Intelligence Support Activity

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Intelligence Support ActivityFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Intelligence Support Activity

Intelligence Support Activity patch

Active 1981

Country United States

Branch United States Army

Type United States Special Operations Forces

Role Operational preparation of the battlefield,

providesHUMINTandSIGINT

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Garrison/HQ Fort Belvoir,Virginia

Nickname "The Activity"

Motto "Send Me" or Veritas Omnia Vincula

Vincit("Truth Overcomes All Bonds")

Engagements Operation Winter Harvest

Operation Desert Storm

Operation Gothic Serpent

Operation Enduring Freedom

Operation Iraqi Freedom

The United States Army Intelligence Support Activity (USAISA), frequently shortened to Intelligence Support Activityor ISA, and nicknamed The Activityis

aUnited States ArmySpecial Operations unitoriginally subordinated to theUS Army Intelligence and Security Command(INSCOM). It is tasked to collect actionable

intelligence in advance of missions by other US special operations forces, especially1st SFOD-DandDEVGRUin counter-terrorist operations.

USAISA was the official name of the unit from 1981 to 1989; previously it was known as the Field Operations Group (FOG), created in September 1980. In 1989, the then

USAISA commander sent a telex "terminating" the USAISA term and his Special Access Program GRANTOR SHADOW, but the unit continued under a series of different

codenames which are changed every two years; known codenames include CENTRA SPIKE, TORN VICTOR, CEMETERY WIND, and GRAY FOX.

Contents

[hide]

1 History

o 1.1 The Field Operations Group

o 1.2 Badge and insignia

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o 1.3 The US Army Intelligence Support Activity

1.3.1 Build-up

1.3.2 First missions

1.3.2.1 The Dozier kidnapping

1.3.2.2 Operation Queens Hunter

1.3.2.3 The POW/MIA affair

1.3.3 Gray Fox

o 1.4 Under Joint Special Operations Command

2 Recruitment & training

o 2.1 HUMINT & SIGINT

3 Popular culture

4 See also

5 References

o 5.1 Bibliography

6 External links

History[edit]

The Field Operations Group[edit]

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Colonel Jerry King, founder and first commander of the FOG and eventually the ISA

The Field Operations Group (FOG) was created in summer 1980 in order to take part in a second attempt to rescue theU.S. hostages held in the Tehran embassyafter

the failure of theOperation Eagle Claw.That operation had highlighted the U.S. shortfall in intelligence gathering,[1]in spite of the attempts by MajorRichard J. Meadows,

who operated undercover in Tehran during the operation.[2][3]

The Field Operations Group was under command of ColonelJerry King,and operated inIran,accomplishing various covert intelligence-gathering missions. The work

accomplished by the FOG was successful, however the second attempt (calledOperation Credible Sport), never took place because the air assets needed were not

available.[4][5]

After the cancellation of Operation Credible Sport, the FOG was not disbanded, but enlarged. The administration saw that ground intelligence contingencies needed to be

improved upon if future special operations were to be successful (the CIA did not always provide all the information needed). So, on 3 March 1981, the FOG was

established as a permanent unit and renamed US Army Intelligence Support Activity.

[4]

This activity should not be confused with a later activity known as the GroundIntelligence Support Activity (GISA), as subordinated to the Army G2.

Badge and insignia[edit]

This section does notciteanyreferences or sources.Please help improve this section byadding citations to reliable sources.Unsourcedmaterial may be challenged andremoved.(March 2012)

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The current badge depicts an American Bald Eagle grasping aclaymore,surrounded by akilt belt,inscribed with Latin translation of 'Truth Overcomes All Bonds'. In the

original crest, the claymore was wrapped in a chain with one of the links broken as a reminder of those killed during the failed DESERT CLAW mission. This symbol of

failure was later deemed no longer appropriate.

The badge was deliberately designed by Jerry King and other founding members of the unit because of their shared Scottish heritage. The claymore is

agreatswordoriginating from the Scottish Highlands, and the belt surrounding the badge is in the same style as manyScottish clan'sbadges.

The US Army Intelligence Support Activity[edit]

Build-up[edit]

In 1981 the Intelligence Support Activity began to immediately select new operators, growing from FOG's 50 people to about 100. The ISA remained extremely secret; all

of its records were classified under a Special Access Program (at first named OPTIMIZE TALENT). The ISA was given its classified budget of $7 mill ion, a secret

headquarters inArlington, Virginia,and cover name, the Tactical Concept Activity.[4]ISA included three main operations branches (Command, SIGINT and Operations),

and an analysis branch, whose name changed over the years (i.e. Directorate of Intelligence, Directorate of Intelligence and Security).[6]Colonel Jerry King became ISA's

first commander.[4]

ISA mission was to support top-tierSpecial Operations Forces(primarilyDelta ForceandSEAL Team Six)in counter-terrorist operations and other special missions. The

ISA would provide actionable intelligence collection, pathfinding, and operational support. The ISA performed several operations mainly in Latin America and Middle East,

but also in East Africa, South-East Asia, and Europe.[4]

First missions[edit]

The ISA conducted various missions, including giving protection to the Lebanese leaderBachir Gemayeland attempting to buy a SovietT-72tank from Iraq (a deal that

was finally stopped by the Iraqis).[4]

The Dozier kidnapping[edit]

On December 17, 1981, the senior U.S. Army officer inNATOLand Forces Southern European Command,Brigadier GeneralJames L. Dozier,was kidnapped from his

apartment in Verona, Italy, by ItalianRed Brigadesterrorists. The search for General Dozier saw a massive deployment of I talian and U.S. forces, including thousands of

Italian national police, the Carabinieri. The search also featured some unconventional participants, including "remote viewers" fromProject Stargateand an international

cast of psychics, largely orchestrated by General Albert Stubblebine, then-Commander of U.S. Army Intelligence and Security CommandINSCOM,and a great believer in

the use of unconventional intelligence-gathering methods. An ISASIGINTteam was sent to Italy, and in conjunction with other ArmySIGINTand counter-intelligence

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units, employed aerial and ground-based SIGINT systems to monitor and geo-locate terrorist communications. ISA and the other Army elements provided useful

intelligence, helping Italian police to arrest several Red Brigades terrorists in mid-January 1982. The Italian police and intelligence agencies have never officially disclosed

how they locatedGeneral Dozierin late January 1982. However, U.S. Army participants in the operation have hinted that the mid-January arrests, the interrogation of

those arrested, and follow-on investigations led to the eventual location of the Red Brigades hideout where Dozier was being held, in an apartment over a store in

Padova. There is little doubt that the successful outcome resulted in part from the contributions of ISA's SIGINT specialists and the other supporting Army intelligence

elements. General Dozier was freed unharmed byNOCSoperators, also known as "The Leatherheads" for their unique headgear, on January 28, 1982.[4]

Operation Queens Hunter[edit]

In early-1982, the ISA was needed to support a SIGINT mission in El Salvador,a mission that theCIA,theNSAandINSCOMwere not able to accomplish. The task was

submitted to theU.S. ArmySpecial Operations Division (SOD), which startedOperation Queens Hunter.Operating from aBeechcraft model 100 King Airflown

bySEASPRAY(a clandestine military aviation unit) based inHonduras,ISA SIGINT specialists monitored communications from Salvadoran leftist guerrillas and fascist

death squads, providing intelligence which helped the Salvadoran Army defend against guerrilla attacks. The success was such that the operation, planned to last a

month, ran for more than three years. More aircraft were deployed, and eventually included eavesdropping on Honduran guerrillas too, as well as Nicaraguan Army units

fighting against theContras.[4]

The POW/MIA affair[edit]

The ISA has also conducted an operation to search forU.S. MIAs(soldiers reported as Missing In Action) allegedly held in South-East Asia in secretPOWscamps in the

1980s. In 1979, U.S. intelligence thought it had located a POW camp inLaosusing aerial and satellite photographs. A ground reconnaissance was needed to determine if

people seen on photographs were really American POWs. At the same time, formerSpecial ForcesMajorJames G. Bo Gritzplanned a private rescue mission with

other S.F. veterans. Having informed U.S. government officials about the mission, Bo Gritz was first told to abort his "mission", but was eventually approached by the ISA.

Nonetheless, Gritz was not believed to be doing serious work, and Pentagon officials ordered the ISA to terminate their relationship with him when they discovered that

ISA had provided him with money and equipment.[4]

Gray Fox[edit]

Gray Fox was the codename used by the ISA at the beginning of theWar in Afghanistan.Its members often work closely with Tier 1 Special Operation Forces.[7]

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In 2002, Gray Fox fought alongsideDelta ForceandDEVGRUin the mountains ofAfghanistan.[8]Gray Fox operatives intercepted enemy communications and trekked

toobservation postswith special operations units. Their efforts may have saved more than a hundred10th Mountain Divisionand101st Airborne Divisionsoldiers fighting

nearTakur Gharin Afghanistan'sShahikot ValleyduringOperation Anaconda.

The unit helped spearhead the search forSaddam Husseinand his family after the U.S.-led invasion ofIraqin 2003. Gray Fox operatives sometimes work under the

broader umbrella of "Joint Special Operations Task Force 20," which also includes DEVGRU, the Army's Delta Force, and 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

Saddam Hussein was eventually captured duringOperation Red Dawn.[7]

Task Force 20 has changed its name several times (known or suspected names includeTask Force 11,Task Force 20,Task Force 121,Task Force 6-26Task Force

145,Task Force 77, andTask Force 88).

Before the standard naming convention of task forces using numbers, Task Force 20 was, and is sometimes still identified, as their original task force name: Task Force

Orange.[7]

Under Joint Special Operations Command[edit]

In 2003, the Intelligence Support Activity was transferred from the Army to Joint Special Operations Command, where it was renamed the Mission Support Activity.[7]

Since 2005 onward, the ISA does not always operate under a two-worded Special Access Program (SAP) name (Grey Fox, Centra Spike, etc.) In 2009, the unit was

referred to as INTREPID SPEAR, until this was revealed to have been leaked in an email to the Pentagon.[7]In 2010 it was referred to as the United States Army Studies

and Analysis Activity.[7]

Elements of the former ISA assisted in intelligence collection and analysis operations prior to and during the 2 May 2011U.S. Special Operations Forcesmission which

resulted inthe death of Osama bin Laden.Elements of DEVGRU, along with the ISA, members of the160th SOAR,theCIA Special Activities Division,DIA[9]and

theNSAcombined to execute a raid inAbbottabad, Pakistan,which ultimately killed bin Laden and resulted in the deaths of several family members and associates.

Recruitment & training[edit]According toSean Naylorin Not A Good Day to Die, most (but certainly not all) Activity operatives come fromUnited States Army Special Forces,due to their self-

reliance and specialized skill-set.[8]Candidates go through a rigorous selection process, then once admitted, receive further training in deep surveillance, signals

intelligence, etc. Like all units, this special missions unit contains operational detachments as well as support detachments.

HUMINT & SIGINT[edit]

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Candidates must have previous training in tactics, such as CQB, sniper, counter-sniper, and Source development. Foreign language skills, although highly desired, are

not a prerequisite to becoming an ISA operator. Like all special operation team assignments, candidates must pass a rigorous assessment and selection course, as well

as a lengthy background investigation and psychological testing. After passing assessment and selection, candidates attend and pass Operations Training Course (OTC).

Some of the disciplines focused on in the training course are: infiltration techniques, advanced air operations, professional driving (offensive and off-road), personal

defensive measures, and state-of-the-art communications.

Popular culture[edit]

ISA remains a very poorly known force to the public. Some rare mentions of the ISA exist, including :

TheRobert Littell's novelAn Agent in Place.[10]

The Presidential Agent Series, especially its first book By Order of the President, features Gray Fox in a large role. In the book, however; they are portrayed as a top

secret unit withinDelta Force.

In Dale Brown's "Patrick MacLanahan" novels, the ISA operates on the high seas in support of MacLanahan's operations. One such was the recovery of Col. David

Luger, who was listed as KIA after the events of "Flight of the Old Dog" but was actually captured and interrogated by Russian forces.

A single reference, referring only to "ISAcell phone snipers," is present in the computer gameCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.This strongly suggests that the ISA

provided thetechnical intelligenceon the location of the daughter of the President of the Russian Federationas well as the means to communicate with herwhen

she unsuccessfully tried to escape pursuers inGermany.Members of the ISA only acted in support: they did not actually participate in either of the two rescue

attempts.

InMark Bowden's book, "Killing Pablo", ISA (under the codename "Centra Spike") operators play a significant role in the hunt for fugitive drug lord Pablo Escobar of

the Medellin cocaine cartel leading to his death in December 1993.

InDaniel Suarez's 2012 novelKill Decision,an Intelligence Support Activity team of operators is trying to unravel a conspiracy involving autonomous (unmanned)

aerialdrones.

In the television seriesPerson of Interest,the ISA is mentioned as "an obscure U.S. Army unit that does black ops so dark, technically they don't exist," by

formerU.S. Army Special ForcesSoldier and CIA officer John Reese (Jim Caviezel). Three operators from the unit serve as antagonists in an episode in which they

attempt to assassinate a National Security Agency employee under John's protection. ISA operators are later revealed to be Indigo assets, hunting Relevant threats

the Machine has identified.

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ISA are a playable faction inCall of Duty: Black Ops 2multiplayer.

Nathan Edmonson's and Mitch Gerads' comic The Activity.[11]

Ed Schroeder's Duty, Honor, Country: Kill, Capture or do Nothing, fictional account of the "Activity."

See also[edit]

Joint Special Operations Command.

United States Army1st Special Forces Operational Detachment - Delta(Delta Force, The Unit)

United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group(DEVGRU, Seal Team Six)

SEASPRAY(Joint CIA/US Army Operation).

14 Intelligence Companya similar unit in theUnited Kingdom Special Forces.

Special Reconnaissance Regimenta similar unit in theUnited Kingdom Special Forces.

References[edit]

1. Jump up^Memorandum for Director, Defense Intelligence Agency

2. Jump up^Clancy, Tom.(2001) Special Forces

3. Jump up^Meadows biography of Maj Dick Meadows

4. ^Jump up to:abcdefghiRichelson, Jeffrey T.Truth Conquers All Chains

5. Jump up^Brief History of Unit

6. Jump up^USAISA 1986 Historical Reportand1987 Historical Report

7. ^Jump up to:abcdefMarc Ambinder and DB Grady (2012) The Command: Inside the President's Secret Army

8. ^Jump up to:abSean Naylor (2006) Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation AnacondaBerkley Books: BerkeleyISBN 0-425-19609-7

9. Jump up^http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/ar690-950-4.pdf

10. Jump up^An Agent in Place, Robert Littell,ISBN 0-14-303564-9

11. Jump up^http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2012-01-11/The-Activity-thriller-comic-series/52498212/1

Bibliography[edit]

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Secret Warriors: Inside the Covert Military Operations of the Reagan Era , bySteven Emerson,G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1988ISBN 0-399-13360-7

Truth Conquers All Chains: The U.S. Army Intelligence Support Activity, 19811989, byJeffrey T. Richelson,article of the International Journal of Intelligence and

CounterIntelligence, Vol. 12, No. 2, 1999, pp. 168200,ISSN0885-0607,available on theInformaWorld

The Pentagon's Spies: Documents Detail Histories of Once Secret Spy Units,electronic book byJeffrey T. Richelson,23 May 2001, on theNational Security

Archivewebsite. The article collects duplicates ofdeclassifieddocuments about covert US military intelligence units, including the ISA :

Memorandum for Director, Defense Intelligence Agency,by Lt. Gen. Philip C. Gast,USAF,10 December 1980

Memorandum to the Deputy Under Secretary for Policy,byFrank Carlucci,26 May 1982

Charter of U.S. Army Intelligence Support Activity,circa mid-1983

After Action Report for Operation CANVAS SHIELD,by 902nd Military Intelligence Group, 30 July 1985

Brief History of Unit (ISA),circa mid-1986 (presumed)

United States Army Intelligence Support Activity 1986 Historical Report

United States Army Intelligence Support Activity 1987 Historical Report

Termination of USAISA and "GRANTOR SHADOW",by Commander, USAISA, 31 March 1989

Killing Pablo: the hunt for the world's greatest outlaw, byMark Bowden,Atlantic Monthly Press, New York, 2001ISBN 0-87113-783-6

Killer Elite: The Inside Story of America's Most Secret Special Force Unit, byMichael Smith,Orion Publishing Co, 2005ISBN 0-304-36727-3online

presentation(several editions from 2006 to 2011 with additional material)

External links[edit]

StateCraft.org

SpecWarNet.net: this site obviously confused the Field Operations Group with a covert Special Forces Unit called the Foreign Operating Group, which operated in

Nicaragua in 1979.

SourceWatch's articleabout the ISA.

A National Security Archive's reportabout DoD-made HUMINT, including ISA.

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