Chapter 8: “Fairly Ponderous and Enormously Heavy”

1 As if … attacks, he said. A 160th SOAR source.

2 … on the tarmac at Dulles airport … Two Delta sources; a senior JSOC staffer.

3 Hijackings … apply. A Delta source.

4 But with Delta … the idea. A Delta source.

5 Responsibility … those targets. A planning cell source.

6 … a September 20 address … http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/bushrecord/documents/Selected_Speeches_George_W_Bush.pdf.

7 At the Pentagon … presenting him. Known and Unknown, by Donald Rumsfeld (New York: Sentinel, 2011), pp. 358–59, 392. See also Rumsfeld’s October 10, 2001, memo to General Dick Myers and General Peter Pace, “What Will Be the Military Role in the War on Terrorism?” accessed at: www.papers.rumsfeld.com.

8 The warrants and senior … could strike. Hall.

9 The limited … darkness.” A planning cell source; a retired special operations officer.

10 But Pakistan … potential targets. A planning cell source; Hall.

11 All but one … the Uzbek border. A planning cell source. The other proposed targets included: a petroleum plant and petroleum storage tanks (considered two different targets) in Jeyretan, directly across from Termez on the south bank of the Amu Darya River, which forms much of Afghanistan’s northern border; a petroleum storage facility in Keleft, also on the Amu Darya’s south bank, but further west, across from Turkmenistan; an airfield at Sheberghan, about forty-five miles south of the Turkmenistan border; and an airfield at Mazar-i-Sharif.

12 It was … focus. A planning cell source; a Delta source; a retired special operations officer.

13 While his planners … September 17. A senior JSOC staff member; Bush at War, by Bob Woodward (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002), pp. 99–100.

14 The White House … or alive.” http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/17/bush.powell.terrorism/.

15 Rumsfeld’s office … “Poisoning Food Supply.” Bush at War, pp. 99–100; Frank Miller.… faxed … The fax was necessary because the NSC didn’t gain access to SIPRNet, the military’s classified Internet, until 2002.

16 The focus on … enough for Dailey. A planning cell source; a Delta source; a senior JSOC staffer; a retired special operations officer.

17 “Tommy … persuaded.” American Soldier, by General Tommy Franks with Malcolm McConnell (New York: ReganBooks, 2004), p. 280. “Persistent intelligence reports showed al Qaeda members traveling to and from the plant,” Franks wrote. “If the terrorists were working on chemical or biological weapons, that was a logical site.”

18 Several senior … radar. A Delta source; a retired special operations officer.… coherent change detection … A good layman’s explanation of coherent change detection can be found here: http://www.sandia.gov/radar/sarapps.html.

19 … Dailey … approach … A former special operations aviation officer who served with Dailey.

20 … Blaber … waste of time … The Mission, the Men, and Me, pp. 79–80, 240–41.

21 It was late … to be avoided. A planning cell source.… had led a Ranger platoon … Black Hawk Down, passim.

22 On September 19 … September 26. A planning cell source; a senior JSOC staff member.

23 The strike against … persisted. War and Decision, by Douglas J. Feith (New York: HarperCollins, 2008), pp. 63–65.

24 The two … next day. Known and Unknown, p. 370.

25 Deeply dissatisfied … “prime target.” War and Decision, pp. 63–65.

26 Early the next … and Al Qaeda. In My Time, by Dick Cheney (New York: Threshold, 2011), pp. 336–37; Known and Unknown, pp. 370–71; American Soldier, pp. 278–82; Without Hesitation: The Odyssey of an American Warrior, by General (ret.) Hugh Shelton with Ronald Levinson and Malcolm McConnell (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2010), pp. 447–48.

27 Lieutenant Colonel Steve … deserts and mountains. A planning cell source.

28 Dailey’s perceived … rabble. A Delta source; a planning cell source.

29 But the fourth … or IO. A retired special operations officer.

30 Planning continued … twenty-four aircraft. A planning cell source.… Dailey attended … A senior JSOC staff member.… 160 ground troops and twenty-four aircraft … The “tactical minimum force” (i.e., the force that would assault the objective) included two assault troops (roughly forty operators) from Delta or Team 6 and four Ranger platoons (about 120 paratroops) supported by an AC-130 gunship, two DAPs, two AH-6 Little Birds, four assault Black Hawks, five Chinooks, and a command and control aircraft. The “operational minimum force” (i.e., the total force involved, including supporting elements) included another AC-130, three MC-130H Combat Talon II transport aircraft, two MC-130P Combat Shadow refuelers, two KC-135 Stratotanker refuelers, and another Chinook.

31 But the clock … not the north. A planning cell source.… three of the others … The three southern targets were: the “Habash House” (an Al Qaeda guesthouse in Kandahar); the residence of Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Taliban leader; and the Kajaki Dam in Helmand province. The fifth target was the location of two American citizens being held prisoner by the Taliban in Kabul.

32 With the United States … soon.” American Soldier, p. 265.

33 The solution … Navy officer. American Soldier, p. 266.

34 On September 27 … Arabian Sea. The official Navy history of the Kitty Hawk, accessed at: http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/k4/kitty_hawk-ii.html.

35 Positioning … necessitated. A retired special operations officer.

36 Operating from … staging base. A TF Brown source; a Delta source.

37 Following … in Afghanistan. A retired special operations officer.

38 By September 20 … gunships. American Soldier, pp. 273, 279.

39 Word that … Central Asia. A planning cell source.

40 It was during … didn’t pan out. A Delta source. This appears to be the episode Greer discusses on p. 65 of Kill bin Laden in which he says Delta spent several days planning a mission against a target he is not allowed to name in a location he is not allowed to identify.

41 A couple … at the CIA. A Langley source.

42 Reese was … self-confidence. Two Delta sources.

43 Reese flew … Agency was doing. A Langley source.

44 The defense secretary … according to Feith. War and Decision, p. 104.

45 In his autobiography … were good. Known and Unknown, pp. 375–76.

46 It irked … enter Afghanistan. War and Decision, p. 104.

47 As late as … no avail. First In: An Insider’s Account of How the CIA Spearheaded the War on Terror in Afghanistan, by Gary C. Schroen (New York: Presidio, 2005), p. 148.

48 JSOC’s operators … “Count us in.” A Delta source.

49 In 1998 … capture mission.) The Mission, the Men, and Me, pp. 63–85.

50 Some in Delta … “enemy lines.” First In, p. 147; a Delta source.

51 One of the strongest … calling card. A source familiar with the discussions.