Special Operations Manual

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SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

Role Playing U.S. Special Operations Military Soldiers in the modern era
A Monograph for the Basic RolePlaying System by Chaosium Inc.

By Jason Graham and Stephen Baron

No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from the
author or publisher.
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SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

“We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence
on those who would do us harm.”

This book is dedicated to the proud men and women of the U.S. Military

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SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION – 4
ARMY RANGERS – 6
ARMY SPECIAL FORCES – 8
NAVY SEALS – 10
MARINE CORPS MARSOC – 12
ARMY DELTA FORCE – 14
NAVY DEVGRU – 16
AIR FORCE PARARESCUE – 18
PRIVATE MILITARY CONTRACTOR – 20
CIA S.O.G. – 22
UNITS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES - 24
SKILLS – 28
OFFICER SCHOOL – 30
ARMOR – 31
EQUIPMENT – 32
WEAPONS – 33
CHARACTER SHEET - 34
MISSION BRIEFINGS – 36
SCENARIO SEEDS - 39
MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS – 40
RECOMMENDED READING – 46
RECOMMENDED VIEWING – 47
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SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

INTRODUCTION
Special Operations soldiers are a unique
breed. Determined, highly intelligent and
specially trained problem solvers who train
constantly to risk their lives protecting
citizens who will never know who they are.
These brave men, known as “Operators” do
not expect parades for their service, in fact,
they know that, should the worst happen, not
even their loved ones will be given details of
their final mission. This selfless sense of
duty is only a small part of what makes
these operators ‘special’.
Unconventional warfare is a term that is
often associated with what the Special
Operations Soldier is designed for but what
exactly does that cover? Essentially, these
operators specialize in all forms of warfare
not covered by the standard definition of
war, which is a pretty wide umbrella.
Small teams of highly trained experts
covertly operating behind enemy lines with
little to no support is what most of us think
of when we imagine a special operations
mission, however this is only a small
fraction of the actual duties and
responsibilities that these soldiers perform.
Training military forces of other countries,
establishing infrastructure in war torn third
world areas, relief missions to natural
disaster stricken nations are only a few of
the many ‘benign’ services that they
perform. Direct action against enemy forces,
overtaking strategic locations such as
runways and hospitals, intelligence
gathering, hostage rescue, counter
intelligence and counter terrorism efforts are
more of the ‘active’ duties that these highly
skilled soldiers are capable of.
The purpose of the Special Operations
Manual for Chaosium’s Basic Role Playing
system is to provide keepers and players the
opportunity to utilize these extreme soldiers
in any situation they can imagine. This
manual will provide all of the details and
information needed to include Operators in
4

the most realistic way possible within the
confines of the BRP system.
This supplement is intended for an action
oriented campaign where the extra weapons
and combat skills will be not only desirable
but essential. The characters outlined here
should be far above normal human
characters in almost every aspect, combining
the physical prowess of Olympic level
athletes and the problem solving and critical
thinking skills of a private investigator or a
competitive chess player.
Specifically, this manual is set in the modern
era, real world setting. However, it is
perfectly suitable to apply these characters
to a horror, sci-fi, or super hero or any other
campaign from the Viet Nam war to a near
future or alternate reality setting.
Another, less obvious benefit of using this
supplement for your campaign is that it
solves the age old keeper problem of
“why?”
Why are these characters working together,
why are they going on this mission, why are
they continuing on despite heavy opposition
and extremely dangerous odds? Because it is
not only their jobs, but their sworn duty.
The starting funds and weapons and
equipment selection process from standard
BRP character creation is all but eliminated
with Special Operations characters as the
weapons, ammo and equipment are mission
specific and assigned by the commanding
unit.
The Special Operations Keeper can opt to
choose the specific team that the players
must be a part of (i.e. all players are SEALs)
and then let them create their individual
characters each with their own specialties
(machine guns, explosives, tactics etc.), or
the Keeper may allow the players to choose
whichever type of operative they like, and
then have them all work together as a part of
a Special Mission Unit such as the real
world Task Force 145 which featured

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

members of every branch of the Special
Operations community as well as British and
Canadian special forces troops.
Alternatively, the keeper may have each
player create whatever type of operator he
chooses, and then have all of the players be
contractors for a Private Military Company.
Scenario fodder for Special Operations
abounds on the 24 hour news networks and
newspapers as well as books movies and
television shows all around. Keepers may
choose to run individual scenarios as
isolated missions starting with the players
boarding the C-130 or helicopter, and
ending with returning to base for mission
debriefing, such as Operation Gothic
Serpent (Blackhawk Down) which took
place over one very intense day with 19
Special Operations soldiers killed and over
1000 Somali deaths, or campaigns with
extended linked scenarios with a broader
mission, such as being deployed to
Afghanistan for an 18 month tour of intel
gathering and searching for high value
targets.
.
The origin of the Special Operations Manual
dates back many years playing Chaosium
Inc’s Call of Cthulhu game where the
recurring complaint by players was that the
standard librarian and college professor
character classes weren’t powerful enough
to adequately combat the Mythos. Wanting
characters with more advanced weapon and
combat training as well as heavier
firepower, the idea of playing Special
Operations soldiers came about, giving the
players the opportunity to prove that no
amount of firepower is ever enough vs. the
Mythos.

Included in the Special Operations Manual
are the major and most commonly known
types of Special Operations soldiers,
however many other types of operators exist
within the Special Operations community.
The keeper is encouraged to research these
other specialties and utilize them as non
player characters or even player characters.
Most of these specific roles are equally
Special Operations qualified and are fluent
in the use of tactics weapons and
unconventional warfare.
Air Force Combat Controllers - go behind
enemy lines to coordinate air traffic and fire
support.
160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment
- provide helicopter support and
transportation for the special operations
soldiers
Air Force Special Operations Weathermen give detailed meteorological intel from the
combat zone for incoming air support.
Army Intelligence Support Activity - gather
intel by working as translators and using
technology.
Navy Special Warfare Combatant-craft
Crewmen - provide support via a variety of
small boat transportation to special
operations units.
The Coast Guard Deployable Operations
Group - provide anti-piracy boarding teams
as well as rescue and relief efforts
worldwide
Marine Corps Force Recon - provides deep
reconnaissance information from deep
within hostile territory.

For this supplement we assume the EDU
characteristic will be used as well as the
EDU multiplier for skill points (page 24 of
the BRP rulebook)

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SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

A FEW GOOD MEN
Special Operations Unit Background and Character Creation
Specialty:
The Regiment is composed of light infantry
forces with specialized skills that enable
them to perform a variety of special
operations missions – airborne, air assault,
and direct action operations, raids,
infiltration and exfiltration by air, land or
sea in addition to airfield seizure, recovery
of personnel and special equipment, and
support of conventional forces. Each Ranger
battalion has the ability to deploy worldwide
in 18 hours
Training/Recruiting:
Basic Training and Advanced Individual
Training (14 weeks), Air Assault School
(10 days), Basic Airborne Course (3
weeks), Army Ranger School (61 days),
First Responder Medical Training (1 week),
Warrior Leader Course (2 weeks)
75th Army Ranger Regiment
Established:
The 1st and 2nd battalions were activated in
1974 and the 3rd battalion activated in 1984.
Organization /Bases:
Headquarters, 3rd Battalion and the
Regimental Special Troops Battalion located
at Fort Benning, Georgia., 1st Battalion at
Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah,
Georgia.; 2nd Battalion at Joint Base
Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Wash.
Troop strength:
Each battalion is composed of a
Headquarters and Headquarters Command
(HHC) and three rifle companies. Battalions
are made up of no more than 580 Rangers:
Each rifle company consists of 152 riflemen,
and the remaining Rangers make up the fire
support and headquarters staff.

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Unit Highlights
From the period before the establishment of
the United States of America through the
Revolutionary War, 1812, Civil War, Korea,
World War II and the Vietnam Era Rangers
have been part of the US Army. The modern
Rangers were established in the wake of the
Vietnam War when General Creighton
Abrams formed the first Battalion (Ranger)
75th Infantry in 1974. The Rangers
participated in Operation Urgent Fury, the
US invasion of Grenada seizing the Port
Salinas Airfield and rescuing American
Medical Students at the True Blue Medical
Campus. In 1989 the Rangers took part in
Operation Just Cause in Panama seizing
several key airfields, taking General Noriega
beach house and neutralizing elements of the
Panamanian Defense Forces.

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

Elements of the Rangers were deployed to
Saudi Arabia to support operation Desert
Storm in 1990/91. In 1993 Rangers and First
Special Forces Operational Detachment –
Delta took part in operation Gothic Serpent
in Mogadishu Somalia. The daylight raid
resulted in an 18-hour firefight with Somali
militia. The Rangers and Delta suffered 18
killed and most of the force wounded while
estimated Somali losses range from 600 to
1200 dead. This battle was the largest urban
combat operation since the Vietnam War.
Rangers took part in peacekeeping
operations in Kosovo in 2000 and then less
than a month after the September 11 2001
attacks, Rangers took part in an airborne
assault in Afghanistan to take Objective
Rhino in Kandahar in the opening
maneuvers in Operation Enduring Freedom.
At the start of the Invasion of Iraq in March
2003 Rangers took part in the first airborne
assault on Objective Serpent in Iraq.

Army Rangers have the following minimum
characteristic requirements in order to meet
the standards of Ranger school.
STR 11 CON 11 INT 11 POW 10 DEX 11
EDU 12
Occupational Skill Points = EDUx25
Occupational Skills:
Climb, Command, First Aid, Handgun,
Hide, Martial Arts, Navigate, Parachuting,
Rifle, Status, Stealth, Spot, Submachine
Gun, Survival: Desert, Woodland, Cold
Weather, Strategy, Throw, Track. Plus one
of the following as personal specialty:
Demolition, Electronics, Machine Gun,
Medicine, Heavy Weapons

In the face of ten plus years of warfare in the
Global War on Terror the Regimental
Special Troops Battalion was activated in
July 2006 to provide long-term support for
counter insurgency missions that were
previously conducted in the short term with
elements of the three Ranger battalions. This
long-term approach maintains the lethality
and flexibility of the Rangers but in a longterm focus. While operating worldwide in
the prosecuting of the Global War on
Terrorism the Rangers continue to train with
almost every other deployed special
operation, conventional and coalition
military force.

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SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

ARMY Special Forces (Green Beret)
Established June 1952
Organization /Bases:
1st Special Forces Group
Pacific Rim 4 Battalions, Fort Lewis Wa
One battalion in Okinawa, Japan
3rd Special Forces Group
Sub-Sahara Africa, 4 Battalions
Fort Bragg, N.C.
5th Special Forces Group
Middle East, Horn of Africa
& Central Asia, 4 Battalions
Ft Campbell, Ky
7th Special Forces Group
Central & South America, 4 Battalions
Eglin AFB, Fl.
10th Special Forces Group
Europe, 4 Battalions Fort Carson, Co
One battalion in Stuttgart, Germany
19th Special Forces Group
Europe & SW Asia , 4 Battalions
Draper, Utah
National Guard Reserve Unit
20th Special Forces Group
Latin America & Caribbean, 4 Battalions
Birmingham, Ala.
National Guard Reserve Unit

The basic unit of Special Forces is the
Operational Detachment Alpha or ODA, An
ODA consists of 12 men, each of whom has
a specific function on the team, however all
members of an ODA conduct cross-training.
The ODA is led by a Detachment
Commander, usually a Captain, and an
Assistant Detachment Commander who is
his second in command, usually a Warrant
Officer. The team also includes the
following enlisted men: one team sergeant,
usually a Master Sergeant, one Assistant
Operations and Intelligence Sergeant,
usually a Sergeant First Class, and two each,
Weapons Sergeant, Engineer Sergeant,
Medical Sergeant, and Communications
Sergeant, usually Sergeants First Class, Staff
Sergeants or Sergeants. This organization
facilitates 6-man "split team" operations,
redundancy.
Six ODA’s make up a company, 4-6
companies in a battalion. While SF
previously deployed 3 battalions per group
the US military has recently increased the
size to four battalions to deal with the
increased need for ODA around the world.
Troop strength: approximately 5500 active
duty and 1100 reserve members
Specialty: unconventional warfare, foreign
internal defense, direct action, counterinsurgency, special reconnaissance, counters
terrorism, information operations, counter
proliferation of WMD, and security force
assistance.
Training: Soldiers completed anywhere
from 52 to 92 weeks of training, depending
on their designated specialty and language
requirements.
Phase I includes the Qualification Course
lasting 25 days
Phase II land navigation, small unit training,
and live fire training 48 days
Phase III involves training particular
soldiers in their area of specialty.

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SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

Weapons training lasts 2 months,
Engineering 2 months, medical training lasts
12 months, communication training lasts 4
months.
Phase IV the Robin Sage exercise lasts 19
days and takes place in 15 counties of North
Carolina in a fictitious s nation called
Pineland during this time Soldiers infiltrate
Pineland to prepare citizens to fight
independently as guerrilla forces to support
a resistance movement.
Unit Highlights:
The Special Forces trace their roots to the
Second World War. The unit was created in
1952 and first saw action in the end of the
Korean Conflict. The 1960’s saw SF
develop unconventional warfare techniques
that would serve in South East Asia. SF took
an active role in the Vietnam conflict from
the early days as advisors to the end with
direct action against North Vietnamese
Army and Viet Cong units.
Since Vietnam SF has taken part in almost
every US military engagement from
Grenada in 1982 to securing important
military targets and rescuing American
prisoners in Panama in 1989. In Central
America in the 1980’s Special Forces
assisted and trained militaries and rebel
units. The Gulf War in 1991 SF units took
part in hunting for SCUD launch sites as
well as deep reconnaissance in enemy
territory in advance of the Coalition
invasion. In Somalia SF helped deliver
humanitarian aid and to took part in the
capture of Somali warlords in 1993, the
Balkans and Haiti in the 1990’s saw SF
humanitarian aid and military training of
forces in those countries.

In the wake of September 11 ‘01 SF
deployed to Afghanistan. Special Forces
teams were instrumental in establishing the
Northern Alliance coalition that ousted the
Taliban government in Afghanistan in
Operation ENDURING FREEDOM in 2001
and were critical to the success of the
Coalition ground campaign in Iraq in 2003.
In Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, Special
Forces teams trained and fought with the
Kurds in northern Iraq, cleared the western
desert of SCUD missiles and provided longrange special reconnaissance to the
Coalition ground forces on the drive to
Baghdad.
In the last decade, Green Berets have
deployed into 135 of the 195 recognized
countries in the world. Successes in
Afghanistan, Iraq, Trans-Sahel Africa, the
Philippines, the Andean Ridge, the
Caribbean, and Central America have
resulted in an increasing demand for SF
around the globe.
To be accepted into ARMY Special Forces,
the soldier must possess certain minimum
characteristic scores.
STR 11 DEX 11 INT 12 CON 11 POW 11
EDU 13
Occupational Skill Points = EDU x 30
Personal Interest Points = INT x 10
Occupational Skills:
Climb, Conceal, Demolitions, Drive, Hide,
First Aid, Handgun, Martial Arts, Navigate,
Other Language, Parachuting, Rifle, Sneak,
Spot Hidden, Submachine Gun, Survival:
Desert, Woodland, Cold Weather, Swim,
Strategy, Throw, Track. Plus one of the
following as personal specialty: Electronics,
Machine Gun, Medicine, Heavy Weapons

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SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

(Assistant Officer in Charge, usually a
Lieutenant (junior grade), a platoon chief, an
Operations NCO/LPO (Leading Petty
Officer) and other operators. The core
leadership in the Troop and Platoon are the
Commander/OIC and the Senior Enlisted
NCO (Senior Chief/Chief).
Troop strength: approximately 2400
Navy SEALs
Established May 1961
Organization /Bases
SEAL Team 1 Southeast Asia, 6 Platoons
Coronado, California
SEAL Team 2 Northern Europe, 6 Platoons
Little Creek, Virginia
SEAL Team 3 Middle East, 6 Platoons
Coronado, California
SEAL Team 4 South America, 6 Platoons
Little Creek, Virginia
SEAL Team 5 Korea, 6 Platoons
Coronado, California
SEAL Team 7 Worldwide, 6 Platoons
Coronado, California
SEAL Team 8 Africa, 6 Platoons
Little Creek, Virginia
SEAL Team 10 Worldwide, 6 Platoons
Little Creek, Virginia
A SEAL Team has a Staff Headquarters
element and three 40-man Troops. Each
Troop consists of a Headquarters element
consisting of a Troop Commander, typically
a Lieutenant Commander, a Troop Senior
Enlisted, a Targeting/Operations Officer and
a Targeting/Operations Leading/Chief Petty
Officer. Under the HQ element are two
SEAL platoons of 16–20 men (two officers,
14–16 enlisted SEALs, and sometimes two
enlisted EOD Operators
Each Troop can be easily task organized into
four squads of eight 4–5 man fire teams for
operational purposes. The size of each
SEAL “Team” with Troops and support staff
is approximately 300 personnel. The typical
SEAL platoon has an OIC (Officer in
Charge, usually a Lieutenant, an AOIC
10

Specialty: special reconnaissance, training
and direct action missions
Training:
SEAL training has a reputation as some of
the toughest anywhere in the world. The
dropout rate is sometimes over 90%. The
average Navy SEAL spends over a year in a
series of formal training environments
before being awarded the Special Warfare
Operator Naval Rating and the Navy
Enlisted Classification (NEC) 5326
Combatant Swimmer (SEAL) or, in the case
of commissioned naval officers, the
designation Naval Special Warfare (SEAL)
Officer. All Navy SEALs must attend and
graduate from their rating's 24-week "A"
United States Navy SEAL selection and
training course known as Basic Underwater
Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) school and then
the 28-week SEAL Qualification Training
(SQT) program. SQT qualifies all BUD/S
graduates in basic SEAL skill sets in
MAROPS, Combat Swimmer,
Communications, TCCC, Close Quarters
Combat, Land Warfare, Static line/Freefall
Parachute Operations, SERE and
Combatives. All sailors entering the SEAL
training pipeline with the Navy Hospital
Corpsman rating or those chosen by Naval
Special Warfare Command must also attend
the 26-week Special Operations Combat
Medic course and subsequently earn the
NEC SO-5392 Naval Special Warfare
Medic before joining an operational Team.
Once outside the formal schooling
environment SEALs entering a new Team at
the beginning of an operational rotation can
expect 18 months of Professional

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

Development/Schools (PRODEV) and
Troop unit level training (ULT) before each
6-month deployment. In total, from the time
a prospective SEAL enters military service
to the time he finishes his first predeployment training cycle, it can take as
much as 30 months to completely train a
Navy SEAL for his first deployment
Unit Highlights:
Today's Naval Special Warfare operators
can trace their origins to the Scouts and
Raiders, Naval Combat Demolition Units,
Office of Strategic Services Operational
Swimmers, Underwater Demolition Teams,
and Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons of
World War II. While none of those early
organizations has survived to present, their
pioneering efforts in unconventional warfare
are mirrored in the missions and
professionalism of the present Naval Special
Warfare warriors. The Vietnam War was
the first conflict that Naval Special Warfare
operators played a major role.
The post Vietnam period saw reorganization within the SEAL teams with
the lessons learned in Vietnam applied to
operations in the 1970’s and well in to the
80’s and 90’s. SEALs took part in the US
invasion of Grenada in 1983, the Persian
Gulf in response to mining of the Strait of
Hormuz between ‘87 and ‘90, the invasion
of Panama in 1989 and operations in Kuwait
and Iraq in 1990-91, as well as Somalia,
Haiti, Bosnia and Liberia.
The September 11 attacks in New York and
Washington DC placed the Naval Special
Warfare community on the front lines of the
Global War on Terror. In Afghanistan the
first flag officer to set foot in Afghanistan at
the start of the US led invasion in October
‘01 was a Navy SEAL in charge of Special
Operations command for the entire country.

Force, commonly referred to as Task Force
K-BAR in a joint Army, Navy, Air Force
and coalition special operations unit that
executed more than 75 special
reconnaissance and direct action operations
in the opening year Afghanistan campaign.
More than ten years later Naval Special
Warfare operators continue to conduct
operations and train in Afghanistan.
The ‘03 invasion of Iraq saw the largest
deployment of Naval Special Warfare
Operators in the units history. Securing
offshore gas and oil facilities, clearing
waterways to deliver humanitarian
assistance, capture high value targets,
conduct raids on suspected chemical
biological and radiological sites. Naval
Special Warfare, operators have taken part
in operations and training in The Philippine
Islands, Africa and other fronts on the global
war on terror.
The following are SEAL team minimum
characteristics.
STR 11 DEX 12 INT 12 CON 11 POW 11
EDU 14
Occupational Skill Points = EDU x 30
Personal Interest Points = INT x 10
Occupational Skills:
Climb, Conceal, Demolitions, Hide, First
Aid, Handgun, Martial Arts, Navigate, Other
Language, Parachuting, Photography, Pilot:
Boat, Rifle, Sneak, Spot Hidden,
Submachine Gun, Survival: Desert,
Woodland, Cold Weather, Swim, Tactics,
Throw, Track. Plus one of the following as
personal specialty: Electronics, Machine
Gun, Medicine, Heavy Weapons

A Navy SEAL captain commanded the
Combined Joint Special Operations Task
11

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

including navigation, patrolling, Survival,
Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE),
Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC).
Mission planning, Fire support training and
communications round out the first phase.
Phase 2 builds upon the foundation of Phase
1, training in small boat and scout swimmer
operations, crew served weapons,
demolitions, and photography and
information collection and reporting. Two
Full Mission Profile exercises “Operation
Raider Spirit”, a 2-week exercise focused on
patrolling and combat operations, and
“Operation Stingray Fury” focused on urban
and rural reconnaissance round out phase 2.
Marine Corps Special Operations
Command (MARSOC)
Established: February 2006
Organization /Bases:
1st Battalion at Camp Pendleton, CA
2nd and 3rd at Camp Lejeune, NC
Each battalion consists of 4 companies; each
company consists of 4 fifteen-man Marine
Special Operations Teams.
Troop strength: Approximately 1000

Phase 3 includes rifle and pistol combat
marksmanship and will then learn the
tactics, techniques and procedures need to
serve as a member of a Marine Special
Operations Team during assault operations.
In the final phase, Irregular Warfare training
is conducted. The course culminates with
“Operation Derna Bridge where the skill set
established in training is put to the test in a
practical environment.

Specialty: Direct action, special
reconnaissance, foreign internal defense,
counter terrorism.

All Marine special operators are required to
undergo continual language training.
However, based on ability, certain Marines
will be sent to follow-on language training
at an Advanced Linguistics Course.

Training:
Individual Training Course is a 7-month
course designed to produce Critical Skills
Operators who can operate across the
spectrum of special operations in small
teams under spartan conditions. ITC is
broken down into four training phases:

Marines will continue training at their
assigned battalion for another 18 months. In
addition, the MSOS offers advanced-level
courses in a number of subject areas: Special
Reconnaissance, Close Quarters Battle,
Sniper, Breaching, and weapons
employment.

Phase 1 trains and evaluates the basic skill
sets required of all special operators.
Physical fitness, swimming and hand-tohand combat are stressed in a PT program
designed around endurance, functional
fitness and amphibious training, field skills

Marine special operators also attend U.S.
Army Airborne School and the USMC
Combatant Diver Course.

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SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

Unit Highlights:
The newest member of the Special
Operations Command community the
Marine Corps Special Operations Command
(MARSOC) was created at Camp Lejeune
North Carolina in February 2006. The 1st
and 2nd Marine Special Operations
Battalions were created along with the
Marine Special Operations Advisor Group
(MSOAG, the predecessor of the MSOR).
The majority of the combat personnel
assigned to the two battalions were drawn
from the Marine Corps Force
Reconnaissance community and the
MSOAG personnel from the conventional
infantry units. In April 2009, the MSOAG
was re-designated the Marine Special
Operations Regiment which then built in a
new level of bureaucracy by making 1st and
2nd MSOB subordinate, and re-designated
MSOAG's operational Marines the 3rd
Marine Special Operations Battalion.

A MARSOC Critical Skills Operator will be
expected to possess the following minimum
characteristics.
STR 11 DEX 11 INT 11 CON 11 POW 11
EDU 13
Occupational Skill Points = EDU x 30
Personal Interest Points = INT x 10
Occupational Skills:
Climb, Conceal, Demolitions, Hide, First
Aid, Handgun, Martial Arts, Navigate, Other
Language, Parachuting, Photography, Pilot:
Boat, Rifle, Sneak, Spot, Submachine Gun,
Strategy, Survival: Desert, Woodland, Cold
Weather, Swim, Throw, Track. Plus one of
the following as personal specialty:
Electronics, Machine Gun, Medicine, Heavy
Weapons

The Marine's pilot program consisted of Det
One deploying to Iraq with Navy SEALs
from Naval Special Warfare Group 1 in
2004. Det One formed into the Marine
Special Operations Battalions and deployed
to Afghanistan in 2007. This deployment
was marked with controversy when
elements from 2nd Battalion was ambushed.
The Marines were relieved from their
operational charter in the country by
USSOCOM after claims were made that the
Marines reacted inappropriately and caused
excessive civilian casualties in the wake of
the ambush. In September 2009, the 1st
Battalion returned to Afghanistan, this time
in command of a joint special operations
task force in the northwest of the country.

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SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

Specialty: counter-terrorism, direct action,
and national intervention operations,
although it is an extremely versatile group
capable of assuming many covert missions,
including, but not limited to, rescuing
hostages and raids

Army 1st SFOD-D (Delta Force)
Established: October 1977
Organization /Base: Fort Bragg, North
Carolina
Delta Force was reportedly organized into 3
operating squadrons (A, B, and C), which
were subdivided into small groups known as
troops. By the end of ‘12 Delta will have
established a fourth squadron to cope with
the high operational tempo of the Global
War on Terror. Delta also maintained
support units, which handle selection and
training, logistics, finance, and the unit's
medical requirements.
These squadrons are based on the
organization of the SAS "Saber Squadron"
and each contains 75 to 85 operators. Each
saber squadron is broken down into three
troops, one recce/sniper troop, and two
direct action/assault troops, that can operate
either in teams or in groups as small as four
to six men.
Troop strength: approximately 800 to 1000

14

Training:
Operator Training Course tests Delta
recruits and is around 6 months long.
Members are trained in a number of
different skill sets including:
Marksmanship
The students shoot stationary targets at close
range until they are able to have almost
complete accuracy. They will then move on
to moving targets. Once shooting skills are
perfected, they will move to a shooting
house where they will clear rooms of
"enemy" targets.
Demolitions
Students learn how to break into many
different locks such as cars and safes.
Demolition and how to build bombs out of
various commonly found materials.
Combined skills. The FBI, FAA, and other
agencies were used to advise the training of
this portion of OTC.
All trainees learn to set sniper positions.
Although Delta has specialized sniper
troops, all members go through this training.
Trade Craft – During the first OTC's and
creation of Delta, CIA personnel were used
to teach this portion. Students learn
different espionage-related skills such as
dead drops, brief encounters, pickups, load
and unload signals, danger and safe signals,
surveillance and counter-surveillance.
Executive Protection –Students take an
advanced driving course learning how to use
vehicles as defensive and offensive
weapons. They then learn techniques
developed by the Secret Service and

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

Diplomatic Security Service on how to
cover a VIP and diplomatic protection
missions.
Culmination Exercise:
A final test that requires the students to
apply and dynamically adapt all of the skills
that they have learned.
Delta occasionally trains with similar units
from allied countries as well as DEVGRU.
They have helped train other U.S. counterterrorism units, such as the FBI's Hostage
Rescue Team.
Unit Highlights:
Delta saw action shortly after their unit was
certified. Operation Eagle Claw, the rescue
of American Hostages in Iran was to be
Delta’s first operation. Bad weather and a
helicopter crash at the landing site forced the
operation to be aborted. In the ‘80’s Delta
saw operations in Nicaragua and in El
Salvador fighting rebels. In Grenada in ‘82,
Delta fast roped in to the Richmond Hill
Prison to rescue prisoners.
In ‘91, Delta was operational in Saudi
Arabia, providing protection for General
Norman Schwarzkopf as well as hunting
SCUD missile launch sites in Iraq along
with British SAS units.
On October 3 ‘93, members of Delta and US
Rangers assaulted a location in the Bakara
Market in Mogadishu in Somalia. Operation
Gothic Serpent, expected to last a few hours
turned in to an all night firefight with Somali
Militia. Five Delta operators were killed
with a sixth killed the next day by a mortar
shell at the base. Gary Gordon and Randy
Shughart, both killed were awarded medals
of valor for their actions that day in the
effort to rescue downed aircrew. Estimates
of Somali casualties range up to 1200.
Delta took part in the ‘94 Invasion of Haiti,
Delta and SAS were deployed to Peru in
January ‘97 to assist in planning the assault
to take back the Japanese ambassador’s

residence. Delta took part in security
planning for the ‘99 WTO Conference in
Seattle WA.
Delta Force was involved in the offensive
against the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001.
Delta Force has formed the core of the
special strike unit, which has been hunting
High Value Target (HVT) individuals like
Osama Bin Laden and other key al-Qaeda
and Taliban leadership since October ‘01.
One of several operations in which Delta
Force operators are thought to have played
important roles was the ‘03 invasion of Iraq.
They allegedly entered Baghdad in advance
and undercover. Their tasks included
guiding air strikes, and building networks of
informants while eavesdropping on and
sabotaging Iraqi communication lines. Delta
was present in the siege in Mosul where
Uday and Qusay Hussein were killed, and
were involved in the hunt and eventual
capture of Saddam Hussein. Since
September 11 ‘01, Delta has remained active
in prosecuting the Global War on Terror.
Delta Force operators have the following
minimum characteristics.
STR 11 DEX 12 INT 12 CON 12 POW 13
EDU 15
Occupational Skill Points = EDU x 35
Personal Interest Points = INT x 10
Occupational Skills:
Bargain, Climb, Conceal, Drive,
Demolitions, Hide, Fast Talk, First Aid,
Handgun, Martial Arts, Navigate, Other
Language, Parachuting, Photography, Pilot:
Boat, Persuade, Psychology, Rifle, Sneak,
Spot Hidden, Submachine Gun, Survival:
Desert, Woodland, Cold Weather, Swim,
Strategy, Throw, Track. Plus one of the
following as personal specialty: Electronics,
Machine Gun, Medicine, Heavy Weapons

15

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

intelligence collection, counter-intelligence,
investigative, and national security work.

Naval Special Weapons Development
Group SEAL Team Six (DEVGRU)
Established: November 1980
Organization /Bases: Dam Neck Annex,
Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia
NSWDG is divided into color-coded line
Teams, which are commanded by senior
officers: Red Team (Assault), Blue Team
(Assault), Gold Team (Premier Team) and a
Silver Team (Assault) established in 2012.
There is a Gray Team (Boat Crews) and a
Black Team (Reconnaissance and
Surveillance Team). Each Team of 50-75
men is divided into three troops with
approximately 16 men each and troops are
divided into smaller teams as needed
according to the operational requirements.
Troop strength: approx 200-400 operators
as well as admin and support staff
Specialty: When DEVGRU was created, it
was devoted exclusively to counterterrorism with a worldwide maritime
responsibility; its objectives typically
included targets such as ships, oilrigs, naval
bases, coastal embassies, and other civilian
or military bases that were accessible from
the sea or inland waterways. As the
organization has evolved, new missions
have developed, counter-terrorist operations,
primarily in the maritime environment,
16

Training: Training for DEVGRU is
conducted throughout the United States and
abroad, both on military and civilian
facilities. Exchange programs and joint
training were expanded with the more
experienced international teams such as
Germany's GSG-9, Great Britain's Special
Boat Squadrons (SBS), and France's combat
divers. In all cases, emphasis was placed on
realism in training, in accordance with the
"Train as you Fight, Fight as you Train"
philosophy popular amongst most of the
world's leading special operations and
counter-terrorism units.
Like all Special Operations Forces units that
have an extremely intensive and high-risk
training schedule, there can be serious
injuries and deaths. DEVGRU has lost
several operators during training, including
parachute accidents and close-quarters battle
training accidents. It is presumed that the
unit's assessment process for potential new
recruits is different from what a SEAL
operator experienced in his previous career,
and much of the training tests the candidate's
mental capacity rather than his physical
condition, as he will have already completed
Basic Underwater Demolitions/SEAL
training.
Candidates are put through a variety of
advanced training courses led by civilian or
military instructors. These can include freeclimbing, advanced unarmed combat
techniques, defensive and offensive driving,
advanced diving, and Survival, Evasion,
Resistance and Escape (SERE) training. All
candidates must perform at the top level
during selection, and the unit instructors
evaluate the candidate during the training
process. Selected candidates are assigned to
one of the Tactical Development and
Evaluation Squadrons; the others are
returned to their previous units. Unlike the
other regular SEAL Teams, DEVGRU

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

operators were able to go to almost any of
the best schools anywhere and train
depending on the unit's requirements.
Unit Highlights:
While the organizations name has changed
since its founding in 1980, the Naval
Warfare Development Group has maintained
the highest standards for a special operations
capable unit in the US and the world. Unlike
the plethora of open source material on other
units in the US special operations
community the DEVGRU and Delta’s
history is shrouded in secrecy and
speculation. From its inception in the early
1980’s operations, classified operations have
been planned and executed all over the
world. DEVGRU also took part in training
other elite units around the world, as well as
training with these units as well. In 1991,
DEVGRU reportedly recovered Haitian
President Jean Bertrand Aristide under cover
of darkness following the coup that deposed
him. The unit reportedly deployed to
Atlanta, Georgia as part of a large US
counter-terrorist contingency plan for the
1996 Summer Olympics.
During NATO's intervention in the Bosnian
War in the 1990’s, the DEVGRU operated
alongside other members of NATO’s
Implementation Force, such as its Army
counterpart Delta Force and the British SAS.
These units were tasked with finding and
apprehending persons indicted for war
crimes and returning them to The Hague to
stand trial.

carried DEVGRU operators and paramilitary
operatives from the CIA's Special Activities
Division. The raid force killed Bin Laden,
an adult son, an unknown woman, 2 couriers
and collected vast amounts of intelligence
from the location before the team departed.
Later that year members of DEVGRU were
among the 38 killed on Saturday, 6 August
2011 in Maidan Wardak province,
Afghanistan, when a CH-47 was shot down
by a Taliban-fired rocket-propelled grenade.
The team members were acting as a quick
reaction force, it was the largest single loss
of U.S. life since the beginning of the 2001
Afghan War, and is the largest single loss
ever suffered by the SEALs or DEVGRU.
The following are DEVGRU minimum
characteristics.
STR 11 DEX 12 INT 12 CON 12 POW 13
EDU 14
Occupational Skill Points = EDU x 35
Personal Interest Points = INT x 10
Occupational Skills:
Climb, Conceal, Demolitions, Hide, First
Aid, Handgun, Martial Arts, Navigate, Other
Language, Parachuting, Photography, Pilot:
Boat, Rifle, Sneak, Spot Hidden,
Submachine Gun, Survival: Desert,
Woodland, Cold Weather, Swim, Strategy,
Throw, Track. Plus one of the following as
personal specialty: Electronics, Machine
Gun, Medicine, Heavy Weapons

On 1–2 May 2011 DEVGRU undertook
Operation Neptune Spear, under the CIA's
authority, and killed Osama bin Laden at his
compound in the city of Abbottabad
Pakistan. The attack itself lasted 38 minutes,
and there were no casualties to the team.
Stealth versions of the US Blackhawk
helicopter from the U.S. Army's 160th
Special Operations Aviation Regiment
17

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

Troop strength: 400 total PJ’s worldwide.
200 active duty, 100 Air National Guard and
100 Air Force Reserve
Specialty: Emergency medical treatment to
save lives, Search and Rescue operations
Recovery of downed aircrews and aerospace
hardware, NASA Space Shuttle Launch
Rescue Support, Special Tactics in support
of Interservice Special Operations

Air Force Pararescuemen (PJ’s)
Established March 1946
Organization /Bases
Active duty Units
720th & 23rd STG, Hurlburt Field, Florida,
24th STS, Pope AFB, North Carolina
320th STS, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa
321st STS, RAF Mildenhall, United
Kingdom ,Kirtland AFB, New Mexico ,
Lackland AFB, Texas , 31st RQS, Kadena
AB, Okinawa , 38th RQS, Moody AFB,
Georgia ,48th RQS, Davis-Monthan AFB,
Arizona, 56th RQS, RAF Lakenheath,
United Kingdom , 58th RQS, Nellis AFB,
Nevada,
Reserve Units
103rd RQS, Suffolk County, NY (ANG)
123rd STS, Louisville, KY (ANG)
131st RQS, Moffett Field, CA (ANG)
212nd RQS, Kulis ANGB, AK (ANG)
304th RQS, Portland, OR (AFRC)
306th RQS, Monthan AFB, AZ (AFRC),
308th RQS, Patrick AFB, FL (AFRC)
920th Rescue Wing, Patrick AFB
943rd Rescue Group, Monthan AFB, AZ

18

Training:
With a 90% drop out rate, it’s obvious why
the 18 to 24 month long PJ training pipeline
is called “Superman School”. The
indoctrination course will start with 80 to
100 applicants but do to the small size of the
PJ program, the maximum graduates
allowed is 8. There is no graduation
qualification, just increasingly difficult
challenges until all but 8 have dropped out.
Those resilient 8 airmen will go on to the
rest of the PJ training pipeline.
Pararescue Indoctrination Course 9 weeks,
Lackland AFB, TX
Army Airborne Parachutist School 3 weeks,
Fort Benning, GA
Air Force Combat Divers School 5.5 weeks,
Panama City, FL
Navy Underwater Egress Training
1 day, Pensacola NAS, FL
Air Force Basic Survival School 2.5 weeks,
Fairchild AFB, WA
Army Military Freefall Parachutist School 5
weeks, Yuma Proving Grounds, AZ
Pararescue EMT-Paramedic
Training, Kirtland AFB, NM 22 weeks
Pararescue Recovery Specialist
Course, Kirtland AFB, NM 24 weeks
Unit Highlights:
March17th 1966 saw one of the most
dramatic events involving PJ scuba action at
the termination of the Gemini 8 space flight.
When the decision was made to halt the
mission due to difficulties encountered by

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

Astronauts David Scott and Neil Armstrong,
rescue forces on alert at stations in the Far
East went into action. A rescue crew from
Naha Air Base, Okinawa, flew to the
predicted splashdown area and arrived in
time to see the spacecraft hit the water.
Three PJ’S parachuted into the ocean and
had flotation equipment attached within 20
minutes. The PJ’S stayed with the astronauts
until a Navy destroyer arrived three hours
later to take them all aboard.
In 1989, PJ’S were instrumental in
recovering and treating injured motorists at a
collapsed section of highway following a
devastating earthquake in the San Francisco,
California area. PJ’S were the only rescue
people "on-scene" who would volunteer to
crawl between the sections of collapsed
highway to access conditions and recover
casualties. In recognition of the selfless
dedication to saving lives President Bush
personally recognized the heroic actions of
these men.
PJ’S were among the first U.S. combatants
to parachute into Panama during operation
"Just Cause" (1989). Their combat medical
expertise was heavily utilized during this
short, intense operation. In fact, using
specially modified vehicles dubbed "RATTV's" they recovered and cared for the
majority of the U.S. casualties that occurred
on the two Panamanian controlled airfields
that were taken by the initial invasion forces.
PJ’S were tasked with rescue missions
involving downed aircrew members and
injured combatants during United Nations
operation "Desert Storm". This action for
the liberation of Kuwait again proved the
value of the Air Force PJ’S. Among the
missions performed by PJ’S was the rescue
of a downed F-14 navigator in a very hostile
area; involving the destruction of enemy
forces in very close proximity to the
survivor. PJ’S also provided extensive
support for airlift operations providing

humanitarian relief to Kurdish refugees
fleeing into northern Iraq.
PJ’S were involved in the struggle to capture
Somalia leader Mohammed Fhara Aidid.
Assigned jointly with army Rangers, PJs
were tasked to operate in a Search and
Rescue (SAR) role on Army helicopters.
After the initial assault began, two Army
helicopters were shot down, PJs responded
to the scene to assist survivors and treat the
wounded. The helo crashes were in the
middle of the battle zone. The PJs, along
with a Combat Controller and additional
Army Rangers, were inserted into the
firefight, removed injured personnel from
further danger and administered life saving
emergency medical treatment. As a direct
result of their actions, the mission was
completed and many lives were saved in the
process.
The minimum characteristics for Air Force
Pararescuemen characters are.
STR 11 DEX 12 INT 13 CON 12 POW 13
EDU 16
Occupational Skill Points = EDU x 35
Personal Interest Points = INT x 10
Occupational Skills:
Climb, Conceal, Electronics, Demolitions,
First Aid, Handgun, Hide, Machine Gun,
Martial Arts, Medicine, Navigate,
Parachuting, Pharmacy, Pilot: Boat,
Psychoanalysis, Rifle, Sneak, Spot Hidden,
Submachine Gun, Survival: Desert,
Woodland, Cold Weather, Swim, Throw &
Track.

19

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

Private Military Corporations (PMC)
Private Military Companies or Private
Military Contactors as they are sometimes
known provide very similar services as their
government counterparts. Security services
make up the bulk of the PMC role however
direct action missions have been contracted
out to PMC’s. Available for hire to the
highest bidder these contractors provide
services to both governments and
corporations owing allegiance only to the
current contract holder.
PMC’s are usually recruited from special
operations soldiers either recently ending
their enlistment or nearing the end of their
service. With better pay (upwards of $100k
per year) and benefits, as well as less
stringent regulations and bureaucracy, the
PMC is a viable career alternative for the
special operations soldier.
With the downsizing of the traditional
military, the private military business has
become a boom industry worth over $100
billion a year. In the 1990’s it was estimated
that there was one private military contractor
for every 50 soldiers, 20 years later it is now
estimated to be 1 PMC per every 10
soldiers. With the troop withdrawal
throughout the middle east, that number is
likely to grow dramatically as PMC’s will
be serving as security, training the native
military and operating drones.
The private military contractor may be
deployed to any region of the world for any
reason from providing security escort for
VIPs or cargo, to orchestrating a coup in a
third world country.
While standard military operators are
usually assigned gear and weapons based on
the mission, the PMC is usually responsible
for his own supplies only firearms and
weapons being provided by the company.
While the PMC is often found operating
within the standard theater of war alongside
traditional military units, they are not bound
20

by the same rules of engagement as their
service counterparts. With little to no
oversight, the PMC is left to handle
whatever situation that may arise at his own
discretion. Blatant and public transgressions
have and do occur and usually result in the
termination of the contractor’s employment
and possible civilian criminal prosecution.
The rise of pirate attacks in recent years has
seen an increase in maritime security
contractors on everything from cargo ships
to oil platforms. Maritime security is
estimated to be a nearly $500 million a year
industry as more and more companies are
seeing the investment in armed security as a
better value compared to the cost of
potential ransoms or the fuel and time
expense of avoiding the high risk areas.
To create a Private Military Contractor
character, use any of the previous character
templates.

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

ERIS WORLDWIDE
Example Private Military Contractor
Established: 2001
President / CEO: Harley Patton
Base: 4601 North Fairfax Drive
Arlington, Virginia 22203
Troop strength: approx 500 operators as
well as admin and support staff
ERIS Worldwide brings to market, highly
customized, all-inclusive security, risk
assessment and mitigation, and asset
protection and management solutions to
support a global list of clientele
encompassing government entities and
domestic and foreign corporations in a
multitude of world wide, high risk, austere,
and multifaceted environments.
Collectively, ERIS Worldwide executive
staff and field operators deliver a vigorous
combination of vision, leadership,
operational oversight, exceptional skill-set
expertise and execution unto every operation
undertaken while providing both short-term
and long-term, fiscally efficient programs;
each detailed and personalized as per our
customers' many needs and requirements.
ERIS Worldwide undertakes and performs a
myriad of protective service and asset
management-driven operations throughout
the theaters of Latin America, West and
Eastern Africa, Europe, and North America.
ERIS Worldwide provides highly
comprehensive protective service and risk
assessment/mitigation solutions from
conception to completion via the tailor
design and execution of intelligence/counter
intelligence operations, physical,
geographical analysis and evaluation of
investment, personnel, and asset risks,
physical protection solutions, as well as
facility and personal security planning and
leadership, for a multitude of corporations,

high profile/high risk individuals and
groups, and foreign and domestic
governmental entities
ERIS Worldwide and its group of highly
experienced operators bring to the table of
every project and operation undertaken, the
ability to provide exponentially reliable,
real-time, intelligence and cutting edge
operations planning via the human resources
that comprise our firm. Each experienced
personnel in ERIS Worldwide hails from
successful careers in the fields of National
Security, military special operations,
intelligence services management,
international risk assessment, mitigation,
and recovery, and some with extensive years
of executive protection management
encompassing the planning, and oversight of
operations ranging from the protection of
personnel, to assets, and resource recovery.

www.erisworldwide.com

21

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

Training:
The Special Activities Division consists of
the most elite of the United States special
mission units. Recruited from Delta Force
and DEVGRU, the Paramilitary Operations
Officers are then fully trained by the CIA as
Clandestine Intelligence Operatives or “Case
Officers.

CIA Special Activities Division (SAD)
Organization:
SAD is organized into several sections:
Ground Branch operatives are experts in
field craft, surveillance, small arms, hostage
rescue, CQB and advanced driving.
Maritime Branch's focus is on amphibious
operations
Air Branch is tasked with flying everything
from small light aircraft to large transport
planes. Roles of Air Branch include covert
insertion and extraction of CIA personnel,
covert transportation of sensitive cargo and
airborne surveillance / intelligence
gathering, usually using aircraft registered to
front companies - seemingly legitimate
dummy corporations setup by the CIA.
Troop strength:
Several hundred operators of various
specialties
Specialty:
Intelligence gathering, counter-intelligence,
hostage rescue, personnel and material
recovery, bomb damage assessment, counter
terrorism, raids, ambushes, sabotage,
kidnapping, targeted killings and other
forms of “unconventional warfare”

22

SAD recruits must possess at least a
Bachelors degree and many have masters
and law degrees. Candidates are sent to
Camp Peary Virginia, also known as “the
Farm” for the 12 month long Clandestine
Service Trainee program. Here they are
trained to a high level of proficiency in the
use and tactical employment of an unusually
wide degree of modern weaponry, explosive
devices and firearms (foreign and domestic),
hand to hand combat, high performance
driving (on and off road), apprehension
avoidance (including picking handcuffs and
escaping from confinement), improvised
explosive devices, Military Free Fall
parachuting, combat and commercial
SCUBA and closed circuit diving,
proficiency in foreign languages, entry
operations and vehicle hot-wiring, Survival,
Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE),
extreme survival and wilderness training,
combat EMS medical training, tactical
communications and tracking.
The SAD operative is fully trained and
equipped to operate in any environment
under any circumstance, completely
unassisted and deniable.
Unit Highlights:
In October of 1950, SAD operatives
organized and trained Tibetan resistance
fighters against the invading Chinese and
assisted the Dalai Llama’s escape to India.
During the Korean War SAD operations
rescued American prisoners of war as well
as provided training for South Korean
Guerrillas.

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

In 1953 SAD agents orchestrated the
successful coupe d’état of Iranian Prime
Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh
1954 CIA SAD teams organized and trained
Guatemalan resistance fighters
that deposed President Jacobo Árbenz
Guzmán.
In 1967 the Bolivian army was trained and
assisted by SAD team members. Also
members of SAD and Special Forces team
members tracked and captured Che Guevara.
Between 1968 and 1972, the CIA Phoenix
Program captured 81,740 National
Liberation Front of South Vietnam (NLF or
Viet Cong) members, of whom 26,369 were
killed.
In 1973 Operation Azorian recovered
sunken Soviet submarine, K-129 with help
from SAD members
In 1979 SAD/SOG paramilitary teams were
deployed to train and lead these forces
against the Sandinista government
CIA paramilitary teams and U.S. Army
Special Forces set up and trained
counterinsurgency units during the
Salvadoran civil war in the early 1980’s
SAD/SOG teams were key in working with
JSOC and tracking high value targets
(HVT), known as "Tier One Personalities."
Their efforts, working under extremely
dangerous conditions with little to no
support, led to several very successful joint
JSOC/CIA operations in Somalia in the
early 1990’s
In 2001, SAD units were the first U.S.
forces to enter Afghanistan following the
9/11 attacks.
In 2011, SOG members working with SEAL
Team 6 on Operation Neptune Spear raided
Osama bin Ladens compound in Abbottabad
Pakistan.

The Special Activities Division consists of
two separate groups, one for tactical
paramilitary operations and another for
covert political action. The Political Action
Group handles all covert activities related to
political influence, psychological, economic
warfare and cyberwarfare. A large covert
operation usually has components that
involve many, or all, of these categories, as
well as paramilitary operations.
The Special Operations Group within SAD
is responsible for paramilitary operations.
These operations include the collection of
intelligence in hostile countries and regions,
and all high threat military or intelligence
operations with which the U.S.
government does not wish to be overtly
associated. As such, members of the unit
(called Paramilitary Operations Officers and
Specialized Skills Officers) normally do not
carry any objects or clothing (e.g., military
uniforms) that would associate them with
the United States government. If they are
compromised during a mission, the
government of the United States may deny
all knowledge.
The SAD/SOG is generally considered the
most secretive special operations force in the
United States. The group selects operatives
from Delta Force, DEVGRU, 24th STS and
other special operations forces from within
the U.S. military.
All Special Operations Group Candidates
must meet the basic minimum requirments
of either the Army 1 st SFOD-D or the Navy
DEVGRU character templates and be made
as such. Then, if the following minimum
characteristics are meet, they may be
recruited to SOG.
STR 11 DEX 12 INT 13 CON 12 POW 14
EDU 15
Upon completion of training, the SOG
Operative will receive an additional INTx10
points to spend on the following skills.
Computer Use, Conceal, Disguise, Drive
Auto, Library Use, Locksmith and
Psychoanalysis
23

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

AROUND THE WORLD
Special Operations Forces From Around the World
While by no means complete, the following
are a few examples of Special Operations
teams from other countries that may be
found working alongside the previous units
on various missions and Task Force
operations.
Canada
Responsible for securing Canadian interest
domestically and abroad, Joint Task Force 2
(JTF2) –Ottawa, in process of moving to
CFB Trenton ,Canadian Special Operations
Regiment (CSOR) Petawawa, 427 Special
Operations Aviation Squadron (427 SOAS)
– CFB Petawawa, Canadian Joint Incident
Response Unit (CJIRU) – CFB Kingston
and Trenton.
China
Chinese Special forces branch of the
Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground
Force. It specializes in rapid reaction combat
in a limited regional war under high-tech
conditions, commando operations, counterterrorism, and intelligence gathering.
Although the size of the Special Operations
Forces is classified, it is estimated to number
7,000 ~ 14,000 troops. Established in 1988,
units include Guangzhou Military Region
Special Forces Unit, Chengdu Military
Region Special Forces Unit – Nickname
“Falcon, Beijing Military Region Special
Forces Unit, Shenyang Military Region
Special Forces Unit, Nanjing Military
Region Special Forces Unit - Nickname
“Flying Dragon”, Nanjing Military Region
Special Forces Unit - Nickname “Oscar”,
Lanzhou Military Region Special Forces
Unit and Hong Kong Special Ops Company
- Nickname "5 minute Response Unit.

24

England
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the
British Army Established May 1950. They
are part of the United Kingdom Special
Forces (UKSF) and have served as a model
for the special forces of many other
countries all over the world. The SAS
together with the Special Boat Service
(SBS), Special Reconnaissance Regiment
(SRR), Special Forces Support Group
(SFSG), 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment and
the Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing form
the UKSF under the command of the
Director Special Forces.
Australia
The Special Operations Command
(SOCOMD) is a command within the
Australian Defense Force (ADF). Special
Operations Command (SOCOM) was
established in May 2003, to unite all of the
ADF Special Forces units. As of 2007
Special Operations Command is fully
operational. Australia's Special Operations
Command is of equivalent status to
Australia's Maritime, Land and Air
Commands. Units include Special Air
Service Regiment Swanbourne, 1st and 2nd
Commando Regiment at Sydney.
Egypt
Task Force 777 Egyptian military counterterrorism and special operations unit created
in 1977 in response to concerns of increased
terrorist activity. TF 777 operates with the
US and other Special Operations units from
around the world.

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

Germany
Special Operations Division (Division
Spezielle Operationen) is an airborne
division of the German Army. Its staff is
based at Stadtallendorf. Division Special
Operations was created as 1st Airborne
Division in 1956 and reflagged twice in
1994 and 2001 as Airmobile Forces
Command/4th Division (Kommando
Luftbewegliche Kräfte/4 Division) and
eventually as Special Operations Division.
The division leads three combat brigades
and divisionary troops, all of which are fully
air-mobile. Troops of this division or its
respective predecessors have taken part in
all overseas deployments of the German
Army and were largely involved in their
preparation. It is the most combat-proven
unit of the German military.

fame of the unit and is now the official way
to refer to the unit.
Iran
The Quds Force (alternatively spelled Ghods
or Qods) is a special unit of Iran's Army of
the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution
(Revolutionary Guard). It has been
described as "tasked with exporting" Iran's
Islamic revolution, or "responsible for
extraterritorial operations" of the
Revolutionary Guard. The Quds Force
reports directly to the Supreme Leader of
Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Its current
commander is Major General Qassem
Suleimani. While "little is reliably known"
about the force by outsiders, as of 2007, its
size was estimated at 15,000 troops and
operatives.

GSG-9

Israel

As a result of the 1972 Munich Olympics
and Israeli athlete massacre the German
government moved to create a counter terror
unit top better deal with situations like
Munich. Many German politicians opposed
its formation fearing GSG 9 would rekindle
memories of the Nazi Party's Schutzstaffel
(SS). The decision was taken to form the
unit from police forces as opposed to the
military as is the model in other countries on
the grounds that German federal law
expressly forbids the use of the military
forces against the civilian population.
Established in April 1973 as a part of
Germany's federal police agency, the
Bundesgrenzschutz or federal border guard
service, renamed Bundespolizei or federal
police in 2005. The name GSG 9 stood for

Sayeret Matkal - The IDF's principal special
operations/commando unit, used mainly to
obtain strategic intelligence behind enemy
lines and to perform hostage-rescue
missions on foreign soil. It is directly
subordinate to the Israeli Military
Intelligence Directorate (Aman). Shayetet
13 - The naval commando unit is the
equivalent to the US Navy SEALS or British
Special Boat Service is also tasked with
maritime hostage-rescue missions. Sayeret
Shaldag - The Israeli Air Force commando
unit, specializing in forward air control,
aerial & special reconnaissance, and target
designation outside of Israel's borders.

Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (border guard group 9)
and was chosen simply because the BGS
had eight regular border guard groups at the
time. After the 2005 renaming, the
abbreviation "GSG 9" was kept due to the

Italy
9th Parachute Assault Regiment "Col
Moschin", an SAS-like force trained for
special operations in all kinds of
environments. It is descended from the
Arditi (Brave) units that operated on the
Italo-Austrian Front of the First World War.
4th Alpini Parachutist Regiment "Monte
25

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

Cervino" - a combination of elite mountain
infantry and airborne troops. The 4th is best
suited for high-altitude operations. It
inherits the name from the Battaglione
Alpini Sciatori (Alpine Skiers Battalion)
"Monte Cervino", 185th Reconnaissance
Target Acquisition Regiment "Folgore"
(RAO - Reggimento Acquisizione Obiettivi)
- its mission is to find and mark enemy
objectives for bombers or artillery units. The
regiment is divided into four batteries
(BAOs), trained to operate in different
environments: 1st "Draghi" (Dragons) desert environment;2nd "Aquile" (Eagles)
mountainous and Arctic environment;3rd
"Diavoli" (Devils) amphibious environment;
4th for "special reconnaissance" and
surveillance.
Japan
Japanese Special Forces Group is the
Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force's
counter-terrorist unit established by the
former Japanese Defense Agency to counter
terrorist activities and deter guerrilla-style
attacks on Japanese soil and to conduct
military operations, against guerrillas or
enemy commandos. The unit is based in
Narashino, Chiba garrison in Funabashi,
Chiba with the 1st Airborne Brigade. The
SFGp has been referred to as Japan's Delta
Force, due to their specialized role in the
Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force. Delta
Force personnel had been responsible for
assisting the Japanese Ground Self-Defense
Force in raising the SFGp's foundations
prior to its establishment.
Special Boarding Unit is a special forces
unit established by the Japanese Maritime
Self-Defense Forces on March 27, 2001 in
response to a previous spy ship incursion
that occurred on the Noto Peninsula in 1999.
The unit was created to perform similar
roles to those undertaken by American Navy
SEALs and the British SBS. Their field
involves maritime anti-terrorist duties,
including operations where arms are known
to be involved. Since the SBU is a special
26

forces unit, any kind of matters regarding
acquisition of information on personnel,
training and weapons are forbidden since
they are highly classified.
Jordan
Special Operation Forces of the Jordanian
Armed Forces were founded in 1963 on the
orders of the late King Hussein. In the early
1970s, Jordan's Special Forces were
developed and assigned the tasks of
reconnaissance, counter-terrorism, search
and evacuation, combat, and the protection
of key sites. The Special Forces have also
been charged with precision missions
including the targeting of military convoys
and the cutting off of enemy supply lines
and communications. Members are equipped
and trained to be able to operate behind
enemy lines for long periods without any
logistical support. Currently the Special
Forces branch consists of two specially
trained battalions (71 and 101), and two
paratroop battalions (81 and 91). Attached to
them several special operations units,
equipped with advanced equipment to make
them as mobile as possible.

ROK (South Korea)
Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare
Command or Republic of Korea Black Beret
Commandos is the military command of the
Republic of Korea Army responsible for
their special operation forces. It consists of 7
brigades, and its main tasks include
conducting reconnaissance and other tasks,
mostly behind enemy lines.
New Zealand
The New Zealand Special Air Service (NZ
SAS) was formed on 7 July 1955 and is a
special forces unit of the New Zealand
Army modeled on the British Special Air
Service (SAS). The New Zealand
Government states that NZ SAS is the
"premier combat unit of the New Zealand

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

Defense Force". Its key roles are to
undertake overseas missions and respond to
domestic terrorist attacks. The New Zealand
SAS is held in high regard internationally, as
demonstrated by the United States
Presidential Citation which was awarded to
the NZSAS on 7 December 2004.
Poland
GROM (full name: Polish: Grupa
Reagowania Operacyjno-Manewrowego
(Operational Mobile Reaction Group); the
acronym itself means “thunder”. It was
officially activated on July 8, 1990. It can be
and is deployed in a variety of special
operations and unconventional warfare
roles, including anti-terrorist actions and
projection of power behind enemy lines.
Russia
Spetsnaz is an umbrella term for any special
forces in Russian, literally "special purpose
forces". The term can specifically refer to
any elite or special purpose units under the
command of the Federal Security Service
(FSB), Internal Troops of Russian Ministry
of Internal Affairs, and the units controlled
by the military intelligence service GRU.

infiltration/insertion behind enemy lines
(either in uniform or civilian clothing),
usually well before hostilities are scheduled
to begin and, once in place, to commit acts
of and the assassination of key government
leaders and military officers.
South Africa
South African Special Forces Brigade
(popularly known as "Recces") is the only
Special Forces unit of the South African
National Defense Force (SANDF). On
October 1, 1972, 1 Reconnaissance
Commando was created at Oudtshoorn,
South Africa. It was relocated a few years
later to Durban, South Africa. This was the
first South African Special Forces unit. The
South African special forces played a
significant role in the country's 30 year long
border war in Namibia and Angola. South
African Special Forces now consists of
Special Forces Headquarters in Pretoria, a
Special Forces Regiment in Langebaan, a
Special Forces Regiment in Phalaborwa and
the Special Forces School in Murrayhill.
The Brigade is not a part of the South
African Army; it is directly under the
command of the Joint Operations Division
of the SANDF.

Currently, the term is also used to describe
any special purpose units or task forces of
other ministries (even the Emergency
Situations Ministry special rescue unit).
Foreign special forces are also commonly
referred to as Spetsnaz on Russian
television, with US special forces referred to
as "American Spetsnaz" for example.
Spetsnaz specialists have trained the
Republican Guard of Syria, Angola, Cuba,
Vietnam and Ethiopia and have been
involved in training other special forces
units across the world.
Spetsnaz carry out reconnaissance and
"special warfare" missions in peacetime as
well as in war. The primary function of
Spetsnaz troops in wartime is
27

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

IMPROVISE, ADAPT AND OVERCOME
New, Resurrected and Repurposed Skills
Artillery (01%)
This skill allows the character to use large
military weapons that are usually assembled
in place for use, mounted on vehicles, or
towed. These weapons are almost always
crew operated, meaning two or more
soldiers with the Artillery skill are required
to operate it using the lowest Artillery skill
of the group. Weapons suited to this skill
might include anti-aircraft, anti-tank, and
tactical assault missiles.

Heavy Weapons (15%)
Heavy Weapons covers the use of large
weapons that push the limits of portability.
Rocket launchers, heavy machine guns,
flame throwers mortars and rocket propelled
grenades. Most weapons of this type are
disassembled for transport and assembled in
place for use, many of which require more
than one person.

Command (05%)
Squad leaders to Commanding Officers rely
upon this skill to effectively lead, inspire
and direct subordinate troops through tasks
as mundane as cleaning barracks to complex
strategic assaults on enemy compounds.
Successful leaders will have Command at no
less than 25% to be even remotely effective.
Demolition (01%)
This skill also includes knowledge of fuses,
timing cord, electrical detonators,
improvised explosives, plastic explosives,
and det-cord as well as weather and safety
considerations.
Massive amounts of explosives always
disrupt a target, but precise demolition work
can be complex. To collapse any sort of
large civil or military structure such as an
office building, a bunker, a highway bridge,
or a dam, the initial chance for success is
half of the blaster's Explosives skill (round
up to the next whole number). For second
and later attempts to demolish the same
structure, the skill-holder has had the
opportunity to see how the structure reacts:
now the chance is the blaster's full
Explosives skill. If a demolition team has
the plans of the structure, and plenty of time
to lay the charges, allow the blaster's full
Explosives skill.

28

Martial Arts Hand to Hand (01%)
Military hand to hand combat training is its
own martial art style that utilizes Brawl,
Grapple and Melee skills. Incorporating
throws and submission holds from Judo,
punches and kicks from Thai kickboxing,
knife fighting and using the rifle as a melee
weapon.
Parachuting (01%)
In the present day, parachuting is a widely
practiced sport. The aerofoil design of
modern parachutes and their adjustable air
flow gives the parachutist considerable
control over speed and range-depending on
height of insertion and wind conditions,
military parasail models can move a
parachutist and quite a bit of equipment for
15- 20 lateral miles. Minimum height to

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

engage a chute is about 150 feet, depending
on the actual design. With a little practice, a
modern parachutist can steer precisely and
touch ground almost at stall speed, almost a
walk, usually not leaving his or her feet.
Higher skill levels represent advanced
parachuting techniques such as HALO
(High Altitude, Low Opening).
Status (15%)
Status is used within the military as a
designation of rank which includes pay scale
as well as authority.
Status scores in the 15% to 29% range are
enlisted men, E-1 to E-4 in pay grade. These
are usually young soldiers with little to no
combat experience. 30% to 49% would be
Non-Commissioned Officers E-5 to E-9 in
pay grade. These are usually older, battle
hardened soldiers. Scores of 50% and above
would include Officers and Warrant
Officers.
A soldier with Status at 25% would hold a
leadership position within the group, such as
Assistant Squad Leader. A Status score of
30% or better would be a NonCommissioned Officer (NCO). This player
would typically be tasked as the Squad
leader in the absence of any Officer
characters or the Assistant Squad Leader
under an Officer character. Status at 50%
and above would be Officers and Warrant
Officers who have completed specialized
leadership school.

Use this skill during a combat situation to
help the player determine the best plan of
attack for the team. When the players are at
a loss for a strategy, they may request a
Strategy roll by the team leader (highest
ranking character present). Once the roll is
made the keeper makes a suggestion based
on how well the roll is made. The better the
roll, the better the suggestion made by the
keeper.

Survival (Type) (01%)
Characters with this skill know the
fundamentals of surviving in extreme
climates and locations. Each type of survival
is listed as an individual skill. Examples of
types of Survival include Desert, Arctic,
Ocean and Woodland. Making shelter,
safety techniques, hunting, and food
preparation are just a few of the details
involved in basic survival. Do not roll for
this skill unless factors important to survival
are missing.

Strategy (01%)
This skill represents the general knowledge
of military small unit strategy. The Strategy
skill is also the ability to know how to
organize and mobilize the rest of the team
for the most effective results. While all
soldiers are trained in the very basic combat
formations and situational strategies, the
soldier with points in Strategy has a more
thorough understanding of how to react to
various situations as a team and minimize
casualties.
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SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School or OCS is a ten to
twelve week long leadership course offered
by each branch of the armed forces for
soldiers with a Bachelors degree or higher.
OCS candidates learn leadership skills and
tactics via extensive classroom study and
field exercises where they take turns leading
the rest of the class through simulations and
drills providing them with hands on
experience in a variety of stressful
situations. Soldiers with an EDU score of 16
or greater qualify to volunteer for Officer
Candidate School. Officer status includes a
pay increase and an additional 20% to the
Status and Strategy skills. Officers provide
the basic leadership and administration in all
branches of the military.

30

Warrant Officers School
A soldier, who has a POW of 11 or better,
Status of 20% or better and any occupational
skill at 80%, qualifies to volunteer for
Warrant Officers School. Six weeks of
intense training in leadership, tactics,
military history and survival skills.
Successful completion of Warrant Officers
School gives the character 20% in Status
and Strategy skills, a pay raise as well as
responsibility as a working leader and
technical expert providing valuable skills,
guidance, and expertise to commanders and
organizations in their particular field.

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

HIT LOCATIONS
To determine the location of any successful
attack, roll 1d10 on the table below to
determine the area hit. If the total damage
received to a specific location equals half
the defenders total hit points, that limb or
body part becomes useless. Select the
appropriate results from the Major Wound
table on page 207 of the BRP Rules book.

ARMOR
Modern military body armor is designed to
integrate protection and load carrying
capabilities, commonly referred to as
BALCS (Body Armor / Load Carriage
Systems), providing a single unit of gear to
replace the old system of 3 or 4 items worn
by the soldier to serve the same functions.
There are two main types of body armor
vests available to Special Operations
soldiers. The first is the Improved Outer
Tactical Vest or IOTV, which provides
excellent coverage of the torso from neck to
groin, and the lighter, more maneuverable,
Combat Integrated Releasable Armor
System, or, CIRAS.
The Special Operations Manual incorporates
the optional Random AP rules from BRP
Rules book page 195. This accounts for the
many very small openings between the
ballistic plates that can and do pose
opportunities for penetration.
After a successful attack role is made to a
body part that is covered by armor and the
damage is rolled, the defender will roll his
armor AP and subtract the total from the
damage received

IOTV
The Improved Outer Tactical Vest consists
of the main outer vest lined with woven
Kevlar M2 fiber, which provides protection
from small arms fire up to and including
9mm rounds (1d10hp). This main outer vest
provides coverage for the neck, chest,
abdomen, back, lower back and groin areas.
It is equipped with a grid of PALS (Pouch
Attachment Ladder System) webbing on the
front, back and sides of the vest, to attach
modular pouches and accessories.
The second part of the IOTV is the front and
back ballistic ceramic trauma plate inserts.
These removable trauma plates provide
protection from, up to and including 7.62
rounds (1d12hp).
The compromise for this level of advanced
protection is the sacrifice of mobility. The
weight (30lbs) and overall bulk of this armor
vest results in a flat decrease in Climb,
Dodge, Jump, Swim and Throw skills by
-20%
CIRAS
Lighter and more maneuverable than the
IOTV, the Combat Integrated Releasable
Armor System, or CIRAS, provides the
same level of protection to the chest,
abdomen and back with trauma plates
(1d12hp). It does not provide the small arms
coverage without the plates, but also does
not incur the skill percentile decrease.
Helmets
The Advanced Combat Helmet or ACH is
the current military standard head protection
for all ground troops. Its advanced Kevlar
design weighs in at only around 3 lbs and
provides ballistic, fragmentation, aural and
impact protection, while being night vision,
communications and Nuclear, Biological
and Chemical (NBC) equipment compatible.
The ACH is rated to protect the wearer from
direct fire from up to and including 9mm
rounds at close range (1d10hp).

31

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

BLUNT TRAUMA
When body armor and helmets do what they
are designed for, they stop penetration by
bullets, shrapnel and fragments by absorbing
and dispersing the kinetic energy of the
projectile across the surface area of the
armor. What remains is concussive force
transferred directly to the body of the wearer
similar to being hit by a baseball bat. To
account for this, use the following system to
measure the effects on the character.
When all of the penetrating damage
delivered by the projectile is absorbed by the
armor, compare the rolled damage vs. the
wearers CON on the resistance table. Failure
indicates 1D6 rounds of stun, where the
character may dodge or parry, but may not
otherwise act. Critical failure results in 1D6
rounds of unconsciousness.
TELESCOPIC SIGHTS
Commonly called scopes, these optical
devices provide enhanced accuracy at great
distances with firearms. The primary
telescopic sight used with the M-4 is the
Advanced Combat Optical Gun sight
(ACOG). The ACOG offers fixed 4X
magnification, crosshair reticule and a bullet
drop compensator that allows the operator to
engage enemies at quadruple the normal
base range without applying any skill
penalties. Other types of sights include the
variable power sniper scopes that offer 3.5X
to 10X magnification and infrared night
vision scopes that allow the shooter to
operate at night without penalty
LASER SIGHTS
Laser sights are small laser beam projectors
attached to firearms that enhance accuracy
by displaying a visible red or invisible
infrared dot on the target. With the infrared
version, the target dot is only visible with
the assistance of infrared night vision
goggles or an infrared night vision scope.
Laser sights provide an additional 5% bonus
to the appropriate firearm skill when used as
well as an additional +2 to DEX for the
purposes of determining fire order.
32

SUPPRESSORS
Often called silencers, are tube-like firearm
attachments that reduce the sound made
from firing the weapon. The name silencer is
misleading though, as these devices do not
actually silence the weapon, merely reduce
the sound of the bullet being fired (about
30db on average) and alter the sound to
effectively camouflage the location and
caliber of the weapon. There are two types
of silencers, detachable, such as the Knights
Armament Company Quick Detach
Suppressor, and integral silencers like on the
MP5SD. As the names imply, detachable
suppressors are removable and may be used
on other firearms, but only the same model
and caliber weapon that also has the
correctly threaded barrel.
Detachable silencers are not quite as
effective as integral
suppressors, providing -10% to listen rolls,
reducing base range ½, and wearing out
after 1d10 X 1000 firings. Integral
suppressors are built into the firearm barrel
and are not easily removed. Integral
silencers provide -15% to Listen rolls,
reduce the base range by only ¼ and wear
out after 1d100 X 1000 firings.
NIGHT VISION
A variety of options exist allowing the user
to see clearly in all but complete darkness.
By incorporating light amplification and
image intensifiers the current generation of
night vision equipment can increase the
ambient light 30,000 to 50,000 times. The
military night vision equipment is offered as
both, helmet mounted, flip down binocular
goggles and rifle mounted night vision
monocular scope. The use of night vision
equipment negates the penalties for
operating in near dark situations. Complete
darkness such as deep underground or a
sealed bank vault renders all night vision
equipment useless. Supernatural creatures
and deities are generally composed of extra
terrene material and their visibility through
night vision equipment is a matter left to the
individual keeper.

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

33

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

34

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

35

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

MISSION BRIEFINGS
Special Delivery
The players have been assigned to escort an
Air Force C-17 to McMurdo Station in
Antarctica while it delivers supplies and
personnel and picks up outbound cargo and
personnel. Recent expeditions to the interior
of the continent have returned with
biological samples to be examined further
by research scientists at the Los Alamos
National Laboratory in New Mexico. The
trip there is an uneventful flight in a cargo
plane with the barest of amenities. Upon
arrival at McMurdo Station, the team is
introduced to the expedition scientists who
tell them only that the two crates in
question, nearly 10’ x 6’ x 6’ each, are to be
guarded at all costs and that the contents are
frozen biological samples discovered deep
within the continent. All other details are on
a need to know basis.
The team is housed in a barracks overnight
while the C-17 is loaded and prepped for the
return trip. Once the cargo, crew and team
are loaded and ready, the long trip home
begins.
Several hours into the flight, somewhere
over the Pacific Ocean, the contents of the
crates begin to stir.

36

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
This scenario assumes that the players are
members of DEVGRU; however they could
also be any type of Special Operations team
the keeper chooses with little to no
modification.
A distress call from the deep water drilling
platform Copernicus II, owned by the
PetroGlobal oil company based in Houston
Texas, was received by the US Coast Guard.
The transmission was so garbled however
that it is unclear what the exact nature of the
distress is. Satellite imagery shows extreme
storms in the area of the South Pacific where
the Copernicus II is located. The distress call
would have launched a rescue mission by
the coast guard, the sound of gunfire in the
background and the lack of response from
subsequent calls has turned this into a
possible terrorist attack.
The team will be delivered via Coast Guard
cutter to a location approximately 2 nautical
miles away from the Copernicus II. There
they will take a rigid hull inflatable to the oil
rig.
The stormy sea tosses the team as they
attempt to approach the platform. Swells
toss the raft and a failed Pilot Boat roll
results in team members who fail luck rolls
being tossed in the ocean. Swim rolls to stay
afloat in the turmoil and make way to the
ladder on the leg of the platform.
The Copernicus II houses 15 crewmembers
year round. Quarterly shipments deliver
supplies and rotate crewmembers.
Seven well armed members of the ecoterrorist organization Mother Ocean
Movement have taken the crew hostage and
have planted explosives on the oil rig.

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

Operation White Lightening
Training Mission code named Operation
White Lightening Sends a team of special
operations soldiers into the heart of the
Okefenokee Swamp in southern Georgia via
MH-6B Little Bird helicopter to drop point
designation Romeo, approx. 3 miles away
from target designation Foxtrot. Foxtrot is
the camp of Special Operations soldiers
portraying the Red Flag Cartel.
In this training exercise, the characters are to
land at drop point Romeo and proceed by
foot and capture target point Foxtrot,
retrieve any intel available, and capture as
many Red Flag Cartel soldiers as possible
for further interrogation. All soldiers will be
wearing MILES gear (laser tag) and have
MILES attachments for weapons. Live
ammunition and weapon assignment is left
to the individual keeper.
Dangerous wildlife of the Okefenokee
Swamp includes 6 varieties of poisonous
snake, alligators, black bears and bobcats.
As the team approach drop point Romeo the
weather turns dramatically. Still several
miles away from drop point Romeo, dark
clouds gather and strong winds pick up as
the helicopter flies through the swamp
between the trees following a stream. As the
weather worsens, all navigation equipment
suddenly goes out and a gust of wind forces
the helicopter to clip a tree branch, sending
the Little Bird, its crew and the team,
spiraling out of control and crashing into the
swamp below causing 1d6 damage to all on
board and a party luck roll to avoid
explosion.
As the team assesses the damage and tries to
gain their bearings, the weather takes a turn
for the worse as tropical storm Cheryl gains
momentum.
Nearby, an even more dangerous problem
grows in the swamp as a group of redneck
methamphetamine dealers have set up a lab
nearby in one of the many remote
abandoned poachers’ cabins. They are well
armed and very paranoid.

Catherine Tad
As private military contractors, the group is
hired to provide armed guard services on
board the Catherine Tad, a container ship
bound for Dubai. The ship will be travelling
through the Indian Ocean bound for the Gulf
of Aden. Due to recent pirate activity in the
area, the shipping company has hired the
players to ensure safe passage for the crew
and cargo.
Somewhere in the Indian Ocean, the captain
has spotted a yacht off the port side about 10
nautical miles drifting towards the Catherine
Tad on an intersecting path. The captain
says they’ve attempted to hail the boat
multiple times with no response. Maritime
courtesy requires them to investigate and
alert the authorities in case the passengers of
the boat are injured.
The captain has called for assistance to any
nearby ships only to find that the nearest
assistance is a day away.
Once on board, the players find the ship to
be a scene out of a horror movie with gore
and corpses strew about the interior of the
boat. Obvious signs of drugs and alcohol are
found throughout as well.
One life raft is missing and hiding inside the
other the players find a frightened man in his
40’s with a .38 revolver who says he was a
guest on the yacht and that a crew member
went on a killing spree.
Inside the walk in refrigerator they will find
a young crew member with a butcher knife
who claims that the guest is responsible for
the massacre. Both men seem obviously
distressed and they both are covered in
blood, and accusing the other of being the
real killer, but one of the men is more than
he seems.

37

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

Operation Anaconda
Members of the 7th Special Forces Group in
South America are sent into the Amazon to
track down and stop a drug cartel cocaine
processing operation. The cartel is well
armed and the Special Forces operators will
be outnumbered, but that may be the least of
their worries. The Amazon jungle has its
own set of threats including the tiny poison
arrow frog, caiman, piranha, anacondas and
jaguars.
The cartel processing operation is located
deep within the jungle on protected Indian
lands. The area is home to a variety of tribes
including one previously unknown to
western civilization.
The Honi Kuin tribe consists of nearly 200
individuals who have had no contact with
modern society. They are officially
protected by the local government and
contact with them is strictly prohibited.
The Honi Kuin people speak a dialect of
Panoan which is unrelated to nearly all
existing languages. They are aggressive
towards outsiders and will attack with
poison tipped darts spears and arrows, and
possibly shamanistic magic, against military
and cartel alike.
The jungle surrounding the tribes land is
riddled with primitive traps designed to
protect them from other tribes and jungle
predators. While the Honi Kuin would make
extremely valuable allies against the cartel,
contacting them is both extremely difficult
and dangerous.
The cartel employs 25 armed men who
patrol the area surrounding the processing
operation in 2 man teams day and night.
Surrounding the operation is a web of
electronic surveillance including motion
detectors and cameras as well as land mines
and tripwires.

38

CODENAME: HABOOB
Army rangers on patrol in Sudan get trapped
in an unexpected sandstorm. When the dust
settles 3 hours later, the team finds that the
wind has uncovered ancient ruins buried
beneath the sand for centuries.
Temporarily without communications and
miles away from anyone, the team now
stands among the lost city of G’harne.
Monoliths surround them and entrances to
subterranean chambers are marked with
strange symbols. Beneath the once buried
city is a labyrinth of tunnels leading deeper
underground. The walls of these tunnels are
covered with ancient pictographs of humanlike figures worshipping and/or being
devoured by giant tentacled worm like
creatures.
If the group descends deep enough the
tunnels become smooth as if melted by acid
into perfect tubes.
Eventually, whether they enter the tunnels or
not, the ground will shake with intense
subsonic rumbling similar to an earthquake,
signaling the approach of 1d4 ancient
Cthonians from deep underground. They are
attracted to the slightest vibrations of even
footsteps on the stones of the city floor.
Assuming the players to be human sacrifice
offerings they will attempt surface and
devour whoever they can grab with their
many tentacles.
Within a 2d6 hours another sandstorm will
re-cover the lost city and with it, any
evidence of the encounter.

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

Scenario Seeds
Shorter Mission Ideas for Keepers
Army Rangers taking a Latin American air
field at the start of an invasion

Air Force PJ’s must rescue downed spy
plane pilot behind enemy lines

Rangers/Delta Force mission to capture high
level person of interest in Somalia

Private Military Contractors must protect
celebrity on tour

Special Forces training mission goes badly
in Latin America

SEAL team mission to recover US satellite
that splashed down in hostile waters

Seal Team 6 retaking a freighter ship held
by pirates

SOG team sent to ‘encourage’ Caribbean
despot to relinquish control

MARSOC Silent recon of enemy coast in
advance of an invasion

Army Rangers provide additional security
during newly democratized countries first
election

Army Rangers / Special Forces jump in to
extract prisoner/ Hostage in a desolate area
Special Forces team must restore rightful
ruler to throne in western Africa
Special Forces Training team caught in a
natural disaster.
Delta Force must rescue the hostages on a
hijacked airliner
Delta Force/SEAL TEAM 6 must retake a
captured embassy
Special Forces conduct guerilla ops with
rebel forces in country.
SEALs must take back American warship
that has had a mutiny onboard.
Army Rangers respond to natural disaster in
the US
Special Forces assist Latin American
government in taking down a drug king pin.

Special Forces team must stop African
warlord from stealing relief supplies
Private Military Contractors hired to provide
additional support for Central American
rebel forces
Army Rangers must rescue archeologists
caught in border clash in Sudan
Delta Force team sent to recover missing
artifacts stolen from museum during conflict
Army Rangers on relief mission to natural
disaster torn Middle Eastern country
encounter resistance from locals
SOG team must capture and interrogate
possible high ranking terrorist hiding in
Central Europe
Inserted deep behind enemy lines,
MARSOC team must gather intel on enemy
forces and equipment

39

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS
GORDON, GARY I.
Rank: Master Sergeant
Organization: U.S. Army
Company:
Division:
Born: Lincoln, Maine
Departed: Yes (10/03/1993)
Entered Service At:
G.O. Number:
Date of Issue:
Accredited To:
Place / Date: 3 October 1993, Mogadishu,
Somalia

Citation
Master Sergeant Gordon, United States
Army, distinguished himself by actions
above and beyond the call of duty on 3
October 1993, while serving as Sniper Team
Leader, United States Army Special
Operations Command with Task Force
Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. Master
Sergeant Gordon's sniper team provided
precision fires from the lead helicopter
during an assault and at two helicopter crash
sites, while subjected to intense automatic
weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires.
When Master Sergeant Gordon learned that
ground forces were not immediately
available to secure the second crash site, he
and another sniper unhesitatingly
volunteered to be inserted to protect the four
critically wounded personnel, despite being

40

well aware of the growing number of enemy
personnel closing in on the site. After his
third request to be inserted, Master Sergeant
Gordon received permission to perform his
volunteer mission. When debris and enemy
ground fires at the site caused them to abort
the first attempt, Master Sergeant Gordon
was inserted one hundred meters south of
the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper
rifle and a pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon
and his fellow sniper, while under intense
small arms fire from the enemy, fought their
way through a dense maze of shanties and
shacks to reach the critically injured crew
members. Master Sergeant Gordon
immediately pulled the pilot and the other
crew members from the aircraft, establishing
a perimeter which placed him and his fellow
sniper in the most vulnerable position.
Master Sergeant Gordon used his long range
rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined
number of attackers until he depleted his
ammunition. Master Sergeant Gordon then
went back to the wreckage, recovering some
of the crew's weapons and ammunition.
Despite the fact that he was critically low on
ammunition, he provided some of it to the
dazed pilot and then radioed for help. Master
Sergeant Gordon continued to travel the
perimeter, protecting the downed crew.
After his team member was fatally wounded
and his own rifle ammunition exhausted,
Master Sergeant Gordon returned to the
wreckage, recovering a rifle with the last
five rounds of ammunition and gave it to the
pilot with the words, "good luck." Then,
armed only with his pistol, Master Sergeant
Gordon continued to fight until he was
fatally wounded. His actions saved the
pilot's life. Master Sergeant Gordon's
extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty
were in keeping with the highest standards
of military service and reflect great credit
upon him, his unit and the United States
Army.

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

SHUGHART, RANDALL D.
Rank: Sergeant First Class
Organization: U.S. Army
Company:
Division:
Born: Newville, Pennsylvania
Departed: Yes (10/03/1993)
Entered Service At:
G.O. Number:
Date of Issue:
Accredited To:
Place / Date: 3 October 1993, Mogadishu,
Somalia

Citation
Sergeant First Class Shughart, United States
Army, distinguished himself by actions
above and beyond the call of duty on 3
October 1993, while serving as a Sniper
Team Member, United States Army Special
Operations Command with Task Force
Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. Sergeant
First Class Shughart provided precision
sniper fires from the lead helicopter during
an assault on a building and at two
helicopter crash sites, while subjected to
intense automatic weapons and rocket
propelled grenade fires. While providing
critical suppressive fires at the second crash
site, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his
team leader learned that ground forces were
not immediately available to secure the site.
Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team
leader unhesitatingly volunteered to be
inserted to protect the four critically
wounded personnel, despite being well

aware of the growing number of enemy
personnel closing in on the site. After their
third request to be inserted, Sergeant First
Class Shughart and his team leader received
permission to perform this volunteer
mission. When debris and enemy ground
fires at the site caused them to abort the first
attempt, Sergeant First Class Shughart and
his team leader were inserted one hundred
meters south of the crash site. Equipped with
only his sniper rifle and a pistol, Sergeant
First Class Shughart and his team leader,
while under intense small arms fire from the
enemy, fought their way through a dense
maze of shanties and shacks to reach the
critically injured crew members. Sergeant
First Class Shughart pulled the pilot and the
other crew members from the aircraft,
establishing a perimeter which placed him
and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable
position. Sergeant First Class Shughart used
his long range rifle and side arm to kill an
undetermined number of attackers while
traveling the perimeter, protecting the
downed crew. Sergeant First Class Shughart
continued his protective fire until he
depleted his ammunition and was fatally
wounded. His actions saved the pilot's life.
Sergeant First Class Shughart's
extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty
were in keeping with the highest standards
of military service and reflect great credit
upon him, his unit and the United States
Army

41

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

MURPHY, MICHAEL P.
Rank: Lieutenant
Organization: U.S. Navy
Company: ALFA Platoon
Division: SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1
Born: May 7, 1976 in Smithtown, N.Y.
Departed: Yes (06/28/2005)
Entered Service At: Pensacola, Fla.
G.O. Number:
Date of Issue: 10/22/2007
Accredited To:
Place / Date: Near Asadabad, Afghanistan,
28 June 2005

Citation
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at
the risk of his life above and beyond the call
of duty as the leader of a special
reconnaissance element with Naval Special
Warfare Task Unit Afghanistan on 27 and
28 June 2005. While leading a mission to
locate a high-level anti-coalition militia
leader, Lieutenant Murphy demonstrated
extraordinary heroism in the face of grave
danger in the vicinity of Asadabad, Konar
Province, Afghanistan. On June 28th 2005,
operating in an extremely rugged enemycontrolled area, Lieutenant Murphy’s team
was discovered by anti-coalition militia
42

sympathizers, who revealed their position to
Taliban fighters. As a result, between 30 and
40 enemy fighters besieged his four-member
team. Demonstrating exceptional resolve,
Lieutenant Murphy valiantly led his men in
engaging the large enemy force. The
ensuing fierce firefight resulted in numerous
enemy casualties, as well as the wounding of
all four members of the team. Ignoring his
own wounds and demonstrating exceptional
composure, Lieutenant Murphy continued to
lead and encourage his men. When the
primary communicator fell mortally
wounded, Lieutenant Murphy repeatedly
attempted to call for assistance for his
beleaguered teammates. Realizing the
impossibility of communicating in the
extreme terrain, and in the face of almost
certain death, he fought his way into open
terrain to gain a better position to transmit a
call. This deliberate, heroic act deprived him
of cover, exposing him to direct enemy fire.
Finally achieving contact with his
Headquarters, Lieutenant Murphy
maintained his exposed position while he
provided his location and requested
immediate support for his team. In his final
act of bravery, he continued to engage the
enemy until he was mortally wounded,
gallantly giving his life for his country and
for the cause of freedom. By his selfless
leadership, courageous actions, and
extraordinary devotion to duty, Lieutenant
Murphy reflected great credit upon himself
and upheld the highest traditions of the
United States Naval Service.

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

MONSOOR, MICHAEL A.
Rank: Petty Officer 2nd Class
Organization: U.S. Navy
Company:
Division: SEAL Team 3
Born: April 5, 1981 in Long Beach, Calif.
Departed: Yes (09/29/2006)
Entered Service At: Garden Grove, CA.
G.O. Number:
Date of Issue: 04/08/2008
Accredited To:
Place / Date: Ar Ramadi, Iraq, 29 September
2006

position. Element snipers thwarted the
enemy’s initial attempt by eliminating two
insurgents. The enemy continued to assault
the element, engaging them with a rocketpropelled grenade and small arms fire. As
enemy activity increased, Petty Officer
Monsoor took position with his machine gun
between two teammates on an outcropping
of the roof. While the SEALs vigilantly
watched for enemy activity, an insurgent
threw a hand grenade from an unseen
location, which bounced off Petty Officer
Monsoor’s chest and landed in front of him.
Although only he could have escaped the
blast, Petty Officer Monsoor chose instead
to protect his teammates. Instantly and
without regard for his own safety, he threw
himself onto the grenade to absorb the force
of the explosion with his body, saving the
lives of his two teammates. By his
undaunted courage, fighting spirit, and
unwavering devotion to duty in the face of
certain death, Petty Officer Monsoor
gallantly gave his life for his country,
thereby reflecting great credit upon himself
and upholding the highest traditions of the
United States Naval Service.

Citation
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at
the risk of his life above and beyond the call
of duty as automatic weapons gunner for
Naval Special Warfare Task Group Arabian
Peninsula, in support of Operation IRAQI
FREEDOM on 29 September 2006. As a
member of a combined SEAL and Iraqi
Army Sniper Overwatch Element, tasked
with providing early warning and stand-off
protection from a rooftop in an insurgent
held sector of Ar Ramadi, Iraq, Petty Officer
Monsoor distinguished himself by his
exceptional bravery in the face of grave
danger. In the early morning, insurgents
prepared to execute a coordinated attack by
reconnoitering the area around the element’s
43

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

PETRY, LEROY A.
Rank: Staff Sergeant
Organization: U.S. Army
Company: Company D
Division: 2d Battalion, 75th Ranger
Regiment
Born: 29 July 1979, Santa Fe, NM
Departed: No
Entered Service At: New Mexico
G.O. Number:
Date of Issue: 07/12/2011
Accredited To: New Mexico
Place / Date: 26 May 2008, Paktya Province,
Afghanistan

Citation
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at
the risk of his life above and beyond the call
of duty: Staff Sergeant Leroy A. Petry
distinguished himself by acts of gallantry
and intrepidity at the risk of his life above
and beyond the call of duty in action with an
armed enemy in the vicinity of Paktya
Province, Afghanistan, on May 26, 2008. As
a Weapons Squad Leader with D Company,
2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Staff
Sergeant Petry moved to clear the courtyard
of a house that potentially contained highvalue combatants. While crossing the
courtyard, Staff Sergeant Petry and another
Ranger were engaged and wounded by
automatic weapons fire from enemy fighters.
44

Still under enemy fire, and wounded in both
legs, Staff Sergeant Petry led the other
Ranger to cover. He then reported the
situation and engaged the enemy with a
hand grenade, providing suppression as
another Ranger moved to his position. The
enemy quickly responded by maneuvering
closer and throwing grenades. The first
grenade explosion knocked his two fellow
Rangers to the ground and wounded both
with shrapnel. A second grenade then landed
only a few feet away from them. Instantly
realizing the danger, Staff Sergeant Petry,
unhesitatingly and with complete disregard
for his safety, deliberately and selflessly
moved forward, picked up the grenade, and
in an effort to clear the immediate threat,
threw the grenade away from his fellow
Rangers. As he was releasing the grenade it
detonated, amputating his right hand at the
wrist and further injuring him with multiple
shrapnel wounds. Although picking up and
throwing the live grenade grievously
wounded Staff Sergeant Petry, his gallant
act undeniably saved his fellow Rangers
from being severely wounded or killed.
Despite the severity of his wounds, Staff
Sergeant Petry continued to maintain the
presence of mind to place a tourniquet on his
right wrist before communicating the
situation by radio in order to coordinate
support for himself and his fellow wounded
Rangers. Staff Sergeant Petry's
extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty
are in keeping with the highest traditions of
military service, and reflect great credit
upon himself, 75th Ranger Regiment, and
the United States Army.

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

MILLER, ROBERT J.
Rank: Staff Sergeant
Organization: U.S. Army
Company: Special Forces Operational
Detachment Alpha 3312
Division: Special Operations Task Force 33
Born: 14 October 1983
Departed: Yes
Entered Service At: Oviedo, Florida
G.O. Number:
Date of Issue: 10/06/2010
Accredited To: Florida
Place / Date: Konar Province, Afghanistan

Citation
Robert J. Miller distinguished himself by
extraordinary acts of heroism while serving
as the Weapons Sergeant in Special Forces
Operational Detachment Alpha 3312,
Special Operations Task Force-33,
Combined Joint Special Operations Task
Force-Afghanistan during combat operations
against an armed enemy in Konar Province,
Afghanistan on January 25, 2008. While
conducting a combat reconnaissance patrol
through the Gowardesh Valley, Staff
Sergeant Miller and his small element of
U.S. and Afghan National Army soldiers
engaged a force of 15 to 20 insurgents
occupying prepared fighting positions. Staff
Sergeant Miller initiated the assault by
engaging the enemy positions with his
vehicle's turret-mounted Mark-19 40
millimeter automatic grenade launcher while
simultaneously providing detailed
descriptions of the enemy positions to his

command, enabling effective, accurate close
air support. Following the engagement, Staff
Sergeant Miller led a small squad forward to
conduct a battle damage assessment. As the
group neared the small, steep, narrow valley
that the enemy had inhabited, a large, wellcoordinated insurgent force initiated a near
ambush, assaulting from elevated positions
with ample cover. Exposed and with little
available cover, the patrol was totally
vulnerable to enemy rocket propelled
grenades and automatic weapon fire. As
point man, Staff Sergeant Miller was at the
front of the patrol, cut off from supporting
elements, and less than 20 meters from
enemy forces. Nonetheless, with total
disregard for his own safety, he called for
his men to quickly move back to covered
positions as he charged the enemy over
exposed ground and under overwhelming
enemy fire in order to provide protective fire
for his team. While maneuvering to engage
the enemy, Staff Sergeant Miller was shot in
his upper torso. Ignoring the wound, he
continued to push the fight, moving to draw
fire from over one hundred enemy fighters
upon himself. He then again charged
forward through an open area in order to
allow his teammates to safely reach cover.
After killing at least 10 insurgents,
wounding dozens more, and repeatedly
exposing himself to withering enemy fire
while moving from position to position,
Staff Sergeant Miller was mortally wounded
by enemy fire. His extraordinary valor
ultimately saved the lives of seven members
of his own team and 15 Afghanistan
National Army soldiers. Staff Sergeant
Miller's heroism and selflessness above and
beyond the call of duty, and at the cost of his
own life, are in keeping with the highest
traditions of military service and reflect
great credit upon himself and the United
States Army.

45

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

Recommended Reading
Air Force
Carney, John T and Schemmer, Benjamin F.
No Room for Error: The Story Behind the
USAF Special Tactics Unit. (Ballantine
Books, 2002)
Pushies, Fred. Deadly Blue: Battle Stories of
the U.S. Air Force Special Operations
Command. (AMACOM, 2009)
Army
Brinkely, Douglas. The Boys of Point Du
Hoc: Reagan and the USA 2nd Ranger
Battalion. (Harper Collins, 2005)
Clancy, Tom. Special Forces: A Guided
Tour of the US Army Special Forces.
(Penguin, 2001)
Clancy Tom, Steiner Carl & Koltz Tony.
Shadow Warriors: Inside the Special
Forces. (Penguin, 2003)
Durant ,Michael J., Hartov Steven , Johnson
Robert L. The Night Stalkers: Top-Secret
Missions of the U.S. Army's Special
Operations Aviation Regiment. (Penguin,
2008)
Hanley, Eric. Inside Delta Force, The Story
of Americas Elite Counter-Terrorist Unit.
(Random House, 2003)
Robinson, Linda. Masters of Chaos: The
Secret History of the Special Forces. (Public
Affairs ,2005)
Navy
Couch, Dick. The Warrior Elite: The
Forging of SEAL class 228. (Crown
Publishing, 2003)
Kyle, Chris, McEwen, Scott & DeFlice, Jim.
American Sniper: The Autobiography of the
Most Lethal Sniper in US Military
History.(Harper Collins, 2012)

46

Marcinco, Richard & Wiseman, John. Rogue
Warrior. (Pocket Books, 1993)
Rogue Warrior II Red Cell. (Pocket Star,
2010)
Pfarrer, Chuck. Seal Target Geronimo: The
Inside Story of the Mission to kill Osama Bin
Laden.(St. Martins, 2011)
Warrior Soul: The Memoir of a Navy Seal.
(Random House, 2004)
Marines
Pushies, Fred. MARSOC: U.S. Marine
Corps Special Operations Command.( MBI,
2011)
Wright. Evan. Generation Kill: Devil Dogs,
Iceman, Captain America and the New Face
of American War. (Penguin, 2005)
General Reading
Bowden, Mark. Black Hawk Down A Story
of Modern War. ( Grove/Atlantic, 2010)
Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World's
Greatest Outlaw. (Penguin, 2002)
Hutchthausen, Peter. Americas Splendid
Little Wars: A Short History of US Military
Engagements 1975-2000. (Penguin, 2004)
Jones, Anthony James. Urban Guerilla
Warfare. (University of Kentucky Press,
2007)
Kahane ,Larry. AK-47: The Weapon that
Changed the Face of War. (Wiley Johnson,
2006)
Kaplan, Robert. Hog Pilots, Blue Water
Grunts: The American Military in the Air at
Sea and on the Ground. (Knoph Doubleday,
2008)
Kinney ,Mike and Ryah, Mike. Chariots of
the Damned: Helicopter Special Operations
from Vietnam to Kosovo. (St. Martin’s Press,
2003)

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

Recommended Viewing
Air Force
Peacemaker 1997
Battle of Los Angeles 2011

Foreign Films
Battle of Algiers 1966
The Beast 1988
Stalingrad 1993

Army
The Green Berets 1966

Downfall 2004
Wolves of Chechnya 2004

Apocalypse Now 1979
Saving Private Ryan 1998
Band Of Brothers 2001
Black Hawk Down 2001
The Objective 2008
Navy
GI Jane 1997
Behind Enemy Lines 2001
Tears of the Sun 2003
Act Of Valor 2012
Marines
Heartbreak Ridge 1986
Jarhead 2005
Flags of Our Fathers 2006
Generation Kill 2008
Pacific 2010

47

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

About the authors:
Jason Graham has been playing and running role
playing games for over twenty years and served
four years in the United States Army.
Stephen Baron has been paying and running role
playing games for more than twenty years and
has a Masters degree in National Security
Studies from CSUSB.

48



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