranging from the AC-130U Uniform gunship with its tremendous capabilities and all-weather look-down/shoot-down capabilities, to the infiltration aircraft used by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, to the low observable technology that was available in several forms within the SOF community. Everywhere you turned there was leading-edge technology being applied.

  General Shelton makes points during his interview with the author.

  JOHN D. GRESHAM

  But also, and perhaps more important, as a result of the personnel assessment and selection process, we had seen the transition of the individuals within SOF into a first-class—a world-class—force. From the officers to the noncommissioned officers, they were quality troops. Everyone began to appreciate that, particularly as they had a chance to work with them and see them and integrate them into their operations and see what they could do for them. Suddenly it was that technology in our platforms and the quality of our people that really began to sell Special Operations. That continues today.

  Tom Clancy: You had less than two years in command of SOCOM ... not a very long time. This said, what are the achievements that you are most proud of when you look back on that time?

  General Shelton: That’s a great question; and it really strikes a nerve, since it was the best job a four-star could possibly have in the armed forces—a chance to be associated with such a great group of top-notch professionals. Also a chance to jump out of airplanes with them, to participate in operations, and to see them at work was always a reward in itself. I would also say that to be Commander in Chief of SOCOM was a pinnacle of achievement for me, and a tremendous assignment.

  General Shelton makes points during his interview with the author.

  JOHN D. GRESHAM

  To put what I’ve already said another way, when I took over SOCOM, what I really set out to do was to sell Special Operations Forces to the rest of the CINCs and the services. I wanted them to know what superb people and capabilities the Special Forces would bring to the joint fight. Warfighting in the future has got to be done by the total force. That was my goal, and I think we were successful.

  At the same time, when I took over, we were then entering into the 1996 Quadrennial Defense Review, and the second goal I had was to make sure that I protected SOF. We wanted to do this by making sure that everyone understood what this very small investment of personnel did for the nation. We made sure in the war games conducted as part of QDR to determine future force structures that the capabilities SOCOM units provided would be incorporated into the final report.

  Also, because of my SOCOM funding authority, we were like a separate service. And I insisted that SOCOM sit at the table when funding and programming decisions were being discussed and that we were fully integrated into the Quadrennial Defense Review. I basically committed the Deputy CINCSOC, at that time Admiral Ray Smith, to go to Washington with a first-class team. We did this during QDR to make sure that we were present at all the key decision points and showed what SOF could contribute to each of the war games that they ran.

  The final thing I remember being proud of was Joint Vision 2020, making sure that we had a vision for the future that would help lead to a pursuit of technology, and the types of individuals that we would need to fight in future environments. This way, SOCOM units would continue to be key players in joint warfighting into the future.

  The official seal of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Henry Shelton heads th
e Joint Chiefs, and is the first special operations professional to hold the post.

  OFFICIAL DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE GRAPHIC

  In 1997, General Shelton was nominated to take over the post of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Like his two predecessors, Generals Powell and Shalikashvili, he brought his own unique experiences and perspectives to the post that he has occupied since that time. And like both of them, he had been commissioned from the ranks of ROTC officers. He was also the first Special Operations professional to ever serve on the Joint Chiefs. This background has provided him with an unprecedented view, both for the worth of SOF units and their place in America’s military and the world.

  Tom Clancy: In 1997, the president nominated you to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. What are your memories of receiving the nomination, and what were your personal feelings about rising to this position within the American military?

  General Shelton: Any time a president appoints you to a position it’s an enormous privilege and it’s hard to say no. I was humbled and honored by the trust and confidence that President Clinton had placed in me. I thought of all those many people—family, friends, soldiers, and bosses—who had helped mold me into the person that was ready to take on this job as America’s top soldier. I certainly understood the responsibility that comes with the job and I accepted it willingly and without any reservation, knowing that it meant longer hours—there’s never enough hours in the day—and a lot of travel miles. But, I also knew it would be rewarding and would give me the opportunity to serve with America’s best for a few more years. I can tell you there is no greater job than to represent America’s men and women in uniform and to champion their interests and concerns before the president, Congress, and the American public.