Delta Force: A Memoir by the Founder of the U.S. Military's Most Secretive Special-Operations Unit

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Delta Force: A Memoir by Col. Charlie Beckwith is a candid, authoritative account of creating the U.S. Army's elite counterterrorist unit. It offers a unique, first-person perspective on the unit's formation, intensive training, and the 1980 Iran hostage rescue mission. It is highly regarded as a foundational text for military history enthusiasts.

"Delta Force" should be required reading for every ambitious careerist working for a large organization. Wearing camo fatigues or gray-flannel suit, this fine treatise tells the ambitious what it takes to get things done in a large organization--in this case, the largest organization-the U.S. Army. And what it takes is a very smart, relentlessly driven maverick, just what these organizations abhor. Maverick General Billy Mitchell was court-marshaled for proving to the Navy that one aircraft could take out the fleet's largest ship. Col. Charlie Beckwith is that other maverick, famous for his vision, tenacity and executive drive. He recognized, as legions of far higher-ranked "planners" did not, that the U.S. military had a huge hole in its capabilities. That hole was how to deal quickly with terrorist and other small-unit irregular trouble-makers. The tortuous chain of command alone for SEALS and other Special Ops organizations prevents them for responding quickly to emergency situations, such as an aircraft high jacking, where every minute counts. And that same tortuous chain is also replete with know-it-all desk jockeys, anxious, willing and able to add their two cents worth of directives to an operation. By the time permission is received, the plan has become monstrous (with each branch of service jealously demanding a piece of the action), and it is far too late. The plane has either long since taken off or been blown-up and the hostages killed. The book describes in fascinating detail the twists and turns Beckwith endured to start up the still secret Delta Force. It lists name, rank and serial number of the Generals who did everything in their power to prevent what they saw only as poaching on their hallowed turf, even as they refused to admit they could not possibly handle the tasks Delta set out to achieve. And what an inventory of skills the Delta boys developed. Primary among them is deadly accuracy with any firearm under any situation. Sound impossible? Not when you consider the time spent training in realistic live-fire situations. Hours, and days and months of repetition. (This super marksmanship probably explains why Delta Force dropped the .45-cal pistol from their inventory and switched to the less-deadly 9mm. Every shooter knows that nothing stops a man in his tracks like the wallop of a .45. But those shells are large and limit a pistol's capacity. With their incredible accuracy, any round passing through the eye socket of a perpetrator will get the job done. So they might as well use the smaller round and have more of them to shoot. Some will gripe that this book proves the U.S. Military is an incompetent dinosaur with the reflexes of sloth in winter. But the subtext is that Beckwith did effect change. The military did listen, and the military did act. Delta Force exists now as-along with the British SAS from which it was copied-the finest small-unit antiterrorist force in the world.

Colonel Charlie Beckwith was the founding commander of Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, also known as Delta Force. Beckwith gives his unique first person perspective on the challenges he found in setting up a quick reaction counterterrorism unit that many other countries already had (and demonstrated in real world activities). Beckwith detailed his experience, from working with the British Special Air Service, to combat with the Special Forces in Vietnam, to establish a unit in the 1970s. He doesn't leave out any of the warts, especially of people who got in his way. The story is fascinating mostly for its demonstration of the large institutional roadblocks thrown in the way of those leading new initiatives. In this case it was "Big Army" vs. COL Beckwith. Though he had key champions in high places, Beckwith still ran up against established units who thought his effort would be redundant. He ran into people who disliked him personally and therefore oppose him. In the end the requirement for a counterterrorism force became obvious, especially with the way other countries demonstrated their effectiveness, and how no other unit in the US military had been identified to fill the role. Beckwith ends the story with his telling of Operation EAGLE CLAW, the attempted rescue of American hostages in Tehran in 1980. As is well known the operation ended in failure and the hostages weren't released for nearly another year. Beckwith chalks the failure up to too many hands being involved in the operation, and the surprise sandstorm. Though Beckwith ends his story rather abruptly with a short chapter of the continued need for Delta Force, and many of the details were (and are) likely still classified, the first person account is still worth the read. And even though Beckwith often appears bitter, the personal details about how the sausage is made is fascinating.

this book is a must read for all military buffs this tells beckwith story very well he helped get this special unit started he commanded it and he knows where they needed and he was the best one for the job at that time a very good read and you can learn a lot from this book

Ultimate warriors…that is Delta Force. These are warriors with intelligence, ultimate skill levels, and the heart to perform and succeed! They are sent in to perform the impossible, and they do! This book gives us an insiders look at how it began, the man whose persistence got it going and kept it growing. It provides an intense look at how these ultimate warriors are recruited, trained and then deployed. Each with general and specialized skill sets. The testing they go through to become part of Delta, should it actually exist, weeds out those that want to down to those that actually can.

However, it never achieved the satisfying expectations that I had hope for.

This book is a detailed explanation of the development of Delta Force and all of the red tape and political maneuvering that had to be done in order to get the famous, yet secret, unit off the ground. The story was told by Charlie Beck with, who's dogged determination and relentless focus kept the idea alive, even when the top military brass didn't yet see the value of such a specialized unit. I must say, however, that it wasn't the book I expected. I had hoped for a gutsy history of military operations and secret missions told by someone who was behind enemy lines. This was not the story I was seeking. However, it is an interesting journey from Charlie Beckwith's early military experiences training with the British SAS and how that experience eventually led to the development of what is arguably the most elite fighting force in US Military history. Military history buffs should enjoy this book, as well as those interested in the preparation, maneuvering, and timing required to move the slow-to-change military brass forward with new ideas and how the fierce determination of one man can move mountains and overcome insurmountable obstacles to leave a legacy that impacts our military to this day

Strictly average. Not much of a personal angle. The colonel has just been pretty exhausting.

La Delta Force (de son vrai nom 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta ou 1st SFOD-D) est une des principales unités américaines dédiées aux missions spéciales ou secrètes. C'est la principale unité anti-terroriste de l'armée américaine. Elle assure en fait une grande variété de missions, y compris parmi les plus clandestines. Ce livre raconte la naissance de cette unité spéciale, de la plume même de son fondateur, Charles Beckwith, qui finira sa carrière dans l'armée américaine avec le grade de colonel. Beckwith a d'abord servi dans l'infanterie, avant d'intégrer les troupes aéroportées américaines puis les forces spéciales. Il est conseiller militaire au Sud-Viêtnam dès 1960. Beckwith participe également à un programme d'échange avec le 22 SAS Regiment britannique, dont il prendra le meilleur pour créer la Delta Force. Il participe d'ailleurs avec les SAS à la campagne anti-insurrectionnelle contre les communistes en Malaisie, pendant laquelle il contracte une leptospirose, qui lui est presque fatale. Beckwith rentre ensuite aux Etats-Unis et écrit de nombreux rapports pour promouvoir la création d'une unité sur le modèle des SAS au sein de l'armée américaine, sans succès. Devenu officier opérations du 7th Special Forces Group, il révolutionnaire l'entraînement de l'unité en mettant l'accent sur la formation conventionnelle du Béret Vert et non sur la guerre non-conventionnelle et la formation d'unités militaires au sein de pays amis, comme c'était le cas jusque là. Au Viêtnam, Beckwith commande le groupe des Special Forces baptisé Projet-DELTA, destiné à opérer des reconnaissances en profondeur dans le territoire vietcong, des opérations d'assassinat ou de sabotage, de collecte de renseignements, etc. A nouveau blessé, il prend ensuite part aux Etats-Unis à l'entraînement de l'US Army Ranger School, le transformant à partir de son expérience au Viêtnam. Après l'offensive du Têt, en 1968, Beckwith prend la tête d'un bataillon de la 101st Airborne Division qu'il mène dans de nombreuses opérations de combat. A son retour aux Etats-Unis, il prend la tête d'un programme d'entraînement à Fort Bragg, en Caroline du Nord. Beckwith, cependant, n'a toujours pas été entendu par l'armée américaine dans son souhait de création d'une unité d'élite destinée à opérer sur les coups durs de manière très autonome. Il va falloir la nouvelle menace posée par le terrorisme international, dans les années 70, pour que ses arguments soient pris en compte. La Delta Force est créée en novembre 1977 avec une vocation anti-terroriste, d'opérations spéciales et de reconnaissance spécialisée. Sa première mission se termine malheureusement sur un échec tragique : Eagle Claw, l'opération commandée par le président Carter pour libérer les otages américains en Iran le 24 avril 1980, s'achève avant même d'avoir commencée en raison de pertes liées à des accidents d'appareils de transport dans l'opération. C'est après cette débâcle dans le désert iranien que fut formé le 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, destiné à transporter la Delta Force et les autres unités spéciales américaines. Le Joint Special Operations Command, un organisme de coordination et de planification des opérations spéciales, fut aussi créé sur recommandation de Beckwith au moment des investigations du Sénat pour expliquer l'échec de l'opération Eagle Claw. Voici un témoignage de première main sur la Delta Force qui se lit comme un roman, étant donné que le colonel Beckwith cherche à vanter les mérites de son unité. La partie consacrée à l'échec de l'opération Eagle Claw est pourtant très intéressante. L'épilogue revient sur les missions et les composantes actuelles de l'unité (en 2000). Une source primaire à compléter par des travaux plus secondaires.

As a past SFO and veteran, I started reading this book and just couldn't put it down. The experiences, hardships, mind games, tactical and political mapping, resonated heavily with what I experienced in 1986 (during my service). Although from a different country, different military (Special Forces also), the challenges and situations were eerily similar. I was pleasantly surprised to see a fellow operator, officer, going through the "same" hurdles, pain and growth that we went through. Highly relatable, I would recommend this to anyone who is/has been in the military or is in a working environment where planning, and management is involved. The hardest part of coming out of the military is the civilian mindset. A massive challenge to integrate back into a world that generally has no direction, even though everyone talks about it. A really good read, well priced and definitely a gem in my library of assorted books. As an MD I have used what I learned in the military to enhance my multiple Medical Practices and the relationship built through competency and professionalism with all of my staff. Anyone running a business, or managing people will relate to the contents of this book and learn something about the specialised units in the military and the fundamentals that make them successful at carrying out their missions.

Über die Anfänge, die komplizierte Planung und den Aufbau eine Spezialeinheit, welche Weltruhm erlangen sollte. Sehr fesselnd geschrieben, mit einer Menge interessanter Details.

This is superbly detailed, very honest, and ground-level up account of how COL Beckwith's original exposure to the British SAS brought about a revelation of understanding & belief in the US Army. The military and personal politics of the development of Delta are expressed and exposed, as is the very certain decision snd commitment to the Delta project. All that aside, this book is enthralling. And for COL Beckwith, the SAS motto remains held up highest: Who dares, wins