CIA Special Activities Division (SAD)
A blogger friend of mine from ahdeedas blogspot recently blog about 1:6 scale Soldier Story CIA SAD Night OPS Version 2. The 1:6 scale version of the CIA SAD operators (as my blogger friend mention and shown) does look awesome and cool but reality is far from what's shown. CIA SAD operators appearances are far from military regular standard looks of clean shave facial hair and crew cut hair style. They are normal looking paramilitary who does not dress up as the normal infantry would such as uniform or uses any of the standard issue assault riffle from the United States Armed Forces for it's combatants. Very rarely the CIA SAD operator is seen with any standard issue items from the United states Armed forces. They need,will and have to blend in with the crowds in order to achieve their task or missions.
Little is known about the CIA covert unit. They are one of America's most secretive and lowest profile special ops organizations.
The Special Activities Division, sometimes referred to as the 'Special Operations Group', is made up of Paramilitary Operations Officers. CIA Paramilitaries are typically ex-military personnel and veterans of military special operations units such as the Green Berets or Marine Force Recon. SAD also recruits from within the Agency. Regardless of background, SAD operators undergo extensive specialized training.CIA SAD are responsible for covert action paramilitary operations, the collection of intelligence in hostile and/or denied areas and all high threat military and/or intelligence operations when the US government does not wish to be overtly associated with such activities.As such, members of the unit normally do not carry any objects or clothing (e.g., military uniforms) that would associate them with the United States.If they are compromised during a mission, the government of the United States may deny all knowledge.
CIA is the successor of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) formed during World War II to coordinate espionage activities between the branches of the United States military.
Special Activities Division - Role
Special Activities Division typically carry out deniable covert operations on foreign soil. CIA Special Operations Group Paramilitiaries are trained in
- sabotage
- personnel and material recovery
- kidnapping
- bomb damage assessment
- hostage resuce
- counter terrorism
SAD is organized into several sections:
- Ground Branch
SAD Ground Branch operatives are experts in field craft, surveillance, small arms, hostage rescue, CQB and advanced driving. Many former Army Special Forces soldiers and Delta Force operators find their way into Ground Branch. - Maritime Branch
As the name suggests, SAD Maritime Branch's focus is on amphibious operations and as such tends to recruit ex SEALs and Force Recon Marines as its operators. - Air Branch
SAD's aviation wing. Their role is to fly covert missions in support of CIA operations and as such tends to recruit United States Air Force Special Operations and 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment(160th SOAR).
- Tibet in October of 1950, to train and lead Tibetan resistance fighters against the People's Liberation Army of China.
- Korea during the Korean War.
- Cuba in the late 1960s, to Bolivia to train the Bolivian army in order to counter the National Liberation Army of Bolivia (ELN-Ejército de Liberación Nacional de Bolivia) and to track down and capture Guevara.
- Vietnam and Loas during the vietnam war.
- Nicaragua in 1979 to train and lead the Nicaraguan National Guard against the Sandinista government.
- El Salvador in the Salvadoran civil war.
- Somalia in 1992.
- Afghanistan in 1990s.
- Yemen in 2002.
- Pakistan
- Iran to overthrow the government of Iran, Prime Minister Mohammed Mosaddeq, and install Mohammad Reza Pahlavi as Shah.
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