JSOC finally elbowed its way into the war after Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s forces began firing Scud missiles into Israel on January 17, 1991. Fearful that Israel would retaliate militarily, thus breaking apart the fragile coalition of Arab and European states lined up against Saddam, Defense Secretary Dick Cheney and Chairman of the Joint

As JSOC sought to fill the gaps in its knowledge of the Quds Force’s reach into Iraq and the Levant, it was able to draw heavily on intelligence from another country that paid close attention to the militant Shi’ite threat in the Middle East: Israel. JSOC had access to Israeli intelligence because in the middle of the decade, Delta established a

Air assault – A combat mission in which infantry or special operations forces are delivered to the target by helicopter.

Team 6’s counter-proliferation mission meant an influx of money, enabling the unit to buy a couple more Beechcraft King Air civilian-style planes, doubling the unit’s fleet of the small turboprop aircraft. The original aircraft transported leaders and staff to meetings at JSOC headquarters. The new planes were intended to fly the SEALs to Andrews

The missions into Syria were also kept from almost everyone in the U.S. embassy in Damascus. “The chief of station, the ambassador will know they’re in there and maybe the chief of ops in the station, and that’s about it,” the special mission unit veteran said. The operatives had an emergency action plan if they were compromised. “Your best course

6 – The attack, or gunship, version of the two-pilot Little Bird helicopter used exclusively by 1st Battalion of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

Workup – The phrase SEALs use for a training cycle, especially one that precedes a deployment.

Trident – The Trident was the SEAL Team 6 equivalent of Delta’s Aztec squadron. It was so named because of the Naval Special Warfare insignia of an eagle clutching a trident.

The missions enabled JSOC to build a detailed picture of the network that moved jihadists from Aleppo and Damascus airports through the Syrian section of the Euphrates River Valley until they crossed into Iraq near Al Qaim. After several years, one name stood out as Zarqawi’s master facilitator in Syria: Abu Ghadiya. The United States tried to