Intelligence Support Activity
|
United States Army Intelligence Support Activity |
|
|---|---|
 Intelligence Support Activity badge |
|
| Lineup | 1981 |
| Country |
 United States
|
| Armed forces |
 United States Armed Forces
|
| Armed forces |
 United States Army
|
| Type | military intelligence |
| Strength | unknown |
| Insinuation |
 United States Army Intelligence and Security Command United States Joint Special Operations Command.svg){kind=small}
|
| Nickname | The Activity |
| motto | Send Me (Eng. "Send me.") Or Veritas Omnia Vincula Vincit (Eng. "The truth overcomes all boundaries.") |
| Calls |
Operation Winter Harvest Operation Desert Storm Operation Gothic Serpent Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom |
The Intelligence Support Activity ( ISA , nickname The Activity ) is a special unit of the United States Army . Together with units such as the Delta Force and DEVGRU , it belongs to the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).
assignment
The ISA supports the other units of the JSOC with intelligence material (hence the name Intelligence ), but also maintains a small combat unit of its own for self-defense.
organization
The structure of the unit is unclear, but probably similar to that of the Delta Force or the British Special Air Service (SAS) . Their strength is estimated at around 200 to 300 soldiers.
history
The unit was founded in 1980 under the name Field Operations Group to support the Delta Force in the rescue operation in connection with the hostage situation in Tehran ( Operation Eagle Claw ). This mission failed mainly because of insufficient preparation and planning errors, but above all because of the dispute over competence and rivalry between the armed forces involved. A year later the name was changed to Intelligence Support Activity . The headquarters were initially in Arlington , Virginia, in a civilian building; the unit is now housed in Fort Bragg , North Carolina . In 1989 the unit was officially dissolved, but only the name ISA disappeared. Since then, a cover name has been used that is changed every two years. Last names used were Centra Spike , Torn Victor and Gray Fox .
literature
- Secret Warriors: Inside the Covert Military Operations of the Reagan Era , by Steven Emerson, GP Putnam's Sons, New York, 1988 ISBN 0-399-13360-7
- Truth Conquers All Chains: The US Army Intelligence Support Activity, 1981-1989 , by Jeffrey T. Richelson, article of the International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence , Vol. 12, No. 2, 1999, pp. 168-200, ISSN 0885-0607 , available on the InformaWorld
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The Pentagon's Spies: Documents Detail Histories of Once Secret Spy Units , electronic book by Jeffrey T. Richelson, May 23, 2001, on the National Security Archive website. The article collects duplicates of declassified documents about covered US military intelligence units, including the ISA:
- Memorandum for Director, Defense Intelligence Agency , by Lt. Gene. Philip C. Gast, USAF , December 10, 1980 (PDF file; 47 kB)
- Memorandum to the Deputy Under Secretary for Policy , by Frank Carlucci, May 26, 1982 (PDF file; 35 kB)
- Charter of US Army Intelligence Support Activity , circa mid- 1983 (PDF file; 278 kB)
- After Action Report for Operation CANVAS SHIELD , by 902nd Military Intelligence Group, July 30, 1985 (PDF file; 307 kB)
- Brief History of Unit (ISA) , circa mid-1986 (presumed; PDF file; 69 kB)
- United States Army Intelligence Support Activity 1986 Historical Report (PDF file; 355 kB)
- United States Army Intelligence Support Activity 1987 Historical Report (PDF file; 556 kB)
- Termination of USAISA and "GRANTOR SHADOW" , by Commander, USAISA, March 31, 1989 (PDF file; 47 kB)
- Killing Pablo: the hunt for the world's greatest outlaw , by Mark Bowden , Atlantic Monthly Press, New York, 2001 ISBN 0-87113-783-6
- Killer Elite: The Inside Story of America's Most Secret Special Force Unit , by Michael Smith, Orion Publishing Co, 2006 ISBN 0304367273 online presentation (several editions from 2005 to 2008 with additional material)
Web links
- ISA at specwarnet.net (English)
- ISA at delta-green.com ( Memento from April 17, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
- StateCraft.org ISA at statecraft.org (English)
- SourceWatch.org ISA at sourcewatch.org (English)