Security

The SEAL Team 6 Rescue of Philip Walton and the Demonstration Effect

During the early morning hours of October 31, 2020, members of the US Navy SEAL Team 6, also known as DEVGRU (Development Group), carried out a dramatic hostage rescue operation in Northern Nigeria to recover the kidnapped American citizen named Philip Walton.

According to reports, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) supplied the intelligence that led to the whereabouts of Walton, and components of the Marine Special Operations in Africa assisted in locating him. Because of their responsibilities in the region of West Africa, SEAL Team 6 was selected to carry out the operation.

Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told reporters in a statement that “US forces conducted a hostage rescue operation during the early hours of October 31 in northern Nigeria to recover an American citizen held hostage by a group of armed men”. Hoffman added that Walton “…is safe and is now in the care of the US Department of State.”

These operations are essential in ensuring the safety of the hostage, and of course, it speaks about the national security of the country involved. With this rescue mission, US pledged its commitment to defending its citizens and national interests wherever they may be.

What happened to Philip Walton?

Philip Walton, age 27, resided in a tiny village of Massalata in Niger with his wife and daughter. Massalata is located close to the border of Nigeria. US officials said he was kidnapped on October 26, 2020. Near the edge of Niger and Nigeria, it is noted that Walton maintains a flock of camels, lambs, chickens, and mango trees. As per the reports, six bandits armed with AK-47 assault rifles rode up on motorbikes to the house where he lived. They then took him captive.

The US intelligence community was able to track him down in Northern Nigeria by following the clues it left behind. As a result, the green light was given to the US Special Operations Forces not long after former US President Donald Trump was briefed on the situation. Although it was a “tough” decision, in the end, the president chose to go ahead with the operation because he placed the utmost importance on protecting American citizens. According to the sources, the aim of the kidnappers was either to demand a ransom payment or to sell Philip Walton to one of the terrorist groups operating in Nigeria.

The Rescue Attempt

The rescue mission carried out by US Special Operations commenced with a parachute insertion into the area. In most cases, this form of insertion is only utilized in exceptional circumstances, such as when no other covert insertion methods are immediately accessible. Additionally, it is used when the forces entrusted to the raid need to go into the target location on aircraft with a greater range from a substantial distance. During the attack, there was around 30 personnel who were a part of special operations. After the rescue team had successfully parachuted into the region, they set out on foot approximately three miles to the objective. After what was described as a “short but intense firefight,” Walton was carried to the evacuation spot. From there, helicopters transported the captive and the rescue team to a secure location. According to a defense official, of the six kidnappers involved in the abduction and during Walton’s liberation, five of them were killed, while the remaining one managed to escape.

U.S. Navy SEALs are deployed worldwide, conducting missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (Source: U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class George R. Kusner., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Post-Operation Reaction

After the nerve-racking operation, the rescue mission received glowing praise, including former president Donald Trump who said in a tweet that the successful operation was a “Big win for our very elite US Special Forces today. Details to follow!”

During a separate event, he also stated while addressing a crowd in Pennsylvania that “The kidnappers wished they had never done it,” which is something of an understatement since only one of the kidnappers survived.

This successful mission conducted an entire continent away in the remote reaches of a country like Nigeria offers several lessons. The Demonstration Effect can affect the behavior of others who witness an event or the actions of others and the consequences that go with them. The mission to rescue of Walton was something of a marvel in terms of the operational art of war. It may have also been a mission only the United States could pull off successfully.

The long War on Terror had honed the skills of Special Operations Forces like SEAL Team 6 to a very fine point of competence and proficiency.
Our worldwide network of bases provides the Air Force with a global reach, able to send aircraft just about anywhere in the world we might need to conduct operations.
Our intelligence agencies were able to provide timely and accurate information that allowed planners to craft a successful mission.
Our network of satellites was able to provide real-time data of conditions on the ground prior to and even during the raid itself
Political leadership was able to give the green light to the operation with a high degree of confidence that it would be successful.
A successful mission like this creates a deterrent effect. Kidnappers want the ransom money, not a SEAL Team shooting them in the face.

GROM – Poland’s Tier 1 Special Operations Unit

The Polish Special Forces unit GROM (Grupa Reagowania Operacyjno-Manewrowego), which translates to Group for Operational Maneuvering Response, is Poland’s premier special operations unit.

GROM, which also means “thunder” in Polish, traces its lineage to the exiled Polish paratroopers of World War II known as the Silent Unseen (Cichociemni Spadochroniarze Armii Krajowej). The Silent Unseen was a special operations unit of 315 men — and one woman — trained in Great Britain before inserting into occupied Poland to oppose the Germans.

The Polish Tier 1 Unit

GROM is modeled after the Tier 1 units of NATO, such as the U.S. Army’s 1st SFOD-D (Delta Force), the US Navy’s SEAL Team Six (DEVGRU), and the British Army’s SAS.

During the transition from Communism to democracy in 1989, the Soviet Union allowed many Russian Jews to emigrate to Israel. Poland was one of the few countries that provided aid, in the form of logistics for the operation, later dubbed Operation Bridge (Operacja Most).

However, because of this, Poland earned the ire of many countries in the Middle East. In Lebanon, two Polish diplomats were shot by the terrorist group Hezbollah. The Polish government dispatched the larger-than-life soldier Lieutenant Colonel Sławomir Petelicki to Lebanon to secure the safe passage of civilians and Polish diplomats.

Upon returning to Poland, Petelicki presented a plan for the creation of a special operations unit that was to be assigned to the Ministry of Interior. Petelicki’s concept was approved and on June 13, 1990, GROM was formally established as JW 2305.

GROM logo and patch. (Polish Ministry of National Defense)

LTC Petelicki was chosen as the first commander of GROM. A professional holdover from the Communist regime, Petelicki set about establishing a professional, highly-trained organization. The first candidates for GROM all came from already-existing special units within the Polish Armed Forces.

The selection and assessment process was grueling. Few men were able to meet their standards.

A Polish website about GROM offers a glimpse inside of what the unit is looking for in its candidates.

“Special units, unlike general military units, require an appropriate selection of people, which in GROM is guided by selection. It cannot be limited to a physical test of the organism’s efficiency – says Col. Roman Polko, GROM commander. – Candidates should be intelligent (higher education recommended), professional in various fields. In the most stressful situations, they need to stay sober and analytical, and even cheerful. In addition, special units require different training, functioning, and management, a specific structure of subunits, and specialized equipment. Otherwise, there is no point in bothering to form and maintain them.”

The initial physical fitness test to get into GROM selection include:

– Pull-ups;
– Deflection of the arms on the rails;
– Torso bends;
– Rope climb;
– Shuttle run 10×10 m;

Running Endurance Test:
– 3,000m run;

Swimming Test:
– 50m swim;
– Swimming underwater;
– Tower jump.

Hand-to-hand combat test:

Fitness tests and psychological tests usually last up to 24 hours.

Many of the initial GROM candidates were trained by the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets). The unit also received funding from the CIA.

In 2013, SOFREP’s Brandon Webb was invited to Poland and got a first-hand peek into GROM and filmed an Episode of the SpecOps Channel on the unit. You can watch the episode here.

GROM During the Global War on Terror

GROM deployed a 40-man well-trained unit in Afghanistan and Iraq as part of the U.S.-led coalition.

In the invasion of Iraq, GROM was part of the Naval Special Operations Task Group, along with U.S. Navy SEALs, British Royal Marines, and attached U.S. PsyOps and civil affairs teams.

Polish GROM operators special forces — Polish GROM operators are highly trained and well respected by their Western peers. They have been valued members of the coalition of forces during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. (Polish Ministry of National Defense)

In the Afghanistan War, GROM operators were tasked for a time as bodyguards for VIPs.

However, that duty was not a highlight for the unit. “Never send a Ferrari to dig coal,” quipped one GROM veteran, as highlighted in John Pomfret’s upcoming book From Warsaw, With Love which will be released later this month.

In late March 2003, GROM operators assaulted the KAAOT Oil Terminals, while U.S. Marines and Navy SEALs from SEAL Team Eight and 10 seized the MABOT oil terminal. Both of the terminals were seized with no casualties, while the teams found explosives that were defused by GROM and SEAL operators.

After the initial phase of the operation, GROM operators were assigned to form the core of Task Unit Thunder, as an element of CJSOTF-AP (Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Arabian Peninsula), providing a Tier-1 counterterrorism unit for the task force.

American operators have great respect for their Polish counterparts. Poles mingled with Americans on missions, and as referenced in Pomfret’s book, one couldn’t tell the difference between a Polish or an American operator unless they would hear them speak.

The Unit’s Organization

GROM is organized along the following lines:

A Squadron (ZBA) – Land Element located in Warsaw

B Squadron (ZBB) – Maritime Element located in Gdańsk

C Squadron (ZBC) – Specialty unknown located in Warsaw

The logistic and security unit is located in Warsaw.

GROM’s mission set includes:

CT – (Counterterrorism)
(Non Combat Evacuation)
SR – (Special Reconnaissance)
DA – (Direct Action)
MS – (Military Support)
UW – (Unconventional Warfare)
CSAR – (Combat Search and Rescue)

GROM Weapons and Equipment

GROM operators use a variety of weapons depending upon the mission. But the most common weapons found in the unit include:

Heckler & Koch HK416 D10RS and D145RS;
Heckler & Koch USP;
SIG P226 & P228;
IMI Desert Eagle Mark XIX;
SIG MPX submachine gun;
Accuracy International AWM-F sniper rifle .338 LM round;
Heckler & Koch PSG1sniper rifle.

Green Berets Deploy to Taiwan as Tensions With China Rise

China continues to test and harass Taiwan’s air defense capability with nearly daily forays into Taiwanese airspace. Tensions between China and Taiwan which the Chinese consider a wayward province, and the United States continue to rise. Now, it was reported that U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) troops are in Taiwan training Taiwanese troops.

For the past seven decades, Taiwan has considered itself an independent country.

China has never ruled out taking Taiwan by force and its aircraft have continuously buzzed over Taiwanese airspace.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report that about two dozen special operations troops and support personnel were in Taiwan along with a small Marine contingent training the host nation forces. This is a significant development as China’s aggressive actions increasingly look like a prelude to open war. According to an unnamed Pentagon official, the training by the U.S. has been ongoing for more than a year.

The Pentagon would neither confirm nor deny any troop deployments or training in Taiwan. Pentagon spokesman John Supple said, “I don’t have any comments on specific operations, engagements, or training, but I would like to highlight that our support for and defense relationship with Taiwan remains aligned against the current threat posed by the People’s Republic of China.”

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry sidestepped any training comments, stating that “all military exchanges are carried out in accordance with annual plans”.

Last year, Taiwanese media outlets reported that U.S. troops had arrived there to train Taiwanese marines and Special Forces in small-boat and amphibious operations. However, those reports were denied by both American and Taiwanese officials, who stressed that the two countries are only involved in bilateral military exchanges and cooperation.

Video screenshot of U.S. Special Forces in a casualty evacuation exercise with Taiwanese SF.

A video surfaced last year showing U.S. troops on the island taking part in an exercise dubbed “Balance Tamper.”

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the United States needs to cease all cooperation with and arms sales to Taiwan. Spokesman Zhao Lijian said that the already tense relations between the U.S. and China will suffer.

“The U.S. side should fully recognize the great sensitivity of the Taiwan issue,” he said during a press conference.

“China will take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Lijian added.

U.S. Congressman Ami Bera (D-CA) confirmed that special operations deployments have been ongoing for more than a year. Bera, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was asked by the press at a defense conference if the Committee was aware of this present SOF Deployment.

“Not particularly this deployment, if I call it a deployment. I think we have special operators and others there, and we have in the past that are there training (Taiwan’s) military, working with them,” Bera replied.

Taiwanese Special Forces during a training exercise. (AP photo)

Meanwhile the Chinese have stepped up their aggressive, and dangerous forays into Taiwan’s airspace. On Monday, 52 Chinese aircraft entered Taiwan’s air defense zone. The action was characterized by U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price as “destabilizing and provocative.”

“We strongly urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure and coercion against Taiwan,” Price said, calling the American commitment to the island “rock-solid.”