The most absurd parts; the military never takes the lead in civil affairs. It is against the constitution! We do take the lead if requested by other agencies and with consent of the governor on missions CONUS but never overall operational control. Now there are military Soldiers that get assigned to the three letter agencies and they are given a change in status under the law. Posse Comitatus is taken very seriously because it keeps the military from taking over the country or military coops. We always work for civilians. The DOD has been trying to take over homeland defense for many years only to get slapped down. Homeland is the National Guard mission under title 32 US code. But there are those who work under other titles that work for 3 letter agencies. The CIA agents really are just analysts. They contract all their work out for plausible deniability and they are the smart guys we don't want them killed. They have their teams but usually they work for the CIA but were not trained or brought up in the agency they gather intelligence, analyze it, make recommendations and action those recommendations. The synergy between DOD, CIA, FBI and local law enforcement is the best it has ever been. State department still can cause problems.
But these are not the most troubling things to me because I get it its a TV show! What bothers me the most is the Colonel. He wears a uniform that is the old BDUs with no name tags and completely against regulation. You would never do this in the environment he is in. He would be in civilian clothes. But it makes him look like a bad A i guess, but it is a slap at the community. In his position he provides cover for the team, acquires resources, lobbies for funding, cuts operational orders and is ultimately responsible for overall planning and coordination. The less glamorous things you never see because they are boring is the staffing process that makes these missions happen. The success comes in planning. The Colonel would have a full staff to provide analysis and then action personnel actions, intelligence, operations, logistics, communications, maintenance, finance and public affairs. A full Colonel does not have direct operational control over a team. Colonels are the strategic level. More likely there would be a LTC in charge of multiple teams or a high level civilian the teams would have a commander not a Sergeants Major in charge. You always have lower level commands that manage the teams, they deal with the daily issues related to the men. That is a full time job! A Colonel does not have the time to manage individual teams, plus he has been there done that. Again it is a TV show so I get it.
BUT the biggest thing is the Colonel having an affair with one of his Soldiers wives! That is disgraceful! It is the most offensive part of this show to me. The Special Operations Community has its problems for sure a lot of infidelity in team members, suicides and domestic problems because you are dealing with intense people. But in a unit like this they would be the highest caliber the most closely watched and the most disciplined. I just hate it every time they get together. Yes it can happen and has happened but as an officer myself it is embarrassing and they always get caught. It just goes against good order and discipline.
The tactics are good and mostly sound, they carry their weapons as experienced shooters would in most cases. They do go out on individual missions by themselves into impossible and intense situations to gather intelligence and gain targets. But in reality every mission has orders. Those orders are signed by a higher headquarters. All missions are highly vetted, highly planned and meticulously practiced until perfect. The level of operations being under taken by a group like this they cannot afford mistakes or capture. Truth is most operations are sanctioned or at least approved by countries where operations are conducted. They want a specific target taken out because they cannot do it themselves. These operations have the highest consent of our government but with plausible deniability.The community is constantly reviewing scenarios and practicing "What ifs". The team may have short notice but the plan started weeks prior to them getting the call in one fashion or another. The teams can have very short notice but the planning and coordination, the OP Order, was written and approved by the Colonel hours prior. Things do not just magically happen someone has to do them. Coordinate travel, get funds, get orders, issue ammunition, pick the team.
In reality you have a lot of scary broadcasters, news outlets and doomsday people out there telling you all this crazy stuff is true, about the military acting rogue. There are operations done in the US, But the military is never in the lead. There is always a civilian agency with operational control on the homeland as per the constitution. It is something that is taken very seriously by the military. They have an advisory role, gather intelligence, provide surveillance under strict guidelines may engage in tactical operations. The special operations budget comes from the congress of the US. They cannot afford to break the law. Every time they do they get caught, eventually, causing a black eye and getting us more over site. You will not read about it in the press however, just some Colonel or Brigadier general will retire. They get their orders, which are highly vetted and are questioned and discussed at the highest levels, separation of powers not with standing and such but ultimately the congress pays the bills. The over site committees are very important to keep happy.
I like the show however and find it entertaining. Hope this sheds a little light on some of the subjects that bother me.
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newaddy
9 years ago
Hi bubbablowhole,
I found Season One Episode 8 "SERE" really difficult to watch.
Is this a true account of what would happen in an organisation such as the Unit?
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bbaria86
9 years ago
As this was still active fairly recently I felt as I should chime in.
First, Thanks to Bubbablowhole for that response, very insightful!
Second, newaddy, SERE is a real thing as I understand it and something that SF (not just Delta) go through.
Third, what I have read about Delta (which includes Haney's book) is that they are, to some degree, badass. They were formed in the 1960's during the rise of plane hijackings. Very few agencies, militaries, law enforcements, etc. had successfully handled a hijacking of a plane so Delta was formed. This was why the first episode was about a plane hijacking, as Delta learned from the successful and then became the best at it. Delta spends the better part of 6+ months training AFTER selection to deal with a wealth of both battlefield and urban situations. Much of what they learn comes from pretty much all over the place, including but not limited to, FBI, CIA, foreign militaries.
That being said, they show also depicted something else rather often, which was protection details. According to Haney, they often get tasked with "babysitting" as their skillset makes them, unfortunately, good candidates for it.
So, in short, yes The Unit can be over the top at times. Yes, Molly Blaine was very self-righteous. In the end, I LOVE this show, still watch it regularly. It's a good show in the end and although the wives can be tiring, you have to remember they are a story device. Think about it, when the guys are done with a job/OP, they move on (generally and excluding season 4's "what if" scenario). If not for the wives, there would be little to add continuity to the show. Every once in a while, you'd see a character that seemed as though they had an idea for, then just dropped in the end.
The Unit is not always well written and at times dramatic for the sake of the TV but I love it. It's little issues won't stop me from doing so. =D
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IronHorseColonel
9 years ago
SERE is very real and there are several levels conducted to train several entities. Most combat aviators will go through one kind of SERE. Navy, Marine and Air Force Aviators and Crew-members will go through SERE. All NSW, ASOC, AFSOC and MARSOC Operator types will go through a different type of SERE.
One thing about Haney and his influence on the show, is that his experience is from close 30 years ago at the most recent. But it is very well known that Delta was not formed in the 1960s it was stood up in the mid-70s. These protection details are rather misconceived though. In reality they are a part of a mission coined as Foreign Internal Defense. FID is more of a training mission. FID as I have witnessed it with Delta, albeit indirectly, is part of an Operational Cycle. We all have operational cycles. I will for instance rotate between operational units ready to go to combat, to individual training assignments like War College, to units that are not necessarily deployable to combat. Its a cycle designed decrease wear and tear, thats a rather simplistic and possibly not applicable to every soldier. But Delta is similar. Soldiers/Operators are not with the same unit forever, and are not always on alert to go. They have similar rotations even in Delta.
My problem with the show has always been the inclusion of the wives. Maybe make a separate show about just the wives, thats less dramatic than Army Wives which tries to go both ways just like The Unit.
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dkulmer05
7 years ago
It was a hollywood version of what we did. There are different levels of SERE, as each branch runs its own program. The Navy/USMC course was about 20 days, if I remember correctly. I think the officers and aircrew also go through a smaller class that is not as "intense." It was broken into several different themes, including survival, avoiding capture, & resisting the torture.
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IronHorseColonel
9 years ago
Now there are military Soldiers that get assigned to the three letter agencies and they are given a change in status under the law.
You are basically supporting the "Hawaii Five O" myth. Unless they were removed from active duty that isn't possible. Active Duty Military of all branches and all kinds of specialties are assigned to many government agencies. That doesn't change their status as Active Duty Members of the Armed Forces, it does not in any way shape or form entitle them to privileges of Law Enforcement.
The DOD has been trying to take over homeland defense for many years only to get slapped down./quote]
Never heard that one before. The only thing close to reality in the thesis of that statement, is the factual resentment that DOD has in terms of budgetary line items that they have lost to DHS here and there since 2001. For DOD to have oversight of any of the agencies in DHS would be in violation of The Constitution in a multitude of ways.
[quoteThe CIA agents really are just analysts. They contract all their work out for plausible deniability and they are the smart guys we don't want them killed. They have their teams but usually they work for the CIA but were not trained or brought up in the agency they gather intelligence, analyze it, make recommendations and action those recommendations. The synergy between DOD, CIA, FBI and local law enforcement is the best it has ever been. State department still can cause problems.
I'm not following here. So the CIA doesn't have a Clandestine Service full of Operations Officers who do a lot more than analyze? The CIA doesn't have SAD or SOG with many, many non-contracted Operators? News to me but what do I know. The CIA and State use contractors in a very defined way. But this is not in a vacuum and it does not preclude their own in house people. The above statement in quotations is not accurate.
What bothers me the most is the Colonel. He wears a uniform that is the old BDUs with no name tags and completely against regulation. You would never do this in the environment he is in. He would be in civilian clothes. But it makes him look like a bad A i guess, but it is a slap at the community. In his position he provides cover for the team, acquires resources, lobbies for funding, cuts operational orders and is ultimately responsible for overall planning and coordination. The less glamorous things you never see because they are boring is the staffing process that makes these missions happen. The success comes in planning. The Colonel would have a full staff to provide analysis and then action personnel actions, intelligence, operations, logistics, communications, maintenance, finance and public affairs. A full Colonel does not have direct operational control over a team. Colonels are the strategic level. More likely there would be a LTC in charge of multiple teams or a high level civilian the teams would have a commander not a Sergeants Major in charge. You always have lower level commands that manage the teams, they deal with the daily issues related to the men. That is a full time job! A Colonel does not have the time to manage individual teams, plus he has been there done that. Again it is a TV show so I get it.
The idea is sanitized uniforms, its misinterpreted on the show but it is not completely without precedence. It is more of a antiquated idea from a generation ago carried over by the creators who are themselves dated. Special Operations wearing irregular uniforms in the field is nothing new. It must also be stated that in a unified type command with multiple branches, uniform of the day can also be fairly irregular when compared to 'Big Army' norms. JSOC being a unified command this applies, fully. That is not to mention that ACU didn't fully replace the BDU until 2007, so your gripe is misplaced. The BDU was still authorized when this show began in 06. ASOC is of course always late to transition when comes to uniforms too. I had BDUs in my mix with ACUs(albeit in a Cav Unit) all the way till the last day they were authorized. The portrayal of the organization above the team level is simply not focused on nor should it be. So what you end up seeing is a microcosm nothing more nothing less. I have experience operating in theater with entities that 'may ore may not be Delta' where Officers were no where to be found. Sure a Squadron will definitely have some Brass. Troops will have some much lower brass. But the Hoppers and Poppers, are very likely to be of a composition depicted in the show.
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