Operation Eagle Claw

The Rise of the United States most secretive and covert intelligence unit, had a large failure preceding its need. What had also preceded this failure was a larger problem where American Hostages were taken during the Iranian uprising which ended up overrunning the American Embassy leading to the hostages being taken. This ushered in the newly created Special Forces Operations Detachment Delta, (SFOD-D) which was based of the world’s premier Special Forces unit the British Special Air Service (SAS). What occurred during Operation Eagle Claw, was a critical failure of intelligence support and logistical support to better allow for the hostages to be retrieved as well as the operators surviving.
What was not received by the SFOD-D teams that

Richelson, was far and few between due to the classified nature of their actions. What is described is what they were able to accomplish in such a short time, and the command that had allowed for such an effective beginning and subsequently fruitful future that gave the ISA the reputation as rivaling the CIA. (Richelson 1999, 168-169) During the review of Operation Snowbird, was the deficiency of the intelligence provided. (Richelson 1999, 168-169) Traditionally in the past from the beginning of the OSS, covert action and intelligence collection had fallen up to the group which then transitioned to the Central Intelligence Agency after WWII. What Jennifer R. Kibbe shows was the evolution of the Covert Action methods and uses both by the Military and the Central Intelligence Agency. (Kibbe 2007, 58-59) During the first part of the 80’s as was described was a lack of definitive response units to counter terror actions, as well as the intelligence related to combating these groups. (Kibbe 2007,

During the Holloway Commission, which was enacted after the terrible tragedy during Operation Eagle Claw, the intention to create a specialized intelligence collection unit, whose mission was to bring together both mission essential intelligence as well as assist in special operations missions was determined. (Skelly 2008, 419) What Skelly further elaborates on is the advancements that were undertaken by the ISA in terms of Intelligence Collection. (Skelly 2008, 424) What is shown through this article as well as the very informative book “Killer Elite” by Michael Smith, was the lack of intelligence that was continually denied to SOF forces as well as JSOC, furthering the need for the ISA. Smith showed the history and the various missions that had earned the secretive unit, the most effective reputation from Operation Gothic Serpent to the hunt for Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan. Smith also elaborates on the importance where the ISA has shown repeatedly, the propensity for mastering covert tradecraft as well as exceeding in some instances where the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency had limited SIGINT support in a particular area. (Smith 2010, 107) What Smith had also showed in the telling account of the ISA, was the disdain the other agencies as well as governmental officials had held with the ISA. (Smith 2010,