CHAPTER FOUR
HIGH STAKES TRIUMPHS
Nearly a decade after the U.S. first went into Afghanistan to find the terrorist leaders responsible for the September 11 attack, the group’s leader, Osama bin Laden, was tracked to a village not in Afghanistan, but in neighboring Pakistan.
This highlighted the irregular nature of the war against terrorists. U.S. commanders could not launch a full military operation in Pakistan. So, to get bin Laden, they sent in a top secret Special Operations Command Unit specifically trained in precision combat tactics: Navy Seal Team 6.
In May of 2011, about two dozen SEALs flew in two helicopters in the middle of the night from a U.S. air base in Afghanistan to bin Laden’s suspected hiding spot in Pakistan.
The directive for the SEALs to capture or kill bin Laden came from President Barack Obama.
Osama bin Laden 1957-2011
The President also holds the title Commander-in-Chief of all U.S. armed forces.
In the course of just 40 minutes, the SEALs, operating in pitch-black darkness, found bin Laden, killed him and several of his armed associates, collected his body along with evidence they found in his house and flew back to the Afghan base. Mission accomplished.
Advances in weapons technology combined with the steely resolve of a well-trained Special Operations Command force make the modern U.S. military the greatest national defense organization the world has ever seen.
The U.S. Special Operations Command is comprised of the fittest of the fit. They are top-notch military fighters specially trained for dangerous duty against secretive terrorist organizations and other dangers. Their role in the overall military has grown in response to the threat of terrorism. Whether from the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marines, Special Operations fighters use their intense training to defend the country and its interests around the world.
RQ-170 Sentinel Drone
Much of what SOCOM commanders knew about bin Laden’s hiding place was gathered by surveillance drones, which had flown overhead. These controversial unmanned spy planes are small, quiet, and hard to detect on radar but can provide clear images of landscapes or specific buildings.
SNIPER RESCUE MISSION
Special Operations snipers from the Navy SEALs were also involved in the 2009 kidnapping rescue of the captain of the cargo ship Maersk Alabama. The snipers, in a lifeboat being towed by a Navy ship, shot three captors dead from long range and the kidnapped captain was safely rescued.
Scan Eagle UAV
The lifeboat where four Somali pirates held Captain Richard Phillips hostage was identified using a U.S. Navy Scan Eagle UAV.