Chapter 18: “JSOC on Steroids”

1 With the move … “on terror.” A source familiar with the commanders’ conference.

2 The JOC … on the other. My Share of the Task, pp. 149–51; an officer familiar with the JOC; a field grade JSOC staff officer; Task Force Black, p. 82.

3 John Abizaid … organizations. My Share of the Task, pp. 149–50.

4 … from fall 2003 … and the Rangers. My Share of the Task, p. 158.

5 The British SAS’s … on Zarqawi. Task Force Black, pp. 53–54, 62.

6 The size … situation morphed. A Ranger officer.

7 … as JSOC’s intelligence … assignment. Flynn’s official Army biography, provided by Army Public Affairs.

8 McChrystal understood … intelligence chief. My Share of the Task, p. 156.

9 Delta had advantages … over Iraq. Two Delta sources.

10 By early … military bases. No True Glory, p. 48.

11 … McChrystal made Flynn … Baghdad station … Top Secret America, pp. 241–42.

12 … largest in the world … “2 C.I.A. Reports Offer Warnings on Iraq’s Path,” by Douglas Jehl, The New York Times, December 7, 2004, accessed at: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/07/international/middleeast/07intell.html.

13 The unit recruited … with the task force. An intelligence source; two Delta sources; a special operations source familiar with the Mohawk program; two task force officers.

14 The Mohawks also … Iraqi sources. A special operations source familiar with CNOS and the Interagency Support Activity; three Delta sources; three JSOC staff officers; a special mission unit officer; a military intelligence officer.… the Activity … The Interagency Support Activity should not be confused with TF Orange, which early in its existence was renamed the Intelligence Support Activity and which is on occasion also referred to as “the Activity.”

15 … forty aircraft of fifteen different types … A JSOC staff officer; Top Secret America, p. 243.

16 The aircraft … “Northern Virginia.” A TF Brown source.

17 By 2004 … “[with them].” A field grade officer familiar with Orange’s operations.

18 Orange bought … intelligence gear. My Share of the Task, p. 157; a TF Brown source.

19 The unit experimented … miles away. A field grade officer familiar with Orange’s operations.

20 Before the … Hussein. My Share of the Task, p. 157.

21 By May … to grow. Task Force Black, pp. 78–79.

22 The Confederate … device. A Delta operator; Top Secret America, p. 244.

23 The divining rod … its owner’s contacts. A Delta operator.

24 Operators invented … phone traffic. Task Force Black, p. 79; My Share of the Task, p. 157.

25 The NSA placed … to the intelligence. Top Secret America, p. 243.

26 By late 2003 … command center. A JSOC staffer; Task Force Black, pp. 82–83, 127.

27 As the task force … first place. A field grade officer familiar with task force missions in Iraq.

28 “Strike” … catchphrase. A task force intelligence officer.

29 “Our fight” … wrote. My Share of the Task, p. 156.