Shadow Warriors: A Closer Look at the U.S. Military’s Least Publicized Special Forces Unit

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A joint special forces team move together out of a U.S. Air Force CV-22 Osprey Feb. 26, 2018, at Melrose Training Range, New Mexico. At Emerald Warrior, the largest joint and combined special operations exercise, U.S. Special Operations Command forces train to respond to various threats across the spectrum of conflict. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Clayton Cupit)

It is not possible to provide a definitive answer to the question of the โ€œMilitaryโ€™s most secret unit,โ€ as such information is classified and not publicly available. In a thread on Quora, a retired US Army Special Forces officer and enlisted soldier, who has served at various levels and locations, offered some insights into the subject. It is worth noting that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is not affiliated with the US Department of Defense and therefore is not a military unit. Any discussions about CIA units and missions should be considered speculative at best.

Central Intelligence Agency HQ in Langley Virginia
Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia (Photo: CIA)

The officer also defined โ€œmost secret,โ€ which goes against the questionโ€™s premise because it asks for the โ€œMilitaryโ€™s most secret team.โ€ He stated that โ€œmost secret teams are most probably.โ€ However, this is not a factual, evidence-based answer but rather a conjecture. It is also worth noting that the term โ€œunderhandedโ€ is not a military term; therefore, its meaning is unclear.

In discussing some of the more well-known units in the Special Operations Forces (SOF) community, the officer noted that both Delta Force and US Navy SEAL Team 6 are not considered intelligence teams. Delta Force has never been referred to as a team, while SEAL Team 6 has been referred to as a team due to its original name. It is important to understand the differences between the terms โ€œDirect Actionโ€ and โ€œAssaultโ€ as they are used in SOF missions. โ€œDirect Actionโ€ missions do not include hostage rescue, a separate mission. โ€œDirect Actionโ€ is not interchangeable with โ€œAssault,โ€ and there is no such mission as an โ€œAssaultโ€ mission in US SOF.

A group of Delta Force operators armed with HK416 assault rifles hanging out from the Blackhawk
A group of Delta Force operators armed with HK416 assault rifles hanging out from the Blackhawk (Photo: XY)

Many of the answers in the thread referenced the ISA (Intelligence Support Activity). However, it is worth noting that they are not a military unit but rather falls under JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command) and are not a Tier 1 Special Mission Unit. They have been known by the identifier โ€œGREY FOXโ€ among others in the past 20 years.

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Eric Sof holds a master's degree in Political Science, specializing in International Peacekeeping Studies. He has over a decade of experience as a former member of an elite counterterrorism unit. Additionally, he is a firearms instructor and currently serves as a member of the SWAT unit.
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