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.

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

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

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

CONTENTS

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

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

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

INTRODUCTION

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.

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)

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.

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

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.

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)

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.

A FEW GOOD MEN

Special Operations Unit Background and Character Creation

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.

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 long-

term 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.

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

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, counter-

insurgency, 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.

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 long-

range 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

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

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

(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

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 pre-

deployment 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 re-

organization 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.

A Navy SEAL captain commanded the

Combined Joint Special Operations Task

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

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

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

Specialty: Direct action, special

reconnaissance, foreign internal defense,

counter terrorism.

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:

Phase 1 trains and evaluates the basic skill

sets required of all special operators.

Physical fitness, swimming and hand-to-

hand combat are stressed in a PT program

designed around endurance, functional

fitness and amphibious training, field skills

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.

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.

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.

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.

Marine special operators also attend U.S.

Army Airborne School and the USMC

Combatant Diver Course.

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.

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.

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

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

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

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

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. counter-

terrorism 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

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

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 counter-

terrorism 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,

intelligence collection, counter-intelligence,

investigative, and national security work.

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 free-

climbing, 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.

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

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

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

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

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

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 "RATT-

V'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.

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

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

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

ERIS WORLDWIDE

Example Private Military Contractor

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

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”

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.

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 1st 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

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

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, counter-

terrorism, 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.

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 counter-

terrorism 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.

AROUND THE WORLD

Special Operations Forces 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.

GSG-9

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

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

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.

Israel

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

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.

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.

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.

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

IMPROVISE, ADAPT AND OVERCOME

New, Resurrected and Repurposed Skills

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 Non-

Commissioned 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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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

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.

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 eco-

terrorist organization Mother Ocean

Movement have taken the crew hostage and

have planted explosives on the oil rig.

MISSION BRIEFINGS

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.

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.

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 human-

like 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

Army Rangers taking a Latin American air

field at the start of an invasion

Rangers/Delta Force mission to capture high

level person of interest in Somalia

Special Forces training mission goes badly

in Latin America

Seal Team 6 retaking a freighter ship held

by pirates

MARSOC Silent recon of enemy coast in

advance of an invasion

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.

Air Force PJ’s must rescue downed spy

plane pilot behind enemy lines

Private Military Contractors must protect

celebrity on tour

SEAL team mission to recover US satellite

that splashed down in hostile waters

SOG team sent to ‘encourage’ Caribbean

despot to relinquish control

Army Rangers provide additional security

during newly democratized countries first

election

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

Scenario Seeds

Shorter Mission Ideas for Keepers

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

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

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 MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS

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

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 enemy-

controlled area, Lieutenant Murphy’s team

was discovered by anti-coalition militia

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

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

position. Element snipers thwarted the

enemy’s initial attempt by eliminating two

insurgents. The enemy continued to assault

the element, engaging them with a rocket-

propelled 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.

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 high-

value combatants. While crossing the

courtyard, Staff Sergeant Petry and another

Ranger were engaged and wounded by

automatic weapons fire from enemy fighters.

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, well-

coordinated 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.

SPECIAL OPERATIONS MANUAL

Special Operations Manual

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