Force just one SAS tool in a battle of wits (Australia)

AUSTRALIA'S special forces considered aborting a 600km secret air mission into Iraq after a mechanical problem on one of the US Army Chinook helicopters forced it down.

In what was one of the first incursions of the Iraq war, the Chinook was forced to set down after a dangerous air-to-air refuelling manoeuvre when a dust storm damaged the helicopter's refuelling probe.

The chopper, flying into the duststorm at dangerously low levels to avoid detection, set down while soldiers inspected the probe.

It was left to a young Australian SAS captain to make the call on whether to brave the weather and continue. The incursion, under cover of darkness, came in the early hours of March 20 after Saddam Hussein rejected a US ultimatum to leave the country to avoid war.

"In hindsight, getting the soldiers in there was probably one of the most challenging parts of the mission," Deputy Special Operations Commander Brigadier Mike Hindmarsh told The Weekend Australian yesterday.

"Basically, it was left to a young SAS captain who was the tactical commander to make a decision to go on or come back the next night.

"If they had turned around, it would have left a significant gap in the coalition's campaign in western Iraq," he says. "We were pretty relieved to hear they'd arrived at their destination and the words, 'We are in location'," he says.

The Australian SAS taskforce, totalling about 80 men, would encounter up to 2000 Iraqis during their six-week campaign, relying largely on guile and superior firepower to outwit the enemy.

Its job was to knock out communications and missile stations to prevent Iraq launching Scud missiles against Israel (although searches for the weapons in the Australians' area of operation would prove fruitless).

Conditions were challenging, with night temperatures of -5C soaring to 43C during the day. Dust storms in Iraq's western desert often turned to mudstorms when it rained, clogging weapons and hindering the progress of operations.

While one group of SAS soldiers was inserted by helicopter deep into Iraq to conduct long-range reconnaissance, another entered by road and ran straight into trouble some 30km inside Iraq's border with Jordan.

The column of heavily armed four-wheel-drive vehicles was intercepted by Iraqi forces in utilities with heavy machine guns and mortars. A brief firefight ensued that would set the pattern for the first few days.

"They (the Iraqis) were from the very start attempting to take us on, hunt us down and kill us," Hindmarsh says. "There were 16 firefights in the first 24 hours and it was pretty tough."

The Javelin shoulder-fired missile proved remarkably effective in ensuring the SAS escaped casualties.

One of the most infamous battles, in which the Javelin proved its worth, came some four days into the war, on March 24, when an SAS patrol was attacked by some 50 Iraqis in SUVs. In an account of the firefight in his book Shadow Wars: Special Forces in the New Battle Against Terrorism, Canadian author David Pugliese says "as the Iraqis got closer they opened fire with rocket-propelled grenandes and machine guns".

"Standing in the turret of his long-range patrol vehicle the SAS soldier looked into the Javelin's sighting system and manipulated its computer cursor until it was on top of the image of the approaching SUV.

"He then pressed the firing button sending a missile downrange at more than 90 metres per second.

"As it cleared the launch tube the missile's infrared seeker took over, homing in on the truck's engine heat.

"When the 8kg explosive warhead slammed in to the SUV, it lifted the truck momentarily into the air before the vehicle burst into flames.

Trooper X (SAS identities are not revealed) fired another Javelin, turning a second SUV into a "twisted hulk of smoking metal".

He then took out a mortar tube with a sniper rifle, sending the Iraqis diving for cover and forcing their surrender.

Trooper X's quick-thinking use of every weapons system available to him earned him a medal for gallantry.

According to Hindmarsh, "within seven to 10 days I think our blokes had been so successful in engaging the enemy that it became untenable for the Iraqis to confront them".

In April, when the SAS and commandos took control of the Al-Asad airbase closer to Baghdad, it was a case of applying minimal force to get the job done. "The (SAS) soldiers were in a position of dominance and could have opened up with heavy machine guns and killed a lot of people.

"Instead the strategy was to use a sniper rifle to place some well-aimed shots in vehicle tyres, or the boot of a vehicle.

February 17, 2004: Australia, like the United States, found itself having a hard time keeping it's Special Forces up to strength since the war on terror began. More troops were needed, and civilian demand for commando class security experts enticed many men to leave the service for higher paying jobs. So, like the United States, Australia is trying direct recruitment of civilian volunteers. Normally, only men already in the military are recruited. The Special Forces Direct Recruiting Scheme (SFDRS) has, so far, attracted some 800 applicants (physically fit men 19-30 years old). Last month, 48 applicants were accepted and sent off to twelve weeks of basic training, followed by eight weeks of the Special Forces Accelerated Training Continuum. This prepares the recruits for the 54 hour Special Forces Entry Test. This is a rugged physical and mental evaluation that determines if you are suitable for commando training.

More than half of the applicants are expected to quit or fail before completing their commando training. If that happens, the applicants can either be discharged from the army, or apply for another position (infantryman, Special Forces support or anything else they have an aptitude for.)

Two more platoons of applicants will be sent through the training before June. The Australian army is confident that they will get a least a few dozen commandos out of the program. The reserve commando unit has long taken some recruits directly from civilian life and many of these men have made it through the training and selection process.

Australian Special Forces consists of a number of units, including 1st SAS Regiment (500-600 active duty and reserve troops), 1st Commando Group (about 250 troops) and the 4th Royal Australian Regiment (several hundred commandos) and several companies of LRRPs (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol). The successful SFDRS recruits are headed for the 4th Royal Australian Regiment as commandos, roughly similar to the U.S. Army Rangers. After two years with the commandos, troops can apply for SAS (which is similar to American Special Forces and Delta Force).

Australian commandos are trained for a wide variety of duties. The official job description is;

Main Job Functions

As a Commando your main function will be to participate in large-scale offensive operations. Using your advanced infantry tactics and specialist weapons and equipment, you will use stealth, surprise and the precise application of hard-hitting shock action in a range of operations.

Some of the tasks you will be required to perform as a Commando are:

# Accurately employ a range of advanced weapon systems (including night aiming devices);

# Fight at close quarters with weapons;

# Participate in a Commando fighting patrol in both urban and rural operations;

# Destroy targets using explosives;

# Parachute onto land or into water;

# Participate in Tactical Air Land Operations from both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft;

# Embark and disembark from Commando amphibious insertion craft in surf (beach and rocky landings) and from parent craft;

# Ascend and descend vertical obstacles using military roping and caving ladder climbing techniques;

# Operate intra-platoon communications equipment;

# Conduct manual entry to urban structures;

# Comply with the Laws of Armed Conflict (LOAC), Rules of Engagement (ROE) and adhere to Orders for Opening Fire (OFOF);

# Conduct airborne rappelling and fast roping (including suspended extraction); and

# Operate Commando amphibious boats as coxswain / bowman as part of a flotilla.

As a Commando you must also be capable of transitioning from special operations to conventional infantry operations where required.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.