By Eric Slater
Los Angeles Times
FORT BRAGG, N.C. – They are the country’s premier warriors and as they fight in Afghanistan, many will carry as much as 100 pounds of the most sophisticated combat gear in history.
“Operators,” as U.S. commandos are known, land under cover of darkness with a new, more compact assault weapon than they used in the Persian Gulf War, dramatically improved night-vision equipment, “whisper” microphones, and water-proof, shock-resistant Global Positioning System units that can pinpoint their location to within a few meters – and that, unlike those of a decade ago, work reliably.
Since terrorist Osama bin Laden and Taliban forces possess few large military targets – and since those they did have are probably destroyed following weeks of aerial bombing – many military experts believe that this conflict may be suited to special operations units as no previous war.
Sometimes working in groups as small as four or eight, the commandos are likely to carry out “snatch-and-grab” abductions, “sneak-and-peek” reconnaissance, and ambushes behind enemy lines. Their ability to wreak massive havoc in just minutes makes them what the military calls “force multipliers,” meaning each operator can deliver as much misery to the enemy as four or five traditional soldiers, depending on the mission.
“You need smaller, lighter elements that move around quickly, in difficult terrain, at unexpected times,” said retired Army Gen. Dave Granger, a former spec ops soldier who went on to command the Army’s First Infantry Division. “We don’t want to occupy the place. We don’t want to hang around long. And we don’t want to have (large, regular forces) tramping around a countryside with 10 million landmines.
“Special ops go in and get out,” he said. “That’s what they do.”
The new-age improvements begin with their most basic tool, the assault weapon. Most Army Special Forces (known as Green Berets), Navy SEALS (for Sea, Air and Land), members of Delta Force (so secretive the Army will not confirm its existence), and other elite units have exchanged their long-trusted M-16s for a new weapon called the M4.
A carbine, meaning it is a short-barreled rifle, the M4 fires the same small, high-velocity round as the M-16, but is lighter and more compact. The version of the M4 used by most special operations units can be configured in a variety of ways – and reconfigured repeatedly in the field – to accommodate everything from a grenade launcher to a visible laser to an infrared illuminator to help guide smart bombs to their targets.
At a length of about 30 inches, the M4 is so compact it is beginning to take the place of another favorite in the commando arsenal, the submachine gun – an automatic weapon that fires cartridges considerably less powerful than rifle rounds.
The MP-5 submachine gun has for years been a favorite not only of commandos but of Secret Service agents, SWAT teams and other specialized military and police units because of its reliability and compact size.
But the MP-5 fires the same 9mm round used in many pistols, a round that typically fails to penetrate even the lightest body armor – a lesson learned during the televised 1997 bank robbery and shootout in North Hollywood, Calif. One of two gunmen, both of whom were swathed in body armor and armed with assault rifles, was shot by police 29 times before he finally surrendered, lay down in the street and eventually bled to death.
“You now have bad guys who are wearing body armor,” said Charles Cutshaw, a retired intelligence specialist and small-arms expert. “And special ops guys know a 9mm isn’t likely to penetrate it.”
Commandos are older than most soldiers. They have been through training programs so physically and mentally taxing that half or more of their classmates – already the best in the military – don’t graduate.
During the final week of training for SEALs, known as “hell week,” for example, students are allowed just four hours of sleep. The rest of the time they run, swim in bone-chilling seas, crawl through mud while machine guns howl around them – and throughout must demonstrate mental acuity.
Most commandos know how to operate dozens, even hundreds of weapons, and they tailor their firearms to the mission. They are also encouraged to pack the guns they prefer. That means some carry pistols made partially of lightweight plastics, while others holster a heavy, steel Government Model 1911 – a handgun patented 90 years ago.
Of course, these days, the classic handgun may be fitted with a laser sight.
Special ops soldiers get the best “toys” because they are given the most difficult and dangerous tasks.
Some units, for instance, have been armed with a new, high-tech automatic grenade launcher – the CG-40 Striker.
Half the weight of its predecessor, the Striker has a computerized fire-control system that automatically sets the range and even programs “smart” shells to explode on impact or, if the enemy is hunkered down behind a hill or in a foxhole, to burst overhead.
Some of these larger weapons, including various machine guns, also come equipped for the first time with thermal-imaging capabilities.
“One of the greatest developments in the past few years is the thermal devices, like you have on a tank, that can see through fog and dust,” said retired Gen. Granger.
Since special operations forces work almost entirely at night, virtually every unit has upgraded from the so-called Generation Two equipment of the Gulf war to the latest Generation Three and Three-plus equipment. Among the favorite devices is a monocle called the PVS-14.
The battery-powered monocle is smaller, lighter and has much finer resolution than the night-vision equipment used in the Gulf, providing a picture that is near-television quality, albeit in shades of green. The unit can be held by hand, mounted to a helmet or snapped onto the optical sights of an M4 or a sniper rifle.
No one knows how the weapons will impact the United States’ first war of the 21st century.
Commandos are about nine times more likely to die in action than traditional soldiers, according to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which helps raise college money for the children of those killed in action.
“These are normal, average guys who go away for a while and just want to come home and make it to their kid’s soccer game,” said Pat Traeger, a retired Special Forces soldier who now helps raise money for the foundation. “Not everybody makes it back, though. This is a very dangerous business.”
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