The Chief of Staff of the Army asked his Sergeant Major, who was both Ranger and Special Forces qualified, which organization he would recommend to form a new anti-terrorist unit. The Sergeant Major responded to the General's question with this parable: If there were a hijacked Boeing 747 being held by terrorists along with its passengers and crew and an anti-terrorist unit formed either by the Rangers or the Special Forces was given a Rescue/Recovery Mission; what would you expect to happen?
Forces/Equipment Committed: If the Rangers went in, they would send a Ranger
company of 120 men with standard army issue equipment.
Mission Preparation: The Ranger Company First Sergeant would conduct a Hair
Cut and Boots Inspection.
Infiltration Technique: They would insist on double timing, in company formation,
wearing their combat equipment, and singing Jody cadence all the way to the
site of the hijacked aircraft.
Actions in the Objective Area: Once they arrived, the Ranger company would establish
their ORP, put out security elements, conduct a leaders recon, reapply their
face cammo, and conduct final preparations for Actions on the OBJ.
Results of Operation: The Rescue/Recovery Operation would be completed within
one hour; all of the terrorists and most of the passengers would have been killed,
the Rangers would have sustained light casualties and the 747 would be worthless
to anyone except a scrap dealer.
Forces/Equipment Committed: If Special Forces went in, they would send only
a 12 man team (all SF units are divisible by 12 for some arcane historical reason)
however, due to the exotic nature of their equipment the SF Team would cost
the same amount to deploy as the Ranger Company.
Mission Preparation: The SF Team Sergeant would request relaxed grooming standards
for the team.
Infiltration Technique: The team would insist on separate travel orders with
Max Per Diem, and each would get to the site of the hijacking by his own means.
At least one third of the team would insist on jumping in.
Actions in the Objective Area: Once they arrived , the SF Team would cache their
military uniforms, establish a Team Room, use their illegal Team Fund to stock
the unauthorized Team Room Bar, check out the situation by talking to the locals,
and have a Team Meeting to discuss the merits of the terrorists' cause.
Results of Operation: The Rescue/Recovery Operation would take two weeks to
complete and by that time all of the terrorists would have been killed, (and
would have left signed confessions); the passengers would be ruined psychologically
for the remainder of their lives; and all of the women passengers would be pregnant.
The 747 would be essentially unharmed, the team would have taken no casualties
but would have used up, lost, or stolen all the "high speed" equipment
issued to them.
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